Types of Documentaries

Fully Narrated
1. Voice overs are used to convey the exposition of the documentary.
2. Direct Address is used to help viewers understand the exposition and visuals
3. The voice over is authoritative which creates the reference of the 'Voice of God'
4. An example of this type of documentary is David Attenborough's Africa.
Fly on the Wall
1. 'Observational'
  1. First used in 1960s with lightweight cameras to catch the action taking place.
  2. Sometimes a voice over is used but it is often avoided to create the effect of realism.
  3. The documentary is unstaged meaning that the film makers don't know the outcome. This lets the audience come up with a conclusion by themselves
  4. An example of this documentary is Channel 4's Tattoo Fixers.
  5. An example of this type of documentary is Channel 4's Educating Yorkshire.
Mixed
1. This is a combonation of interviews, observation and narration
2. Within a mixed documentary, as the journalist talks, visuals continue over the screen
3. An example of this type of documentary is Supersize Me.
Self Reflexive
1. The subjects of the documentary acknowledges the camera and speaks to the film maker thus creating a sense of reality
2. However, it has been judged as confusing for some audience making it less popular
3. An example of this documentary is BBC's Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends.
Docu-drama
1. Re-enactments are used to create a better sense of what happened at historical events
2. An example of this documentary is United 93.
Docu-Soap
1. This entails follows someone's life wherever they go so you get to know the characters of the documentary
2. It can be argued that it isn't really a documentary
3. An example of this documentary is E4's Tattoo Fixers.

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Types of Documentaries

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