Expository Documentaries-
Expository documentaries are based around the idea of transparency and objectivity. Expository Documentaries contain both voice overs and visual images that are used to simply compliment each other with factual and descriptive content. The voice over directly addresses the audience on what is happening in the accompanying images. This gives meaning to the images and not opinion. The purpose of expository documentaries are not to persuade but instead allow the audience to base their own judgments on observational material and to not be influenced by emotions or personal prejudices. An example of an expository documentary is the film called "We are the Lambeth boys". The documentary follows a group of young males that attend a local club. The documentary focuses on the lives of clubs members. The voice over simply describes the on screen content but cleverly highlights the boys views on present topics such as capital punishment. The documentary is especially interesting as it allows the viewer to make their own judgment of the boys without being bias or influencing emotions towards them. Another example of an expository documentary, is "I swear i cant help it" which follow two people with tourettes syndrome. The documentary focuses on the issues that the two face on a daily basis. The documentaries visuals are accompanied by a simple descriptive voice over.
Observational Documentaries-
An observational documentary has similar properties to an Expository documentary, however it differs in regards to its objectivity and how the audience connects to the people on screen. Observational documentaries are purely motion picture material and do not include interviews or any other input. The purpose of an observational documentary is to give a transparent and non bias representation of events. Observational Documentaries focus only on the content of the film and allow the audience to create their own judgments and opinions of the documentary. Observational documentaries can be a very powerful method of portraying people or an event. Observational documentaries give the most factual and clear representation of people and events. "High School" is a very good example of an observational documentary. High School observes a typical day at a high school. The events and people captured in the documentary have been purely observed and not manipulated. Another example of an observational documentary, is "24 hours in A&E". The documentary captures 24 hour footage from over 90 camera placed inside an A and E ward. The documentary gave its audience unprecedented access to what typically occurs on the A and E section of the hospital.
Interactive Documentaries-
Interactive documentaries are typically used in modern documentaries and are commonly used to present an agenda. The content of an interactive documentary is often criticized as being inaccurate and a manipulated representation of real events. ID consists of interactions with people through interviews, a presenter and the audience. Interactive documentaries are often criticized due to its heavy editing in post production stages. critics often claim that interactive documentaries can never represent real life events as modern editing detracts the sense of truth the films content. However interactive documentaries are often the most popular documentaries due to the connection between the presenter and the audience. The problem with modern interactive documentaries is that they are seen more as a form of entertainment than a source of factual/truthful information. Louis Theroux's "Louis and The Nazis" is a brilliant example of an interactive documentary. Louis Theroux presents and interviews a group of people who's views on religion and nationality are considered to be those similar to the "Nazis". The remarkable response that his documentaries have on its viewers is due to the documentary's originality and lack of boundaries. The content is often questioned as people believe that it detracts a sense of truth after its heavy editing process. Another example of an interactive documentary is Trevor Nelsons "Living on Death Row", his informative and insightful documentary followed his journey around a Prison in America . He presents and interviews the prisoners on death row adding voice overs to accompany visuals.
Access and Privacy-
Film makers will need to go through various pre-production paperwork that protects and grant them permission to film interviewees, locations etc. Anyone who is filmed during the production stages will have to have to signed and agreed to a contract, allowing the film maker to produce material with that person in it. Ofcom have set guidelines concerning the privacy of individuals and organisations. These privacy guidelines protect those individuals against harmful or private material being broadcasted without their permission. Ofcom's principles section states "to ensure that broadcasters avoid any unwarranted infringement of privacy in programmes and in connection with obtaining material included in programmes." Ofcom set these guidlines to protect individuals but to also inform film makers of when to use warranted material. They define the "warranted material" as being material that does not need permission due to its type of content that protects or informs information that the public should be aware. Warranted material is allowed to be broadcasted in certain examples such a !companies withholding information that effects the public".
Reflexive Documentaries-
A reflexive documentary is often refereed to as being experimental due to the film makers acknowledgement in the film. The film maker will often create a narrative from people and events in order to experiment the boundaries and concept of a documentary. The film maker attempts to show the conventions of the documentary to the viewers. The documentaries content is captured and then experimented with on order to be creative and original. Reflexive documentaries are often very abstract and more about the creativity of the documentary rather than being persuasive or impressionable. An example of a reflexive documentary is territories, an experimental insight into gang life.The mix between the visual and on screen graphics creates a powerful and dream like effect on the audience. An example of a reflexive documentary, is "Handsworth Songs". The documentary focuses on the 1985 riots that took place in London. The documentary has a poetic montage sense about it and is very powerful to watch.
Performative documentaries-
Performative documentaries are possibly the most powerful and impressionable documentaries as they use a wide range of re-enactments, exaggeration of camera positions/angles plus the use of emotive soundtracks. Film makers have a close link with the audience in a performative documentary in order to establish connections on an impressionable and emotional level. They also have a large input in the documentary so that the purpose and message of the documentary comes across stronger. Performative documentaries use re-enactments in order to create attitudes towards a certain agenda, group of people or a cause etc. Re-enactments can be used in a number of scenarios, but are often used to create clear pictures of an event that will have an emotional effect on the audience. Performative documentaries often focus on one side of an issue or group of people and are therefore criticized of being manipulated and bias. Performative documentaries present the subject matter in a subjective,expressive,stylized and evocative way. An example of a performative documentary is the "Imposter". The documentary that focuses on a french man who claimed to be the child of Texas born family who had gone missing three years ago. The documentary uses interviews and re-enactments of events that took before and after the child was found. This performative documentary uses all of the above factors to create a powerful documentary.
One of the main problem that often detracts the documentaries sense of veracity is the use of repetitive re-enactments. In the "Thin Blue Line" re-enactments are used excessively in order to create an emotional link with the audience. The issue with this, is that often re-enactments are from eye witness accounts which suggest to a viewer that the documentary uses bias content and can therefore not be a veracity representation of real events.
My own philosophy on making a documentary is that they should be a truthful representation of real events. I support the use of observational material, as it holds the least amount of manipulation. It also allows the audience to make their own judgments on the content shown in the documentary. I think that all film makers have the responsibility of portraying accurate information as documentaries are very powerful tools and if a film maker creates a manipulated piece of work then it could have an impressionable effect on people who will believe in inaccurate information.
References:
Ofcom:
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/broadcasting/broadcast-codes/broadcast-code/privacy/
Wikipedia-documentary formats:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentary_mode
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