Different types of Documentaries

Introduction

Mokumentaries

Basically, this is a mick take of the documentary style and uses the common tropes to build a slightly believable satire show or film about a fictional event or group of people. The entire premises of this style of documentary is to make fun and tear apart the point of the factual use of the basic documentary.

However, even in this trope, the topics can vary. The office is a very popular mockumentary that originated in the UK but was taken up by a US company and adapted to suit the comedic style of the country. Less based in real life situations, the brightly lit and over the top show became a huge hit due to it's take on office life and how it changes and adapts throughout the years. You moved on and changed with the characters through the show as they get married and pull pranks over the years, all based off of interviews and the following camera crew they have.

The 6 Modes

Introduction

Poetic documentaries

Normally, this style of documentary lacks a narrative or it isn't very strong. A more artistic style of a documentary telling that is experimental and loose that is pleasing to watch despite having little to no story to follow. The main aim is to create something that creates a mood or atmosphere that then the audience can go away and decide for themselves what they concluded and believed the meaning was for the creation of the documentary. Also, this mode is very biased as it is a 'subjective interpretation of the subject' instead of an accurate representation of it. It can be used to show a stereotype of a subject such as the documentary "Ross Kemp on Gangs" which is meant to document gangs but ends up being a stereotypical exaggeration of what he believes they are.

The way the filmmakers use selective informative that displays the subject in a certain way that the audience members that favour the subject will more likely agree with the suggested terms. This way, the documentary is instantly accepted by this audience that agrees with the specific information being fed to them.

As the documentary is biased, the audience members that are not in favour of the matter at hand, will, therefore, have a negative reaction to the documentary that is being put out. They will not be interested in watching a documentary about a subject they do not care about with a biased view as front and centre. As the documentary doesn't include counter arguments and knowledge, which lowers acceptance of the subject and doesn't represent other views.

Introduction

Expository Documentaries

When using this style of a documentary, the narrator speaks directly to the audience through voice-overs or subtitles. The use of these techniques can be very powerful argument or point of view for the topic of the documentary. It is used very often to portray an un-problematic and objective story that also uses imagery to further emphasise the point being mentioned by the documenter. The visual evidence and aid guides the point is stated in the documentary and so makes the audience see the images in a certain way that the documenter wants it to be seen. The use of this mode in documentaries is very acutely seen in history and nature films. Blue Plant and the sequel both use the images of our world and it's creatures to tell their stories in a very objective manner by following their daily lives and how they interact with each other. The voice-over then explains details you may not know about them and narrates the story being shown on screen.

On one hand, these documentaries are extremely well received when lead by a charismatic, well-spoken and informed narrator so that it becomes an engaging and thrilling story being told with facts and figures.

However, the spoken elements may not be as well received by some audience members as the visual elements are more beneficial to that audience. It could be deemed as 'boring' and unengaging because of these draw backs.

Introduction

Observational Documentaries

Overall, this documentary is unobtrusive and a third party doesn't speak about the events occurring on screen. It's filmed at the moment about the topic it wants to follow, such as school, protests or musicians. Conclusions and opinions are based on the events and scenarios witnessed and it is very unbiased and it a passive way of obtaining facts and lets the audience have a more intimate connection with the events and people on screen rather than being what to think and feel by a documenter. It follows the daily lives of the subjects and causes an emotional response from the viewer. An example of this is the documentary High School (1968) by Frederick Wiseman which takes a 'fly on the wall' approach. Following the students of Northeast High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it shows through just filming their lives, the oppression of the students and is completely factual, even going against the school administration of what they didn't what the public to see.

The documentary could become un-factual and have a weak argument, which in turn lack any factual or visual stimuli due to it being un-biased and the documenter having a lack of control.

It is an emotional mode and therefore will appeal to the more sensitive audience members meaning they will be the ones to watch the documentary, however, there is a possibility with the heavily 'real' footage captured of these real events, the less connected viewers are still likely to be impacted.

Introduction

Participatory Documentaries

Influence of the documenter is what makes a participatory documentary, they can influence the footage and facts that they are filming, they want to provide clear evidence which is clear that the documenters presence affecting events. This influence makes a biased documentary as they will create artificial events to create a strong and evident argument which can be a positive thing in some cases. The best example of this is The Man with a Camera (1929) where just the lives of Soviet citizens are filmed. This specifically includes the lives of the films cameraman and editor so that there is no story and no 'characters'. It is a silent film and by involving the film crew makes it the best example of a participatory documentary.

Through the use of star vehicles, commonly associated with the subject matter will create a lot of renown and expectation.

The un-biased footage obtained, gives a lack of control to the documenter, which can lead to an un-factual and weak argument, which could also potentially leave it without any factual or visual stimuli.

Introduction

Reflexive Documentaries

This mode uses specific footage and highlights constructed scenarios and does not try to create a realistic feel to the documentary to make the point of the documentary more emphasised and extreme. By building these scenes and selecting footage to fit their narrative, they form an opinion for the audience members as all this leads to a specific outcome. The reflexive mode takes the extreme cases of events and highlights so that the unaware and uneducated would see this as normal. It suggests one viewpoint of the extreme is the only one and so, therefore, makes these types of documentaries successful. An example of this documentary-style is the 1989 history documentary, Surname Viet Given Name Nam. Directed by T.Minh-ha Trinh, it shows the lives of Vietnamese women past and present. It only shows the views of the females in a rapid political-economic transformation, showing the extreme cases of separation of women using gendered terms. It is a feminist documentary that empowers women by giving them a voice without being spoken over by other oppressors.

This documentary could turn out quite biased and the audience may not be able to make an informed decision on the matter as it is very narrow-minded in the elements used in the documentary and can easily leave out factual points.

Unlike other documentaries, this can capture the extreme 'truths' that may not be able to be witnessed in other films and in everyday occurrences. Although this takes away from the normality of the situation, can increase the sensitivity and severity of the events.

Introduction

Performative Documentaries

This mode engages with the audience once again through the filmmakers but can expose them to factual points whilst doing so. It focuses on experiences and is a very personal film to put out about possible hardships and stories that have affected them greatly. It's best suited towards filmmakers of a specific niche or minority in social groups and constructs to tell their unique story to the masses which wouldn't be able to be done otherwise. It allows their voice to be heard. The 1989 documentary 'Tongues Untied' is a subjective film about late African-American filmmaker Marlon Riggs who shares his accounts of being a black gay American in his time and shines a light on the discrimination and misunderstanding that comes with it.

Often, these documentaries are seen as pretentious due to the 'self-view' take and it is focused solely on the documenter. It could also end up being boring due to only having one focus of attention and the niche audience that is attracted to this mode lowers the potential audience.

These types of documentaries are easy to understand as you are within the 'mind of the documenter' and this is what is being portrayed to the audience. Also, this documentary mode brings attention to the minorities and niches in society that may not usually have a voice and informs and educates the audience about something they may not have known before.