The document discusses different modes of documentaries including participatory, expository, and observational. Participatory documentaries feature the filmmaker asking questions and sharing their views. Expository documentaries aim to advance an argument through narration and archival footage. Observational documentaries objectively observe and record events without narration to allow the audience to draw their own conclusions. Examples provided include Morgan Spurlock's "Super Size Me" for participatory and the 1970's film "Gimme Shelter" for observational.

2. OVERVIEW ON DOCUMENTARIES
The documentary genre is very diverse and unique, this style of film
making is non fiction and doesn't’t include actors (excluding
reconstructions) but instead focusing on real stories using real people
There are many types of documentary some drawing attention to their own
artificiality and others acting like a fly on a wall documentary trying to
show raw footage of real life.

3. PARTICIPATORY MODE
Filmmakers often appear in this mode of documentary interviewing
and expressing their views to the camera. This style of
documentary also is usually a lot more polemical than other
modes
An example of a Participatory documentary would be Morgan
Sperlock's ‘Super Size Me’, watching this documentary gave me
a better understanding of both Participatory documentaries and
the documentary genre in general

4. EXPOSITORY MODE
This style of documentary addresses the viewer directly to advance an
argument and usually focuses on topics and issues in recent history.
This type of documentary is characterized by a hidden, ‘omniscient’
narrator, whose voice is supported by images.
An example of a Expository mode documentary could be a panorama
documentary, we watched an episode of panorama on violent video
games to get an idea both the Expository mode and our own topic.

5. OBSERVATIONAL MODE
The observational mode of documentaries observes and records events
‘objectively’ with no authorial institution. They are also referred to as fly
on the wall documentaries
This mode originates from direct cinema which originated in the 60’s and
70’s and aimed to be completely objective filming events and people
with no narration, leaving it to the audience to draw conclusions
An example of an Observational mode documentary would be 1970’s
‘Gimme Shelter’
Having looked at the Observational mode I don’t think it will helpful when
making our Documentary