Documentary Mini-Task

The dictionary defines a documentary as “a film or television of radio programme that provides a factual report on a particular subject”. However, this is not entirely accurate, as the definition of “fact” changes from person to person. There is no way to create a fully accurate documentary, especially on film, where the director must consider use of camera angles and what to show the audience. A documentary is therefore a representation of the truth.

Expository

This format includes a disembodied voiceover, which addresses the audience. The voiceover explains and helps to give meaning to a collection of images or a video it is overlapping, and often provides facts or arguments to caption them. The effect of all this creates a direct and blatant depiction of the subject. An example of this would be David Attenborough’s Desert Seas. To begin with, David Attenborough uses an authoritative voiceover to inform the viewer of how the desert seas have changed, before going on to inform about the wildlife, which resides there. He uses rhetorical devices and visceral language to entice and hold the audiences attention.

Observational

These documentaries are unobtrusive depictions of life where the filmmaker is a spectator and is uninvolved. They also tend to be hidden from the audience for the duration, as they present a nonbiased record of an event, which allows the audience to come to their own conclusions. They also contain no commentary or interviews, unlike the other formats. An example of this is Kim Longinotto’s Rough Aunties. Within the trailer, it is clear to the viewer that the lives of these women are emotionally draining, and difficult, and the lack of presence from the filmmaker allows a greater connection.

Interactive

Filmmakers in these documentaries are a participant, and they’re clearly involved as they interact with those being interviewed, the audience, and often other members of the crew during the documentary. Arguments are often presented, and it can be apparent that the footage has been manipulated during editing. This has led to backlash from some as it is a “misrepresentation” of the subject, but filmmakers argue that the result is more important than smaller aspects. An example of this is Louis Theroux’s Louis and the Brothel. During the interaction Louis has with working girl Belle at 39:23, the camera crew include Louis' reaction to what is being said. As they are talking about paedophilia, and rather calmly, it increases the shock value for the viewer, and they can relate to the filmmaker.      

Reflexive

In these documentaries, the filmmaker tries to expose the conventions of documentary to the viewer, whilst also experimenting with the construction. This consists of shots of “everyday life” which are then manipulated and used to create greatly different or experimental films. An example of this is Sandra Larsson’s Lenny D- A Short Reflexive Documentary. Throughout this short documentary, there are brief moments where the camera is visible during the shot and it is being adjusted. The texture and image quality also changes, showing how the filmmakers have experimented with the construction of their documentary. 

Performative

This format represents the world indirectly, and has a greater emphasis of the presentation than the actual content. It depends greatly on re-enactments, exaggerated camera movements and uses soundtracks to help transfix the audience. The aim of this type is to present the subject matter in a subjective, expressive and stylised way. An example of this is Rea Tajiri’s History and Memory: For Akiko and Takashige. This documentary uses both recorded history and interviews for unrecorded memories to recreate the trauma the Japanese and Japanese-Americans lived through in internment camps after the attack on Pearl Habor. 

To conclude, I believe that when watching a documentary, the viewer should be less trusting of the content of a documentary. It is impossible to get a completely unaltered view of the world from a camera lens. However, I believe that documentary makers should still try to give the closest representation possible, and to try and remain aware of the dictionary definition of the word "documentary".