Documentary - task 1

what is a documentary?

A documentary is a film or tv series that is based on a real life thing like a person or an event that's happened etc which is where it got its name from as it documents reality. They are productions that are presented as a fact and they are non - fiction based but on the occasion they can be fictional. Most documentary's are based on celebrities and historical events that go into deep depth on the subject and contain a lot of information that's put across in a watchable way to public.

six different types of documentary

expository:

Expository documentaries set up a particular point of view or argument about a subject and a narrator often speaks directly to the audience, zooming in on the relationship between the images presented on-screen. Expository documentaries contain footage that supports and build up the reason that the documentary is being made, including re enactments of events, behind the scenes footage and more. Expository documentaries are deeply researched to make sure that the watcher leaves the documentary informed and connected. Unlike poetic documentary or observational documentaries, the goal of the expository mode is to put across a powerful argument to the watchers, convincing them to believe in or agree with a the particular point of view that the documentary was made for.

Expository documenatries contain alot of different characteristics that make them what they are these include:

-omniscient voice-over.

The “voice of God” narration. This voice goes along with the documentary’s images and defines the visuals for the audience and expands on them in detail. The "voice of god" is a narrator that you do not usually see on screen and are most commonly a male deep-voiced narrator.

-a “right” answer.

Expository documentaries don’t leave much to subjectivity ( Subjectivity refers to how someone's judgment is shaped by personal opinions and feelings instead of outside influences.) They want the audience to feel a certain way about the content they are seeing on the screen. Rhetorical questions, recounts of history, and interviews are often presented to support the film’s claims, along with any other relevant evidence.

-evidentiary editing.

expository filmmakers use images as a means to support their claims so there is evidence to match what they are saying. Images on-screen are explained or supported by captions or commentary/narration.

The expository mode is mostly associated with nature documentaries such as The Blue Planet. In the blue planet David Attenborough’s "voice of god" explains the evolution, environment and habits of various inhabitants of the ocean. There is a relationship between the images and voice over. The use of evidentiary editing shows the images on screen are being explained by using narration. It can be argued that a preferred meaning is created within the documentary as the audience are not encouraged to personally narrate the images independently.

poetic:

Poetic documentary is a subgenre of documentary filmmaking that uses new and experimental techniques to bring a certain mood or feeling rather than prove a point through a normal narrative structure. Poetic documentary filmmakers provide the audience with an emotional perspective on a subject by using visuals that provide an different and abstract interpretation of reality. This style of documentary focuses on experiences, images and showing the viewer the world through different perspectives and different angles. The idea is to create a feeling rather than the truth.

Poetic documenatries contain alot of different characteristics that make them what they are these include:

-Visual rhythm over continuity:

Breaking away from standard editing rules, poetic documentaries are avant-garde (avant-garde means “advance guard” which also means that basically the people and ideas that are ahead of their time and are new and experimental). Knowing this, this means that they aren’t concerned with maintaining continuity from scene to scene. Instead, the editing goal is to create visuals that show the audience the world through a new point of view.

-Lack of traditional narrative:

Since poetic documentaries are primarily focused on creating a particular mood or feeling, creating a basic narrative isn’t necessary when it comes to poetic documentaries. This means characters in the documentary don’t progress through arcs and storylines don’t move toward resolutions.

-Subjectivity:

Rather than arguing for an objective fact-based truth, poetic documentaries provide a subjective interpretation of a topic. They approach subjects in a more experimental way and a different angle than traditional documentaries.

Directed by documentary pioneer Robert Flaherty, Man of Aran is a poetic vision of the daily life of people living on the Aran Islands off the coast of Ireland. Flaherty was not concerned with obeying the standard non-fiction documentary restraints and fabricated scenes in order to romanticize life on the island. It shows the lives of characters living in premodern conditions, documenting their daily lifestyles such as fishing off high cliffs, farming where there is little soil etc. Some situations are fabricated to make it more presentable to the audience, such as one scene in which the shark fishermen are almost lost at sea in a sudden gale.

obsversational:

Observational documentary is a type of documentary that aims to record realistic, everyday life without interruptions. Also referenced as fly-on-the-wall filmmaking, observational documentary mode exists on a line that's between poetic documentary and expository documentary. The observational mode lives in a middle ground, telling concrete stories about real people.

Obsversational documentaries contain alot of different characteristics that make them what they are these include:

-Realism and immediacy:

Observational documentaries aims to tell true stories. To promote a feeling of realism, an observational documentary follows people or events in real-time, often detailing daily life of the person they are following. The film team follows the action spontaneously, giving the film a sense of closeness and relation to the subject.

-Handheld shots:

An observational documentary will take full advantage of portable cameras, using handheld shots to follow subjects around to create the feeling of closeness with the character and make the audience feel like they are a part of the life of the documentary.

-Long takes:

Since filmmakers are following action as it takes place, observational documentaries often employ long takes without any editing to further enhance the realism and immerse viewers in the scene to make it feel as its real time and that the audience is with them in that moment like a fly on the wall.

-Little to no voice-over:

In observational documentaries the footage has the greatest effect so in the documentary the footage speaks the loudest throughout instead of having narration over the top of footage. expository documentaries have the use of “voice of god” voice-over narration that tells viewers how to feel about what’s happening on-screen, observational documentaries have little or no voice-over at all to avoid interruptions and keep the fly on the wall flow of the documentary.

-No re-enactments:

While other documentary forms employ actors re-enacting scenes that the camera didn’t capture, an observational documentary rejects this method as everything that's being filmed is new and fresh footage that isn't being acted or previously occurred.

Even though the office is a fictional tv show it is presented as a documentary. The characters get follwed around by a film crew that recorded their lives as they work in an office in America. The office uses the handheld shots characteristic throughout every scene as all camera shots are filmed at the perspective of a fly on the wall. The use of long shots is used throughout the entire production as there is some long continuous shots that make it feel as when your watching that you know the characters personally and are their with them. The word observational is a massive thing with the office because it quite literally observes the characters and just records their every move.

participatory:

Participatory documentary is another subgenre of documentary in which the filmmaker is included in the film's narrative and directly interacts with the film's subjects in an interview style way and will be in front of the camera and the audience will be able to see them. The interviewer can also be heard as voiceover from behind the camera, and can even appear on camera without any other subjects on the screen. The effect of the filmmaker's presence may be minimal, or it may be a major influence on the narrative and the documentary overall. This is very opposite to the observational mode as the interviewer will not be seen but in participatory it shows the interviewer and they are heard more and shown more.

participatory documenatries contain alot of different characteristics that make them what they are these include:

-The filmmaker is a character.

In a participatory documentary, the filmmaker must either be seen or heard at some point within the documentary to make it a participatory documentary, giving them a presence that is often as important as the primary subject of the documentary.

-The interviewer’s questions are included in the edit.

In other documentary genres, subjects answer interview questions, but the questions themselves are edited out to make it seem more relaxed and like its just a regular conversation. In the participatory mode, the audience is allowed to see or hear the filmmaker asking the questions, this will create a clearer relationship between the filmmaker and the person or subject that is being interviewed, while also giving the audience a more "behind the scenes" look.

-The viewer is aligned with the filmmaker.

The audience experiences the film through the filmmaker's point of view, allowing them to possibly feel how the filmmaker felt in the moment and consider how they might have reacted in the same situation.

Michael Moore's "roger and me" explores the harmful economic impact of General Motors closing several auto plants in his hometown of Flint, Michigan. throughout the documentary carry's out on-camera interviews and frames the storyline around his own personal experiences whilst growing up.

reflexive:

The reflexive documentary mode focuses on the relationship between the filmmaker and the audience, encouraging viewers to reflect on their thoughts and re-analyze their opinions of truth. Unlike the expository documentary, the reflexive mode doesn't explain the outside subject matter instead, it exposes the making of the documentary and the process. The reflexive documentary doesn't expect or encourage the audience to have an intense emotional response but instead encourages thoughtful consideration of the documentary. Since documentary is often the process of filming the documentary itself, a cinematographer will shoot behind-the-scenes style of the entire film production process, including editing, interviewing, and post-production.

Reflexive documentaries contain a lot of different characteristics that make them what they are

The reflexive documentary mode is similar to a participatory documentary mode in that they both show the filmmaker the documentary usually make the cameraman and the camera part of the production. The reflexive documentary mode presents questions and approaches topics with uncertainty and presenting a version of truth within a non-fiction format.

Reflexive documentaries will often show the camera or production crew to call attention to the process of filmmaking, and present self-awareness to disregard biases about the film’s content.

This documentary series showcases documentary filmmaker Louis Theroux traveling to different places while sharing his experiences and encountering “weird” events and interactions with subcultures or groups that some viewers wont usually see in their everyday lives. The series features interactions with multiple different types of people. Theroux spotlights these subjects to challenge the audience’s original opinions of these groups, presenting deeper context to how these people live their lives by explaining their beliefs and behaviors.

performative

Performative documentary productions zoom in on the filmmakers’ involvement with their subject, using their personal experiences or relationship with the subject as a starting point for exploring larger in depth information about their subject. A cinematographer is often asked to follow the production of the documentary process, as well as intimate footage that illustrates the direct and often personal relationship between filmmaker and subject.

performative documentaries contain a lot of different characteristics that make them what they are

performative documentary filmmaking is more personal. Performative documentaries share the experiences and personal feelings of the filmmaker and they present the truth. This non-fiction film style often emphasizes and has depth on the filmmaker’s involvement, as they appear as the main character of the production, driving the action, speaking with subjects, and analyzing information. The filmmaker uses their own feelings and experiences to encourage an emotional response from the audience.

Miss Americana is a documentary about Taylor swift and the leadup to the release of her album lover and the creation of it and some of her life experiences that she goes through and her emotions. she talks about her personal feelings to how she felt on her tour when she released her album 1989 and how she went through so much social media bullying in the leadup to her album reputation and how she was all over the news for things that were miscommunicated.