Define the Codes and Conventions of the Documentary Genre. You must demonstrate your understanding surrounding issues of factual programming for television by comparing and contrasting five different documentaries.
There are multiple codes and conventions used within documentaries, each used for effect. However, within documentaries, there are a few issues surrounding documentaries. And in this essay, we will discuss the different types of documentaries and their issues.
The first mode of documentary is ‘Expository’. This type of documentary aims to inform and educate the audience about a topic. The camera crew is often invisible to the audience and it’s extremely rare that they are seen on screen. The material is almost always scripted and has a voice over; normally by the presenter. Source 1 is an example of this genre of documentary, it’s effective as it allows an audience to learn about the topic of immigration, it’s a serious documentary and straight to the point.
The ‘Observational’ mode is about recording someone/something with very little fuss and filming them in their natural environment. It’s often a ‘day in the life’ style. The camera crew isn’t commonly shown in this genre of documentary and there is sometimes a voice over, often voiced by the character in the documentary. An example of this is Source 2, the documentary is about an artist showcasing a normal work day. It’s effective as you can really see what an average day is and it does not feel staged. Which is a contrast to an ‘Expository’ documentary. ‘Fly-on-the-wall’ is similar to the ‘observational’ technique, the documentary also tries to blend into the background as the subject goes about their daily life. However, this documentary is filmed over a period of time - in some cases up to 6 months/year. The aim of the documentary is to give the audience an inside view of a topic. Source 3 is an example of this, the documentary follows Josie, a cancer survivor and her story of cancer. It’s effective as it gives the audience and inside view of cancer, how Josie survived it and her life with cancer. Another mode is ‘Interactive/Reflexive’. In this mode, the filmmakers’ existence is fully acknowledged. The filmmaker is the author and character in the documentary, often appearing in multiple of the shots. The topic discussed is typically one that’s close to the filmmaker. Source 4 is about Climate Change and follows a group of people that want to explore the impact of climate change and how it will continue to get worse; if nothing is done about it. This documentary is effective as you can really notice the filmmakers passion about the subject; causing more of an impact on the audience. ‘Poetic’ and ‘Avant Garde’ documentaries emphasise on the creativity a filmmaker has - as the