Research Into the Codes & Conventions of a Documentary:
The Purpose of a Documentary is to document an even with evidence. Actual footage can be used in a documentary, but Reconstructions can also be used to creat meaning to the documentary, voice-overs also add meaning for the audience.
The Definition of Documentary is Problematic
Numerous events are not entiley truthful as documentaries can be fictatious, also the creative treatment of actuality.
"What distinguishes documentary is the potrayal of the recorded sounds and images of actuality" - John Corner 1995
Based on factual events doesn't mean giving actual footage, as some documentarys are partly staged using actors and sets to evoke feeling for the audience. It is important that documentarys are constructed, even in an interview, elements in the frame, do not have analysis to leave viewer to decide their own opinion.
Documentary was defined by John Grierson and his team, it was first used in 1926
Definition: The creative treatment of Actuality
These documentaries where made in such an early time, that these where targeted at cinema audiences. Griersons idea was to give people a glimpse into other lives.
Documentaries where used in this time to boost morale in war time Britain.
Scheduling is important, positioning of a documentary. What has been shown before and scheduled after.
Some documentaries such as panorama are well known because they are prime time documentaries, Documentaries are usually emotinal or sensual to the audience to get a reacted out of them. There is usually a balanced view point, where the audience makes their own mind up after watching it. British documentaries are renown for their investigative journalism that apposes what the goverenment/society say.
The Creative Treatment of Actuality
Authenticity is important for documentarys as they want to persue a realistic and judgemental viewing for the audience. It is nearly impossible to capture raw footage so it is usally faked, using angles and mis-en scene to create a reconstruction.
"Truth is what you actually come away with at the end of seeing the film. I mean it's your truth that your truth that your seeing everybody who makes a film is putting their own truth of screen" - Diane Tammes, Film Maker
People argued over the true form of a documentary. There are many sub genres within the term documentary. Despite arguements the elemnts of a documentary leaves the audience with a conclusion.
Current affair programmes are half way between a documentary and news, they are usually no longer than 30 minutes and are directed to a mass audience as the public want to hear about this type of news that is appealed by them.
An example of a Current Affairs Programme is
ITV News at Ten with Trevor Mcdonald:
According to John Corner of Liverpool University, there are five central features to a documentary.
- Observation
- Mise-en-scene
- Interview
- Dramatisation
- Exposition
Observation:
This feature, pretends that the camera is unseen, it is the eye whitness to an event that is happening.
Interview:
The Interview may contrast the observation, pictures or video footage may cut away from the interviewee, there are two different types of interviews, a full flow interview where there are no cutaways, just the interviewee talking to the camera, and the other is placing the interview in segments in-between elements of observation.
Dramatisation:
All documentaries use dramatisation, the audience is an eyewhitness to events, the drama appears to take place naturally infront of camera and is used sometimes as a reconstruction, based of factual evidence.
Mise-en-scene:
This allows drama to unfold and advances the argument of exposition.
Exposition:
Exposition is the lind of argument, this is made with commentary and discription. It can be plain or direct, Indirect or hidden. The narrator tells audience what to think, by making the observation sequence.
Current Affairs:
Current affairs are much shorter dealines than documentaries, as documentaries can take months to make, current affairs is info-tainment. It makes us have the right to know what is happening in the current situation sometimes giving us updated infromation for the public right.
Documentaries have resulted in changes in law and legislation. A good example of this is the documentary Cathy Come Home (BBC,1966), directed by Ken loach this documentary resulted in improvement conditions of homless people. The documentaries, usually dont question deeper organisation and fairness of society. The link for the full documentary of Cathy Come Home is : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8fVnXXMw60&p=6E1F972326ECD3B8&playnext=1&index=31
"It is critical that film makers be rid of the fantasy that documentary can be unproblematic representation of reality and truth can be conveniently dispensed and recieved like valium".
- Dennis O'Rourke
Ideas of truth and reality can be conflicting at times, claims of lies can be made. Corner believes that evidence rather than truth would help this. Technology can support as evidence, it is usually one sided, played out with a witness that is fighting one side or another.
They represent transformed world, they are the first programmes to be cut from a channel if money is an issue for them.
Documentaries that are often very popular are:
- Sex
- Law and Order
- Violence
Documentaries that are controversial are not popular with television channels as they can create a bad image for the advertisements that are usually shown on the advertisement breaks.
3 way process:
- People in the documentary
- People watching the documentary
- People who the documentary is aimed at
Societys victims are often the people who are used in the documentarys as they cannot protect themselves. Documentaries use humas as evidence in their exposition Big brother can be a part of this. The Publics right to know is important as we have evolved into a society where one persons business is everyones business for their own safety and knowledge.
Types of Documentarys
Fully Narrated:
Uses an off screen voice over, and is often used in nature documentary's.
This documentary called Animals are beautiful people, is a perfect example as it voice overs what the animals are doing and facts about them.
Animals are beautiful people:
Fly on the wall:
Cinema verite & Cinema, it is observational, with no commentery. Sometimes the cameria will convey chilling events to the audience. The camera affects the behaviour.
An example of Fly on the wall is
Rogue Traders:
Mixed:
Many mixed approach which advances argument, the journalist speaks to the camera. A modern voice over in a news reporter style is often used.
Self Reflective:
The Subject acknowledges the presence of the camera, and often speaks directly to the film maker, this may be confusing for the audience as they cannot see whats happening behind the camera.
An example of self reflective is
Louis Theroux:
Doc-udrama:
A Doc-udrama is a reanactive of events, it styles the element of arguments and is based upon facts, it can be a bit missleading and at the worst can course damage and bad.
An example of a Doc-udrama is the Hillsborough disaster documentary.
Football Focus - 20th anniversary of Hillsborough disaster:
Docu-soaps:
A phenomenon of recent years, follows the daily lives of people in a range of different jobs or position in society, many would dispute if these are actual documentarys, they are very popular with channels as they are low cost to make which keeps within a budget.
An example of the Docu-soap is Airline, it is dramatised for the audience for a shocked reaction.
Airline UK
Disneyfication:
Steven Bernett has blamed the docusoap type for creating a bad repuation for the documentaries.
Planning your documentary
The topic of your documentary is very important use influences from your own lives and from your own experiences. News papers, magazines and notice boards things like these are good places to source an idea you also need to think about if you have knowledge of the subject already that you use to help your documentary. In addition to this you need to think about if you have strong emotional links to the subject and how narrowly you can focus the programme.
Visuals:
Visual representations can allow us to make our own suggestions based on evidence that is given to us visually.
Interviews:
An interview can be held anywhere, this will reflect on how the interviewee feels and what type of mise-en-scene will fit with the type of genre, e.g. If there is a vulnerable interview taking place, this would be more fitting to have it in a indoor environment for the interviewee to feel more comfortable, an unusual setting can create drama. Factual questions are likely to be asked first to get a reaction from the Interviewee, but then the more detailed questions are asked.
Vox-Pops:
Used as light and humorous piece of entertainment for the audience, they give a sense of relief from hard facts given. Street interviews of general public are likely to be done using a Vox-Pop.
Narrative Conventions:
Relies on traditional conventions of narrative.
A documentary consists of a Beginning,Middle & End, the central quest of the documentary can be posed at the beginning, most dramatic piece of footage is usually used to make the audience want to find the reason that the piece has been used and out of curiosity will want to watch for the remaining part of the documentary. The middle is usually complicated and the most compelling, as it focuses on peoples opinions that may conflict each other. It contains a blockage that stops the documentary ending at that point as it opens many other doors for discussion until the ending. The end usually makes the exposition of the documentary apparent, there should be some resolution at the end, the narrative enhances the conflict with the different beliefs that creates conflict, and allows us to make our own decisions based upon the facts and views of others.
Codes & Conventions of a Documentary:
- Always have a problem in the middle of the narrative structure
- Facts and figuresVoice over’s in Interviews
- Interviews
- Cut away shots
- Voice over’s
- Natural shots
- Evidence
- Sometimes reconstructions
- Sound effects are often added for dramatisation
- Simple and sometimes formal graphics
- Experts are named
- Eye line needs to be a third down
- Music bed
- Relevant mise-en-scene
- Opening titles
- Vox pops
- No opposing questions
- Variety of different camera angles
- Archive footage
- Exposition is made clear either at the start or throughout
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