Documentaries

1. Documentaries

2. Documentary Codes and Conventions • Most Documentaries are constructed with a certain type of voice over called ‘God Voice-over’, This means we cannot see the narrator or presenter but we can hear him throughout. • Sometimes Archive footage is used, Archive footage is a video clip of something related to what the programme is about e.g. In the documentary ‘Kurt and Courtney’, we see lots of archive footage of Kurt cobain being interviewed, or back as a child. The amount of different archive footage you can have is endless, anything that is a real first person video clip and not a reconstruction is considered as Archive footage. • During most informative Reconstructions/Documentaries, there are experts on that certain topic or events explaining what they know, this information is normally used to authenticate different views expressed in the documentary. In ‘Kurt and Courtney’ there is not an expert on what happened but a lawyer who studied their cases thoroughly and had a lot of factual information to give.

3. Technical Codes • The most important aspects that are involved in a documentary are the camera, editing and lighting, without these aspects documentaries would not vary in different modes and we would not get the message from the documentary. • In most documentaries added light is used, (artificial light, light used from lamps). Artificial light can be added through the camera you use, this can work well but can sometimes make the image grainy. On the other hand some producers decide to use natural light. In the documentary ‘Touching the Void’ all we see in the reconstruction is natural light, this is useful because no added effects need to be used and the image will be very detailed. when the film cuts back to the interviewees we see light added in, this is the only point in the film where natural light is not added.

4. Technical Codes • Camera positioning is studied carefully before every film so the cameraman knows exactly where to go, who to follow and what to film. In the documentary ‘The Secret Millionaire’ There are alot of different techniques used, GV (General View) shot is one of the most common shots used, before every scene where the millionaire is in a different town or city a GV shot is used to set the scene and establish where the protagonist is and what he is doing. • The selection and combination of different shots in sequence is also very important during a documentary, if editing isn't used we would get different information at different times and they story wouldn’t make sense. Editing can also help with the combination of different point of views, for example if someone is being filmed from afar and we want to see where they actually are, editing can be used to cut to another point of view shot of the character and what he is doing, editing can make the documentary flow.

5. Genre • There are alot of different types genres for a documentary which all tell the stories or points in different ways. • Investigative Documentary – adocumentary that introduces a problem or question, throughout the documentary the presenter or narrator goes on to solve this problem. Film techniques are often used to heighten the tension and draw the audience into the problem and wait to find out what happens. • Docu-soap –This type of documentary follows a set of characters through a series of events. It follows their lives, what emotions they are feeling and different opinions. with the subject of the documentary is often a particular event in the Docu-soap. This documentary is said to sometimes not include factually information but most Docu-soaps are based on fiction.