A documentary is a non-fiction film or program that documents a subject matter factually using images, voiceovers, and opinions from experts to inform audiences. The first documentary was Robert Flaherty's 1922 film Nanook of the North. Since then, documentaries have evolved and become more popular and accessible through television channels and online streaming. They remain a low-cost film genre that provides both entertainment and factual information to audiences.

1. [TASK1] POST 3: WHAT IS A DOCUMENTARY

2. • A documentary is a broad term to describe a non-fiction movie/programme that 'documents' a
certain subject and gives factual information in order to create an informative, yet factual
documentary. There are many different types of documentaries to narrow each type of
documentary down even more to the different codes and conventions that appear on the
different types of documentary.
• Even though the scenes are carefully chosen, there is no formal script and only a small
percentage could be scripted. A typical documentary consist of visual and audio information i.e..
Pictures and voice-overs in order to give information in both aspects and to fit the codes and
conventions of a typical documentary.
• They will also have a sense of realism as after all, they're not fully scripted so the events
recorded are actually happening at the time to give a realistic perspective of what is actually
happening. An experts opinion will mostly always be included in a documentary to give the
audience knowledge from an experts perspective as well as just the presenters perspective.
• This also creates realism for the documentary which enables the audience to actually believe
what is being said as it is coming from an experts opinion, then being backed up by the
presenters/voice overs opinion.

3. ROBERT FLAHERTY
• The first documentary was released in 1922 and was Robert Flaherty's Nanook Of The
North.
• Since then documentary's have evolved greatly and are now broadcasted on channels
such as Channel 5, Channel 4, BBC 2 etc.- meaning documentaries have become a focus
point for someone wanting to gain information about a particular subject yet also be
entertained and supplied with facts, statistics and opinions for example- asking members
of the public for their own opinion on a particular topic.
• The earliest films were actually classed as documentaries as they features home-video
type footage and included footage that is actually referred to as 'actuality' films. Due to
the low cost of making these films, and the use of the internet as a distribution tool,
documentaries in the 21st Century have become increasingly popular not only as online
media, but also broadcasts on TV channels specifically designed for documentaries.

4. • Documentary films have remained at a fairly low popularity on the radar for most
moviegoers, but the popularity of these films illustrates that some audiences want to
watch movies with a proper message and a proper subject. Seeing as though they are a
much lower cost that producing other programmes/movies, they are low risk for studios as
they are a cheap way to make a film that is entertaining and informative. There isn't ever
really use of CGI or Green-Screen like there is with other films meaning these
documentaries are generally 'Economically friendly' to make, to produce and to distribute.

5. JOHN GRIERSON
• John Grierson is a Scottish documentary film maker. He was often referred to as the
'Father' of British and Canadian documentary films and was a social and film critic. in
1926, he came up with the term 'Documentary' when he was talking about a review of a
film called Robert Flaherty's Moana (1926). He also mentioned this again in the New York
Sun (8th February 1926). In the same year this happened, the BBC turned into a
corporation.

6. VLADIMIR PROPP
• Vladimir Propp suggested that characters took on the role of narrative 'spheres ofaction'
or functions. He came up with 7 different character types; The hero, the villain, the donor,
the helper, the princess, the dispatcher and the false hero. However, Propps theory is
maybe to generic and may not always apply to documentaries. In terms of his character
functions and narratemes, Propp's work was based on research into fairy tales, tales that
were similar to other tales. However, this may mean that they are not a perfect fit to other
types of tales.

7. BARTHES
• Barthes identifies five different codes; the Action Code and the Enigma code, the Semanctic code, the
Symbolic code and the Cultural code. The action code he saw as a way of advancing the narrative and
driving it forwards. they often allow characters the chance to resolve a problem through action, often violent
action and are seen to appeal particularly to men and are more prominent in some genres than others.
• Enigma codes refer to any element of the story that is not fully explained and hence becomes a mystery to
the reader. They are seen as puzzles, questions, where the audience wants answered. The purpose of the
author in this is typically to keep the audience guessing, arresting the enigma, until the final scenes when all
is revealed and all loose ends are tied off and closure is achieved.
• Semantic codes refer to the connotation within the story that gives additional meaning over the basic
denotative meaning of the world. The Symbolic Code is very similar to the Semantic code but acts as a
wider level, organising meanings into broader, deeper sets of meaning. This is typically done through the
use of binary opposites, where new meaning arises out of opposing and conflicting ideas.
• The Cultural code is read with understanding due to the cultural awareness (e.g. youth culture use certain
words that are understood by that culture; british films may well show schools, pubs and landmarks that
british audiences recognise). This code tens to point to our shared knowledge about the way the world
works and give the text plausibility with its audience.

8. TODOROV
• Todorov identifies the structure of events within a narrative as 5 points; Equilibrium,
Disruption, Recognition, Repair and Re-Equilibrium. Equilibrium is simply everyday life
and it's what life is like for the main characters before everything happens. Disruption is a
series of disrupting events throughout the story. Key characters realise a disruption has
occurred which is known as recognition of disruption and as characters struggle to deal
with the disruption and restore equilibrium, this is know as repair. As peace is restored, a
new normality may be better, similar of worse than the original equilibrium.

9. ROBERT MCKEE
• Robert McKee identifies a slight different version of the same idea and identifies 5 points.
The inciting incident- An event that sets the story going, Progressive complications-
Things just keep getting worse for the character, Crisis- Things get even worse and looks
like its all over for the hero, Climax-Things are now so bad, drastic action is called for and
Resolution is whatever the problem was, it's sorted and all is well again.

10. LEVI STRAUSS
• Levi-Strauss describes binary opposites and looks at opposites as a key way of
structuring and driving narrative.