Genre Analysis

The purpose of a documentary is to document an event you will need evidence to back up your documentary, also actual footage can be used however reconstructions can be added to your documentary to create meaning. The definition of documentary is Problematic, numerous amounts of documented events could be real or just fiction, also the creative treatment of actuality.

''What distinguishes documentary is the portrayal of the recorded sounds and images of actuality'', this was said by John Corner 1995 the portrayal of recorded sounds and images would create a sense of realism. A factual account of an event does not always mean giving actual footage some are partially staged for example the actors, sets, props ect this can help the documentary 'look' and seem alot less staged for the audience to watch, it is important to realize that even in a documentary a high level of construction takes place.
Documentary does not have to have analysis it can be descriptive and let the viewer make or decide on their own opinion and not the documenter’s opinion on the event. Documentary was designed in the 1930's by John Grierson and his team 'GPO'. Documentary’s were made for cinema audiences because televisions where not invented then so they made the main focus for cinema. They were used to boost morale in Britain-war time.

Some documentary’s such as panorama are well known and can command a prime time slot as of the audience as they are very popular, some documentary’s tend to be emotional to get a feeling or reaction from the intended audience others offer a balanced view point leaving the viewer to make their own mind up about the event. British documentary are renowned for their investigative journalism, this opposes the view of the government and sometimes society.



The creative treatment of actuality.

How creative should a documentary be?
Authenticity is important as the 'event' should be original and new however it is impossible to capture all events in raw state so some elements will have to be fake/fiction.

''Truth is what you actually come away with at the end of seeing the film. I mean it’s your truth that you’re seeing. Everybody who makes a film is putting their own truths on the screen''. Diane Tammes, film maker. As of the creative involvement over the years many people argue over true documentary’s as there is so much being done to them it’s hard to know whether some elements are true or fiction. They are set out to make you feel something for example rage, to bring out a person’s feelings. Documentary’s are not just about facts some have elements of fiction.


Current affairs programmes are to be no longer than 30 minutes, so basically between a documentary and the news for example Trevor Mcdonald on current affairs:



Current affairs programmes tend to document weighty issues and social problems will be discussed, this appeals to a much broader audience.

According to John Corner of Liverpool University there are five central features to a documentary:
Observation
Mise en scene
Interview
Exposition
Dramatisation



Observation
The camera becomes eye witness to the events documented, for example the camera is unseen on screen or ignored by people making the documentary this gives it more 'realism'.

Interview
Interviews contrast with the observations shown, for example pictures are dubbed over the interview. Interviews are shown in two ways, a full flowing interview for example an interview of a footballer and their life then you will want to listen to all of the interview and not miss bits or have any cuts in the interview, however the other way interviews are shown is by placing the interview in segments like cutting out boring bits maybe swopping segments around to make the interview more exciting/fun.

Dramatisation
All documentary’s have a sense of dramatisation, the audience is an eyewitness to dramatic events. Drama appears to take place in forms of reconstruction or naturally in front of the camera.

Mise en scene
Documentary makers carefully consider mise en scence ensuring that this allows the drama to unfold also used to advance the 'look' of the documentary.

Exsposition
This is the line of argument, the description and combined with commentary and all about what the documentary is all about what it is trying to say. This can be plain or direct, indirect or hidden, e.g. the narrator will tell the audience what to think so the audience does not make their own mind up.

Documentary
Current affairs programmes are on a shorter deadline than documentary’s, as documentary’s can take months to make, they try and answer questions and give answers they work because 'we have the right to know' so people don’t like things to be kept private. Documentary’s have resulted in the change of law and legislations for example the case for Ken Loach and his documentary, Cathy come home (BBC 1966): Here is the link to the full documentary, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8fVnXXMw60



This helped improve conditions for homeless.
Documentary’s don’t tend to question in certain areas, not the fairness of it just the events of what happens and not to question the deeper organizations.

''It is critical that the film makers be rid of the fantasy that the documentary’s can be unproblematic because the representation of reality and truth can be conventionally dispensed and received like valium'', Dennis O’Rourke. Ideas of truth and reality can be conflicting at times, sometimes they can attract counter claims of lies for example Wayne Rooney allegedly cheated on wife Coleen with a prostitute then there are other women coming from out of the blue claiming they had slept with Rooney also which could most probley be lies. Corner believes evidence is better than the truth because technology only records traces of the physical world, these traces can be used as evidence of reality. The documentary represents the transformed world, however documentarys are the first programmes to be cut if commercial channels find money tight but the ratings winners are documentary’s which include the issues of sex, law and order or violence.

Documentary’s that are controversial are not popular with TV channels as they may offend the viewers. There is a three way process in documentary’s and it goes:

The people that make it.
The people that are in it.
And the people that watch it.

Often based around society’s victims, documentary’s use humans as evidence in their expositions for example big brother they talk about what the public wants to know and their ‘right’ to know things.

Types of Documentary’s
Fully narrated documentary’s such as a wildlife based subject:




The off screen voiceovers make sense of the visuals on screen, critics have dubbed this as ‘The voice of God’

Fly On The Wall
Documentary’s of this type draw on cinema almost all observational, no commentary and no narrative. And will sometimes convey chilling events that have accured as the camera is sometimes not seen nor heard.



Mixed
This is the mixed approach of interviews where observation and narrative are used to advance argument there are no face too camera and only voice to camera.

Self Reflective

Self reflective documentary’s are where the subject of the documentary acknowledges the presence of the camera and often speaks directly to the film maker, critics say self reflecting documentary’s can be confusing.

Docudrama
A re-enactment of events as they are supposed to have happened, these are stories based on facts however at best misleading and at worst dangerous. Hillsborough 1996 was said to represent the truth but can only ever hope to deliver fiction.



Something that hurts people and evokes feelings from them, however very misleading and letting people think things that are just fiction based on ‘facts’.

Docusoaps
A phenomenon of recent years following the daily lives of people in a range of different jobs or positions in society for example, airports or cruisliners. Many would dispute if these are actually documentary’s, they are popular to viewers and are cheaper to make than others.

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
Visuals are things like what can be shown and what cant? What will be the evidence used to back up your documentary and action based pictures.

Interviews
Interviews can be held anywhere however the settings you choose will affect the meaning that you want create for the viewers/audience. If you interview a person in a location such as their own home then they will feel relaxed and comfortable about answering your questions, however if you choose and unusual location for the interviewee then it could make them feel uneasy and not relaxed which then they will not be answering you questions correctly and as best as they could.

Vox Pops
Vox pops are a must and can be used as light and humorous, these can give a sense of relief from the hard facts like street interviews of the general public.

Narrative Conventions
Documentary’s rely heavily on the traditional conventions of the narrative. It should have a definite beginning middle and end, the central questions at the beginning the most complicated and most compelling in the middle so you are focusing on people and their opinions almost like you hitting it with a problem a dilemma. And at the end the line of the argument has to be clear and fully apparent, conflicts, beliefs, opinions or view points.