Documentary Essay

 

Documentary Essay

Introduction

What is a ‘Documentary’

A documentary is a moving image production that observes a topic based on statistics and facts. The main purpose of a documentary is to educate the viewers by creating a moving image production based upon the real life events that occurred.

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Identify the key features of Expository Documentaries

The expository documentary's key feature is the voiceover it uses, meaning the moving image production is voiced over the documentary which makes the viewer seem they are being taught a lesson as the voice would be directed to them.

Provide your own example of an expository documentary

My example of a expository documentary is the Wildlife documentary

‘The Blue Planet’ premiered on 12th September 2001, with this documentary it was narrated by Sir David Attenborough explaining about the world we are in and the impacts people may be putting the world in.

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Identify the key features of observational documentaries

With observational documentaries it could also be described by being a fly on the wall meaning that the viewers are watching the real life events happen and unfold.

This also draws the viewers into the moving image production by having their own conclusions from the film. 

Provide your own example of an observational documentary

Knuckle-  Knuckle is a 2011 documentary that follows the violent history fued between rival clans/gangs.

Knuckle was directed by Ian Palmer which has the running time of 1 hour 36 minutes.

What the moving image production ‘knuckle’ focuses on in the documentary element is by exploring the reasons why they hold the fights, when the POV of the viewer is similar to the phrase ‘fly on a wall’ which was said earlier.

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Identify the key features of interactive documentaries

A feature of an interactive documentary is when the audience/ viewer is able to modify the documentary throughout. This is done by interacting with multiple amounts of multimedia tools (video, photographic and audio). 

Provide your own example of an interactive documentary

Britain's Greatest Invention-  

The moving image production (documentary) ‘Britain’s Greatest Invention’ is BBC Two’s interactive document which is presented by Dr Hannah Fry and automotive engineer Ant Anstead.

Discuss how access and privacy can affect a production (releases & permissions)

It affects the production because the film crew or studio would need to focus on the location releases to see if they are allowed to film in certain areas like if you were going to film in Great Yarmouth you may have to contact the council to see if permission is allowed to film there.

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Identify the key features of reflexive documentaries

Reflexive Documentaries feature the relationship between the filmmaker working on the moving image production and the viewers/audience, this is to try and get the audience to reflect on their senses.

Provide your own example of a reflexive documentary

Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends-  

‘Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends’ is when Louis Theroux gives the viewers/audience the chance to get brief glimpses into the worlds of individuals and groups that would not normally experience.

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Identify the key features of performative documentaries

A performative documentary features the filmmakers involvement with its moving image production. What this would do is use the filmmakers subject knowledge and personal experiences.

Provide your own example of a performative documentary

An example of a performative documentary is ‘Supersize Me’ by Morgan Spurlock in 2004, when Morgan Spurlock made himself a test subject of this documentary about the commercial food industry, which is about the health effects of eating only food from McDonald's restaurants for 30 days.

Discuss the use of dramatisations and re-enactments in performative documentaries, e.g., why are they used and what are the implications of including them?

The re-enactments would make the viewers take more interest as the moving image production (documentary) would be more dramatised which is more likely to be entertaining for the viewers.

The implications could possibly be that with the re-enactments could be overreacted and could possibly be not what actually happened as it might be over dramatised.  

Conclusion

What is your documentary filmmaking philosophy?

I now have the knowledge on which documentary is which for example I now know that expository has a voice over which is what I most commonly have seen and I now know that the documentary ‘Blue Planet’ is an expository documentary and I may now identify any documentary I may come across now. 

Do you think that a documentarist has a contract with the viewer to present them with truth and authentic information? E.g., do you believe that the ‘ends justify the means’ is an appropriate for documentary filmmaking?

Yes, it is appropriate because there is a solid amount of facts and which would most likely be used for a potential short documentary which could be interesting to some members of the audience or viewers.

By Joshua Chapman