1. Zac Walker

2. “Recordings of sound,
and images, of actuality.”
John Corner (1995)
University of Liverpool
Documentaries

3. The purpose of a documentary is to
report a subject or issue using
supporting and relative evidence.
This evidence can be with footage
of the actual events or
reconstructions based on fact when
this footage it unavailable. Their aim
is to present the facts about real life
to an audience who possibly would
not have been exposed to them
otherwise. The production team
bring together these facts during
editing and present them in such a
way as to create a socially critical
argument, that invites the audience
to draw their own conclusion. One of
the reasons behind why they work is
that as an audience we feel we have
“a right to know” about these issues
surrounding our lives, and British
documentaries especially are known
for their investigative journalism.
“Documentaries
present facts using real
events, persons or
places then creatively
interpret or comment
these realities and
people’s concerns with
them.”
- Peter Mayeux

4. History of Documentaries
The term “Documentary” was first
used by John Grierson (Coalface,
Housing Problems) in 1926 at the
General Post Office when the genre
was being defined. His definition of
what made a documentary was the
creativity of actuality. He attempted
to give a glimpse of other’s lives by
displaying real people, in real
situations, in their real environment.
However the genre had a sense of
persuasion to one side of the
argument more than the other,
which is not something wanted in
the documentaries of today.
Since then the genre has developed
due to advances in technology and
how they are being received by the
public however there are key
features which all examples should
use.

5. Features of a Documentary
According to John Corner a documentary should
include the following features:
 1. Observation - the audience is a eye witness to
the evidence by being shown footage in a way
which makes them feel almost as if they were
truly there. However the way in which this
happens often makes the participants objects, not
subjects.
 2. Interview - Documentaries rely on this feature.
They can be used to show a contrasting point of
view to the observations previously shown. A shot
of a single person can be boring for an audience
to watch, especially if they have a lot to say or are
talking about a complex subject. A common
convention to keep the audience’s attention is to
dub over images or pieces of footage which
support the speech, as well as intercutting
sections of observation.
 3. Dramatisation - by producing some
reconstruction material based on the facts of the
real event, it reinforces the idea the audience is
an eye witness to the events shown in the
footage. Creating conflict and drama will enhance
the experience for the watcher also.
 4. Mise En Scene - the different aspects of MES
are important in creating a reality which will
convey the message that the production company
want the audience to see.
 5. Exposition - this is the line of the argument the
documentary intends to make, by the end of the
film this needs to be clear. John Corner believed
that exposition can be plain or indirect, where the
audience can make up their own mind.
Other important features are:
- The inclusion of music and sound, this helps to
convey specific emotions, and make reconstructions
more convincing.
- Interviewing technique, by filming interview footage
first, a member of the crew can make notes on what
cutaways need to be found to dub over what is being
said. The interview needs to be done in a professional
matter, the set-up needs to be finished before the
person you are interviewing arrives as this strengthens
the trust needed for a successful interview. Knowledge
of the subject you're going to talk about is key to being
able to probe for more information.
- Selection and Construction, this is done during the
editing process, deciding what makes it into the final
product. This is also a process that can change the
overall impression of the documentary and the footage
gathered depending on the intention.

6. Features of a Documentary
They do not need to contain
analysis or political, religious, social
views. They are not current affairs
programming which are part-way
between a documentary and the
news, usually no more than 30
minutes (any longer they become a
documentary) and offer a more in-
depth view of the news and are
important for exploring more weighty
issues and and social development.
Current Affairs programs often come
under criticism of showing only
ratings-driven populist issues and of
distorting and misrepresenting the
views of their contributors.
Like many other forms of media,
documentaries follow the traditional
conventions of a beginning, middle, and end.
- Beginning, There are a few typical ways of
starting a documentary, the central question
could be posed, action footage could be
showed to grab interest, or similarly interviews
could be quickly cut together displaying
conflicting views.
- Middle, This section examines the issue
focussing on people's opinions, reinforcing the
argument. By presenting more evidence and
conflict it blocks the narrative from closing.
- End, The exposition is finally fully apparent
and any doubt from the audience is resolved. A
lasting impression and new world view is left
with the audience.
Documentaries are a view of reality, though
they have elements of fiction for aesthetic
purpose, the narration being one of these
elements. They typically societies victims,
suing humans as their evidence. There are
different types of documentary, and depending
on the type, the documentary makers will focus
Tonight with Trevor McDonald is one
program accused of changing it's content
to gain more viewers

7. Types of Documentary
Fully Narrated - These rely on a direct mode of address in their
“voice-of-God” style narration to convey exposition, and making
sense of the visuals on screen.
Fly-on-the-Wall - In contrast, these kinds of documentary rely
solely on observation without any commentary. This makes the
audience feel as if they are there watching real people in their
reality, however they are still sometimes heavily edited later in the
production process to possible alter the meaning of what is being
said.
Mixed Documentary - Combining interview,
observation and narration, and is presented in a
more news report style. They are more edited than
most, and need to be more selective about what
footage is chosen to make it to the final cut, but in
this they should be more balanced. A criticism is that
they are bound to represent an objective reality.

8. Types of Documentary
Self-Reflective - The subject will acknowledges the
camera, however it inevitably becomes about the
filmmaker, not the topic they are looking into. This has
lead critics to say that they become narcissistic and
sometimes confusing.
Docudrama - this is a reenactment of what happened, as
opposed to real footage of actuality. They are more
popular with television companies as they are not always
as controversial and can be made more dramatic to keep
their audience engaged. They claim to represent the truth
but can only hope to deliver fiction, making them
misleading and in some cases dangerous.
Docusoap - Originating from the UK, this style has become more popular in the past
few years. They show people in mundane environments, not seeking to explore, but to
eavesdrop on the daily lives of people, meaning they also have a low production cost.

9. Types of Documentary
Steven Barnett has criticised the docusoap sub-genre of
"Disneyfication", the dumbing down of documentaries,
choosing popular topics and not hard-hitting stories to
gain viewers, not quality programming.