1. Types of Documentary
•Docusoaps
•Reality TV
•Fly on the wall
•Mixed
•Self Reflexive
•Docudrama
•Fully narrated

2. Docusoaps
-Observational genre
-Hugely popular
-Hybrid (mixed drama)
-Long running documentary series, and they follow individuals/groups of people e.g. The Family, Big
Fat Gypsy Wedding, Driving School, Airport, One Born Every Minute.
-Started in the 1990s.
-They were a new thing (already has soap operas)
-Challenged soap operas.
-Millions of viewers.
-Have a central protagonist – follow particular characters in detail. The audience then get to know
the character.
-They’re like episodes.

3. Reality TV
-Factual television
-Can be known as ‘infotanement’
-Entertainment and information all in one
-Emerged in 1989-1999
-Become used to describe new factual TV eg. News, magazine programmes:
police, camera, action, 999 etc
-Shows useful information in the form of entertainment
-Nowadays we have casted reality TV eg. Big Brother, Shipwrecked
Reality TV is a mix of authentic material with serious information, with a commercial content.
When we watch Reality TV there is an element of observation and commentaries through the use
of camera work.

4. Fly on the wall
The camera is hidden or unseen. Camera records the events
that unfold eg. Big Brother, The Family, Educating Essex.

5. Mixed Documentary
Has a combination of interviews, observation, actuality
footage, archive material and narration  Links everything
together and advances the argument and the narrative.

6. Self Reflexive
The camera is following someone and they know they’re
being followed and so they sometimes purposely talk to the
camera eg. The Secret Millionaire.

7. Docudrama
-Have reconstruction and re-enactments.
-They show the events that happen at the time eg.
Crimewatch.

8. Fully Narrative
-Has a narrative all the way through
-Voiceover is used to display the exposition (argument) and to
make sense of what the audience can see
-Voiceover dominates the experience eg. Wildlife
documentaries, human plant.

9. Differences between documentaries
and current affairs
Similarities
Current affairs are things that take place that affect society.
-They are journalist lead and aim to address the news, political agenders in more depth than
new bulletins.
-They may be arguing a case or proving something wrong.
-Reporters frequently appear in vision, but there may be a voiceover eg. The World in
Action, Tonight with Trevor Mcdonald.
Current affairs are mid way between documentaries and news eg. Newsnight, dispatches.
They explore issues/important social developments
Differences
-Documentaries may take more time to produce.
-Current affairs need to get stories together more quickly.