Documentary Structure

Notes de l'éditeur

1. As the conventions of the observational documentary were adapted in the work of television documentary makers in the 1970s, the mode was often referred to as fly-on-the-wall, emphasising the privileged position of the audience. In other words, we are witnesses to a situation to which we would not normally have access. The current trend for docusoaps is one illustration of the adaptation of documentary techniques for the medium of television; the participants of programmes such as Airport are filmed in their homes and workplaces as though they are carrying on with normal life. It is their normal lives that we are interested in. Occasionally the participants will acknowledge the presence of the crew by talking directly to the interviewer or camera, serving to give us public access to their private thoughts and viewpoints
2. When it has a strong point of view, it is called political documentary
3. This mode can be used in small sequences to illustrate or support wider concerns of the documentary (the dramatic reconstructions of Crimewatch, for example) or can make up the whole programme.