Documentary Essay

Documentary Formats:

What is a Documentary?

A documentary is a type of non-fiction film that gives opinion and a specific message along with the facts that it presents. Some people define documentary as a 'factual film that is dramatic'. Documentaries look at all kinds of different scenarios and subjects in life, there are so many different documentaries about so many different things it would be difficult to find a certain subject that doesn't have a documentary on it.

Expository Documentaries:

Expository documentaries have someone who speaks directly to the viewer, often in the form of an authoritative commentary whilst proposing a strong argument and point of view. An example of an expository documentary would be: Planet Earth. Planet Earth is an expository documentary because the narrator, David Attenborough, provides a voice over, talking to the viewers, accompanied by the footage of the program.  

Observational Documentaries:

An observational documentary, also known as 'fly-on-the-wall', is a documentary that observes everything that is happening but there is no voice overs, narrations or people being interviewed. The documentary makers stay away from everything and just let things happen naturally. The filmmaker/director is hidden from the audience and are an uninvolved bystander. An example of an observational documentary is: Titicut Follies, made by Frederic Wiseman in 1967. Titicut Follies is about the Massachusetts Correctional Institution. This is an observational documentary because everything is being filmed as it happens there and then on the day, nothing is really being changed for the camera.

Interactive Documentaries:


An interactive documentary is when the filmmaker's presence is evident and clear and they are a participant within the documentary. There is also an interaction between the people being interviewed, the presenter and also the audience who are watching. A main example of a interactive documentary would be Louis Theroux: Miami Mega Jail. During an interactive documentary there is always interaction between the presenter and the interviewees. In Miami Mega Jail, Louis Theroux walks around a prison in Miami and talks to inmates and finds out what they think about the prison, prison life and what their convictions were. He does this by visiting the most dangerous of inmates and also entering inmates' cells.

Reflexive Documentaries:

A reflexive documentary is usually something that is also know as an experimental documentary. A reflexive documentary has no voice overs and none of the film makers are on screen, they are simply just pictures and moving images put behind music. The whole idea is for the audience members to put the pieces together and they have to figure out what the meaning behind the whole documentary is. An example of a reflexive documentary would be: Naqoyqatsi. Naqoyqatsi is the final film out of the Qatsi trilogy, which includes; Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi, and Naqoyqatsi. This film is about how the world has evolves from a natural environment, to a technology based one. The film only has still and moving pictures along with music, nothing else.

Performative Documentaries:
A performative documentary is a documentary that has reenactments of what the subject of the documentary is. And will have interviews with the anyone who was involved with the scenario. An example of a performative documentary would be Tongues United. Tongues United is about a gay black dancer and about his experiences as a gay black man in the society of NYC in 1990. This documentary interviews the man and many others and gains their views on the matter. And also has reenactments throughout the film.









Conclusion:

So in conclusion, my philosophy would be too keep anything in the documentary real, to never report back false information and to always keep things in context. I believe that any film maker making a documentary should always show the truth and never give out fake info, this can change the opinion of the viewer and make them think bad things of something that isn't even true.