Documentary Mini Task.
A documentary is a factual programme including
reports on specific topics, based either on true stories, ideas and ideologies
or current or past events. Documentaries are considered non-fictional videos
intended to present reality in different formats. There are many different
types of documentaries, such as Expository, Observational, Interactive,
Reflexive and Performative. Personally, the way I would define a documentary is
a film based on facts and events that have either great public interest, and or
events or ideas that controversial.
Expository Documentaries
An expository documentary is a film with specific
direction and specific views and arguments on a particular topic/event. Often
in these documentaries a narrator often will speak over the video and talk on
facts and or ideas on the subject. The narrator will direct his vocal points to
the viewer and build a relationship as the film proceeds. A perfect example of
this is David Attenbourough, who has produced well over 100 tittles, such as
Blue Planet, Planet Earth, Frozen Planet and Life On Earth. These being just a
few of his prestige’s career; which is why he has become such a be-loved hero
in the industry and with his huge fanbase.
Observational Documentaries
Observational documentaries could be considered the
odd one out, as they present information differently; these documentaries tend
to show instead of telling. This form of documentary allows the viewer to take
their own conclusions and give the whole film a sense of freedom. An example of
this documentary is High School a film shot by Frederick Wiseman, which shows
the average day of an American student, it became one of the first cinema
documentaries in 1968.
Interactive Documentaries
In this form of documentaries, the filmmaker is more
of a participant due to constant interaction between interviewees, presenters
also the audience as they all engage with one another. In an interactive
documentary a viewer can choose their destiny in the documentary by using a
collective of multimedia tools including things like video, photographic, audio
and digital assets. Major platforms such as Netflix have introduced the form of
interactive documentaries; with titles such as, ‘Get That Baby!’, ‘Kimmy
Schmidt’ and ‘Animals on the loose’.
Reflexive Documentaries
In Reflexive documentaries the filmmaker is once
considered a participant; usually the filmmaker will acknowledge their presence
and appear in front of the camera giving some narrative guidance as the film
proceeds. The audience is pushed to make their own reflections and decide on
their views as a whole. The main focus of reflexive documentaries is the
relationship between the audience and the filmmaker as they build on the
relationship as the film continues. A great example of a reflexive
documentaries is ‘Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends’ (1998); in this film Louis
Theroux explores very controversial topics such as alien inspired groups,
evangelists and swingers. These bold topics help draw the audience in with the
deep controversial themes, the it allows him to pounce an build a relationship
with the audience, further engaging them in the film more and more as it unfolds.
Performative Documentaries
In performative documentaries it focusses on the subject’s
personal experience and or relationships with subject as a starting point to
explore further on. Typically, the themes explored are history, politics,
subjective truths and groups or individuals. Sometimes, you would see these
documentaries used in teaching in schools as it is a very engaging form of film
and only would require a short attention span, which is a perfect fit for
students of this era. Very often in these documentaries’ scenes will be re-enacted
and usually one would assume that some exaggeration will take place for
excitement purposes, often you will see this take place in camera
angles/positions, soundtracks and ambient noises. A great example of this form
of documentary is ‘Supersize Me’. In
this film Morgan Spurlock (the director) performs a social experiment in which
he eats nothing but McDonalds for an entire month, it provides an understanding
on the catastrophic effects of poor eating and quite frankly is an educational
documentary which also raises awareness for such a disastrous problem in the
USA.
Overall, I feel documentaries are vital film in the
industry as it can provide education, entertainment and raise awareness for problematic
and or events which deserve praise/plaudits. Personally I believe that
documentaries have a responsibility to present truth and authentic factual
information.
