There are 7 types of documentaries: docusoaps, reality TV, fly on the wall, mixed, self reflective, docudrama, and fully narrated. Docusoaps follow individuals or groups over a long period of time, like Airport or Educating Yorkshire. Reality TV shows real life drama for entertainment and information. Fly on the wall documentaries film subjects unaware they are being filmed. Mixed documentaries use interviews, footage, and narration to tell a story. Self reflective documentaries have subjects acknowledge the camera directly. Docudramas reconstruct past events. Fully narrated documentaries have narration throughout to explain the footage.

1. Types Of
Documentaries
Beth Whitehead

2. There are 7 types of documentaries:
• Docusoaps
• Reality TV
• Fly On The Wall
• Mixed
• Self Reflective
• Docudrama
• Fully Narrated

3. Docusoaps
A docusoap is a hybrid genre and is observational. It’s a long
running documentary series which follows an individual or
group of people for example Educating Yorkshire or Airport.
Docusoaps started in the 1990s and was popular amongst
the public as they liked that it was real life drama.
Docusoaps always follow a central protagonist so the
audience will get to know this character well throughout
the series.

4. Reality TV
Reality TV is factual as it is real life drama. It became
popular between 1989 and 1999 this type of TV is used
primarily for entertainment but at the same time
transmits information.
This is a mix of genuine and commercial material and
has use of camcorder, observation, surveillance and
commentary.

5. Fly On The Wall
A fly on the wall documentary is where the camera
remains unseen and the subjects of the documentary
are unaware that they are being filmed.
The narrator links the story together and this advances
the narrative.
Modern documentaries are increasingly being mixed.

6. Mixed
A mixed documentary is a combination of interviews,
observation, actuality footage, archive material and
narration.
The narrator bonds the story together and helps it to
progress.
A lot of modern documentaries adopt this style of
documentary.

7. Self Reflective
This type of documentary is when a camera follows a
person or group of people around. The person/people
acknowledge the camera often and frequently speak to
the camera an example of this would be Sun, Sex and
Suspicious Parents or Reggie Yates Extreme South
America.

8. Docudrama
A docudrama is a reconstruction of an event that has
actually occurred.
They show events that happened at a time.
Examples of this would be Band Of Brothers and 12
Years A Slave.

9. Fully Narrated
This is where the narrator talks of what is being seen on
the screen for the whole documentary.
It is used to convey the exposition and is used to make
sense of what people see. They dominate what is
happening.
An example of this would be one of David
Attenborough's many wildlife documentaries.