Documentary Formats

Introduction:

A documentary basically a non fiction film that can documents events and people or just document reality. Documentaries are also used to show a point of view or angle on a situation or an argument and with documentaries there are tons of ideas making the limit to ones own imaginations. There are different main types of documentaries and each have their own key features about them, they are expository, observational, interactive, reflexive and performative documentaries

Paragraph 1: Expository Documentary 

The key features of the first documentary type i will talk about which is the expository, the key features commonly found in a expository documentary is that there is a narration of top of the video that is playing and he/she is giving meaning to what is on the video this could be either facts or arguments to caption the video that . The video that is playing in the documentary will mostly like be descriptive or informative which are meant to link and compliment the narrator's voice over. The purpose of a expository documentary is to create the effect of an objectivity, direct or a transparent representation of the subject in the documentary. An example of an expository documentary is planet earth as the videos are voice over by David Attenborough and he talk about animals in the animal kingdom and gives facts and information about them and the images support the facts by showing what he is talking about and keep the video direct to the audience about the facts.

Paragraph 2: Observational Documentary 

The key features of the second documentary type, which is observational documentary. is that the film maker is not seen in the documentary at all or doesn't intervene in the documentary when it's being filmed and is mainly used to presents a portion of life like someone job or an experience of someones or a group. Another key feature of a observational documentary is that it is usually a non judgmental way as the film maker or the crew is shown judging what is happening on the video and and more focused on what is happening on the video and the environment rather having a commentary or interview in the documentary. The audience decide what they think of the documentary based on what they have seen in it. An example of a observational documentary is one called "The Store" made by Fredrick Wiseman who has done other observational documentary like "High School" which show the life of people who go or work in a high school and shows some of the events that transpire in the documentary. But in "The Store"the film maker Fredrick Wiseman follows around employees and shoppers whilst they are shopping or when they are doing their jobs. This is a observational documentary as the film maker Fredrick Wiseman never talks or is seen in the documentary and they are no interviews or commentary in it and another example of a obsrvational documentary that frederick wiseman did is one called "The Boxing Gym" and like "The Store" you never see the film maker in the documentary and you don't hear him speak anymore, he is like "A fly on the wall" and is just observing what is happening in the environment around him.
http://www.moma.org/explore/multimedia/videos/100/590

Paragraph 3: Interactive Documentary 

The key features of an interactive documentary is that for one the film maker is shown in the documentary and are participating in what they are doing for the documentary. Another key feature is there is interaction between the film maker or the presenter and the person they are interviewing and sometimes they is also interaction with the audience as well. Arguments are often seen in a interactive documentary between the film maker and the interviewees based on the film maker is asking them and especially if it contradicts their beliefs or way of thinking. A key feature that isn't part of the filming process is actually part of editing process as text can be manipulated and you can see it in the documentary and this makes interactive documentaries get criticised for the manipulation and misrepresentation of the documentary but it is defended by the film maker by the projected image becoming more important rather then the fine detail in the documentary. An example of an interactive documentary is one called "Louis Theroux: Behind the Bars", Louis Theroux is a well known documentary film maker for the BBC, he has done other ones like "Louis and the Nazi" which he follows around modern day "Nazi" or "Skin heads". But with "Behind the Bars" Louis go inside of a prison in San Quentin and he talks with both prisoners and guards in the prison and also talks to a prisoners who is serving 11 life sentences or 526 years. This is a interactive documentary because you see the film maker in the documentary and you also see him interact with the interviewee in front of the camera and also arguments do start in it as well based on what Louis Theroux says to them. With interactive documentaries as well they can arise issues especially with interviews and locations and like the "Louis Theroux: Behind the Bars" he would have to get a location release to be able to film in that prison and also talent releases to talk to the guards, but sometimes people don't want to be filmed or recorded or you accidentally film on someones property without knowing  and this sometimes can be over came with either negotiations or blurring their face and doing research on places you are going to film.

Paragraph 4: Reflexive Documentary:

The key features of this documentary type is that the film maker will try and show or expose the convention of a normal documentary throughout the film this is could be showing himself, the film maker, or showing the film crew or how the film is being edited. It also tries to expose the text that the documentary is using as well and sometimes they try news things and experiment with it and see if they get different results. Another key feature that reflexive documentaries use is that the shots they film are filming "everyday life" but use it as building blocks in order to make the documentary completely different and change it for a certain reason or to experiment with it. An example of a refexive documentary is called "The Man With a Movie Camera" it was made in 1929 and is a silent film and it is a reflexive documentary because in you see the actual camera and also the crew as well and it also shows other people as well acknowledging they are being filmed and you can see it in their facial expression and also you see a film being edited in the way it was edited back then.

Paragraph 5: Performative Documentary:

The first key feature commonly found in a preformative documentary is that instead of the content of the film the documentary mostly focused on the presentation instead this could be presenting the world indirectly. Another key features unlike most of types of documentaries, performative uses reenactments and soundtracks and sometimes over exaggerated the camera's positions to make the audience feel more submerged in the documentary. The reason for performative documentaries to use reenactments is because it makes the audience feel more involved in the documentary if they see what happened, rather than just what some one is saying and them expecting you to believe them and using reenactments really brings their stories to life and you usually see the most reenactments when documentary are based on novels or an event in history other wise known as dramatisation and using reenactments in dramatisation like i said before makes the story more believable and make it seems more real like the audience is part of what is happening and makes them feel emotional to what happened to them in that situation and a good example of this is in a performative documentary called "History and Memory: For Akiko and Takashige" and is based on when both Japanese and american Japanese were imprisoned and among the 120,000 people they was the director, Rea Tajiri's family in there and the documentary reminisces and her mother's internment and also her father coming back to see their house removed from its site and the film maker, Rea Tajiri, discusses the impact of images and captured film and also shows some reenactments about it as well. There are one other key features which is how performative documentaries usually expresses the subject manner in a subjective way as to allow the audience not get confused and only focus on the important part of the documentary. 

Conclusion:

My attitude towards documentaries is quite positive as i love to watch a good interesting documentaries especially about history as that one of my favourite genres and my attitude towards the different types are more for interactive or expository and performative as i love the excited that they bring especially interactive as you never know what might happen like Louis Theroux shows in his documentaries and i also love to expand my knowledge on things, that is one of the reason why i love love expository documentaries as well as they are always full of facts and useful information like "Planet Earth" shows the viewer of it. The reason why i love performative as if it's done right it keeps me always interested and distracts me from what i'm doing by keeping me in suspense and the reenactments really help to do that. I believe that depending on the type of documentary it is then the film maker does have a duty to relay truthful information for instance is if its a expository documentary as they most common relay facts then it should do it and the same goes performative especially if based of a novel or an event because relaying false information would be disrespectful to the person or people who wrote or were in that situation. In conclusion as i love documentaries i know that not all need to have truthful information but most should as it could be disrespectful to genre or type or to the people that it based on but some like an observational one doesn't as sometimes you have to fake it to make it more interesting and not make the audience bored watching it.