A documentary aims to document real events or subjects using techniques like actual footage, reconstructions, and narration. There are several types of documentaries including fully narrated, fly on the wall, mixed, self-reflective, and docudrama. Key features include observation to place the audience as a witness, interviews, gatekeeping of information, mise en scene to compose desired images, exposition to unfold an argument, and use of drama to engage audiences. Documentaries can have open or closed, single or multi-strand, and linear or non-linear narrative structures.

1. TV Documentary

2. •The purpose of a documentary is to document i.e. report with
evidence something that has actually happened it can show this
by actual footage or reconstructions
•It can use a narrators voice over to anchor the meaning or rely
on the interjection by the narrator.
•The term documentary was coined by the film maker john
Grerson in 1926 to describe film made about on a south sea
island he defined documentary as the “ the creative treatment of
act vality ( or reality )

3. Types of Documentary

4. Fully narrated
The voice over is used to make sense
of the visuals and dominates their
meaning for example natural history
documents.
Fly on the wall
Cameras film the subjects
without interference for
example 24 hours A&E
Mixed documentary
This uses a mixed
combination of interview
observation and narration
for example the devil
made me do it

5. Self-reflective
The subjects of the documentary
acknowledge the presence of the
camera often speak directly to the film
maker. They draw attention to the film
makers role in constructing a view of
reality .
Docudrama
Reconstruction, a re-enactment of
events as they are supposed to
have actually happened.
Docusoaps
These programmes follow the daily
loves of particular individuals with
in an organisation
Eg Airline, The cruise.

6. Features of Documentaries

7. Observation
The programme makes pretend that the camera is
unseen or ignored by the people taking part in events.
A places the audience (watching the programme ) as
an “eye whiteness” to the events.
Interview
TV documents rely on interviews. The interviewee
address then unseen interviewer rather than the
audience. Interviews are interact with images or
observations to illustrate what they are talking
about
Gate Keeping
Gate keeping is about he selection and rejection of
information .

8. Mise en scene
Documentary makes carefully compose that‟s so that
they contain the images they want the audience to see.
Exposition
This is basically the line of argument. The way the
argument „unfolds‟
Drama Tisation
All docs use sense of drama throughout the
observation element. This is designed to keep the
audience interested and make them easy to follow
the narrative.

9. Types of narrative structure

10. Open Vs Closed
Open: Questions left un answered
loose ends.
Closed: No loose ends and all
questions are answered.

11. Single strand V Multi-strand
Single strand: This is only one
narrative thread (our story line)
Multi Strand: More than one
narrative thread sometimes
these do converge, but always.

12. Linear V Non Linear
Linear: Follows chronological order
Non Linear: Doesn't follow time order
use of flashbacks and flash forwards.