Documentaries

Documentary

A documentary is a film or television or radio programme that provides a factual report on a specific topic, usually a relevant subject to current society. There a number of different types of documentaries that all serve a slightly different purpose.

Expository Documentaries

Expository documentaries speak directly to the viewer, often in the form of an authoritative commentary employing voiceover or titles, proposing a strong argument and point of view. These films are rhetorical, and try to persuade the viewer. For example, ‘Blackfish’ is an expository documentary as it exposes the truth behind SeaWorld and the industry behind the captivity of orcas.  

Observational Documentaries

Observational documentaries are about observing the life of an individual (usually). This involves as little intervention by the filmmaker as possible, meaning we don’t see the director/filmmaker at any point, also this form of documentary includes no interviews/ conversations with the subject. This form provides no voiceover and displays no opinion to the viewer, allowing the viewer to make their own judgement. For example, ‘Big Brother’ is an observational documentary where a number of random people are placed into a house and have to live together for a period of time.

Interactive documentaries

Interactive documentaries are a more typical form of documentary, in which the filmmaker along with their crew personally interact with the people/event that is being documented. Unlike observational documentaries, you actually see the filmmaker and hear what's going on from his perspective, meaning we hear their personal opinions/impressions of what’s happening. For example, Louis Theroux’s series of documentaries and also Ross Kemp’s series of documentaries, in both, we follow them into interesting/dangerous events or as they spend time with interesting people, for example Louis Theroux has an episode where he spends some time with modern day Nazis, and Ross Kemp has a series called ‘Ross Kemp on Gangs’ where he spends time with some of the most notorious gangs in the world.

Reflexive documentaries

Reflexive documentary is where a filmmaker attempts to expose the conventions of documentary to the audience. This will use shots from everyday life, however, they will be edited in order to portray a subject in a different light than it might appear if it was unedited. Nick Bloomfield is known for his reflexive style of documentary making. He films with minimal camera crew, often just himself and a cameraman, this makes his documentaries seem more personal.

Performative Documentaries

Performative documentaries represent the world indirectly and focus on presentation rather than content. Use of re-enactments, exaggerated camera positions and soundtracks are used to help submerge the audience into the narrative. This type of documentary aims to present the subject in a subjective, expressive, stylised, evocative and visceral manner. For example, ‘Tongues Untied’ is a performative documentary by Marlon Riggs which depicts his life growing up.

Conclusion

In my opinion, the best documentaries display both the unbiased facts, and the filmmaker's opinion separately, as this allows the documentary to educate while still remaining interesting. I feel that interactive documentaries efficiently display both the facts and the opinions over any other form of documentary and is therefore my personal favourite type.