There are several types of documentary films, each with different goals and styles. A "fly on the wall" documentary aims for objectivity by filming subjects without their awareness of the camera. It features no narration. "Docusoaps" emphasize entertainment over information by following people's everyday lives and problems. They sometimes stage scenes. "Docudramas" are scripted reenactments meant to depict real events in an engaging way for audiences. "Mockumentaries" parody documentaries or areas of life for comedic effect. "Drama documentaries" explore social issues through scripted drama. "Theatrical documentaries" focus on celebrities and are released in cinemas. Each type targets different audiences based

1. TYPES OF DOCUMENTARY

2. FLY ON THE WALL
Within a ‘fly on the wall’ documentary, the camera is unseen and
the subjects go about their day to day lives as if the camera isn’t
there. There is no narration on a fly on the wall documentary
which leaves the audience able to draw their own conclusions
about the actions of the subjects within the documentary. Fly on
the wall is a popular genre of documentary often filmed in
Hospitals, Schools, Airports etc to show how these places work
and how they are represented. Direct Cinema is a style of
documentary linked closely with fly on the wall documentaries as it
is also aimed at objectivity and there is no narrator. Direct Cinema
was a style of documentary produced in the 1960’s. Cinema Verite
is also linked closely with fly on the wall documentaries as a hand-
held camera was used to convey life as realistically as possible.
Examples of fly on the wall documentaries include Channel 4’s
Educating Cardiff and 24 hours in A&E. The target audience for
this type of documentary would be both males and females of the

3. DOCUSOAP
A docusoap is a type of documentary that follows the lives of
individual who usually have a designated occupation. There is a big
emphasis on entertainment rather than instruction as subjects have
common characteristics such as playing up to the camera. Some of
the scenes in these documentaries are known to have been set up for
the audiences entertainment and they often focus on everyday lives
and problems instead of showing social issues. Video Diaries is a
different type of docusoap where the subject is seen recording
themselves which allows the audience to see them as reliable and
truthful- this descended from Direct Cinema. Examples of Docusoaps
include, Airline and Vet School. The target audience of this type of
documentary would be middle aged working class/middle class
females as these types of documentary tend to cover more female
orientated topics.

4. DOCUDRAMA
A docudrama is a re-enactment of events that try and show the event
as though it actually happened. The documentary is mainly scripted
so that it can be more entertaining for the audience. They are made
part of a series and often end on cliffhangers. They feature ordinary
people who are not actors however they are given scripts in order for
the programme to become more entertaining an keep the audience
interested. Examples of docudrama’s include Made in Chelsea and
The Only Way Is Essex. The target audience for this type of
documentary is females aged 18-50 as they will tend to want
‘celebrity’ gossip and will be interested in watching ‘trashy TV’

5. MOCKUMENTARIES
A mockumentary uses the documentary format in order to create a
comical effect for the audience as a sort of parody. The documentary
can either parody the genre, parody the area of life or both. They are
usually created for the entertainment of the audience. Examples of a
mockumentary are The Office and Its all gone Pete Tong. The target
audience for this type of documentary would be males aged 18-45 as
they would be interested in the comedy that these programs bring
and related to the subjects/characters more than females.

6. DRAMA DOCUMENTARIES
A drama documentary explores a social issue rather than focussing
on entertaining the audience. However they do have some similarities
to a docudrama as they are scripted and the subjects are played by
actors. An example of a drama documentary could be ‘Ghandi’ or
‘Hillsborough’. The target audience for this type of documentary is
middle aged/older working class/middle class males and females as
they would understand parts of the ‘drama’ that the documentaries
bring.

7. THEATRICAL DOCUMENTARIES
A theatrical documentary is a documentary that is also a film and is
released in the cinema. Traditionally theatrical documentaries would
focus on celebrities eg sports stars, pop stars and other famous
people who have done something worth recognition. An example of a
theatrical documentary is ‘In Bed With Madonna’. The target audience
for this type of documentary is middle aged men and women (based
on the topic of the documentary) middle class people as they will be
more interested in the topic of the documentary and will relate more
to the subject.