This document outlines four main documentary film styles: expository, observational, participatory, and reflexive. Expository documentaries feature an authoritative narrator and didactic tone. Observational documentaries have no narration and aim for objectivity. Participatory documentaries feature the filmmaker interviewing subjects. Reflexive documentaries reflect on their own artificial construction. Each style has criticisms around being too preachy, lacking context, one-sided, or abstract respectively.

2. • Addresses the viewer directly to advance
argument or recount history
• Subjected and often polemical
• Characterized by hidden,
authoritative, ‘omniscient’ narrator, whose
voice is supported by images rather than the
other way round.
• Criticisms: Overly didactic and ‘Preachy’

3. • Events observed and recorded by ‘objectivity’
with no authorial intrusion
• Often called the ‘fly on the wall’ documentary
as it is just pure footage and no voice over
• Criticism: Lacks History and Context

4. • Film maker appears in their documentary,
interviewing and expressing views to the
camera (contrasting against the expository
mode)
• Polemical
• A good example is Michael Moore’s
documentary
• Criticism: Too intrusive and one sided.

5. • The documentary frequently reflects on it’s
own artificially, drawing attention too this
• Criticism: Too artificial

6. • A much more personal approach than
participatory mode, the individual film maker
tells their own story
• Often political – Stories told by members of
minority groups
• Criticism: Too abstract, lose sight of actual
issues.