GENRE : DOCUMENTARY

 DOCUMENTARIES

 

What is a documentary? 

A documentary is a genre in which factual information is presented in a creative way. Documentaries can be about current events, historical events, or specific topics of interest. It is a genre of movie making that uses video & film scenes, photographs and/or sound of real people and real events which when edited together creates a particular story, viewpoint, message or experience. Documentaries are for all age groups as they're not specifically about one topic. The 6 primary types of documentary films are ; poetic documentaries, expository documentaries, observational documentaries, participatory documentaries, reflexive documentaries and performative documentaries. 

Poetic documentaries focus on experiences, images, and showing the audience the world through different eyes, e.g. Rain (1924) These documentaries tend to be more abstract and don't follow a linear plot. 

Expository documentaries use the 'voice of God' narration where by the author provides a scripted commentary to accompany or illustrate visuals. Some examples are “The Civil War” and “The Blue Planet”. 

In an observational mode documentary, the filmmaker watches what happens in the world around them without interfering. An example could be National Geographic ; e.g.  the animals are observed from a distance and their behaviours are recorded and analysed. 

Participatory documentary itself is a form of film production that directly involves people and communities in a collaborative and inclusive filmmaking process. E.g. Paris Is Burning (1990) — Dir. Jennie Livingston.

Reflexive documentaries often depict the process of making the documentary and include behind-the-scenes footage of the documentary being made. E.g. Man With a Movie Camera (1929).

A Performative documentary emphasises the filmmaker's own involvement with the subject. Furthermore, the filmmaker shows a larger political or historical reality through the window of their own experience. E.g. The Thin Blue Line (1988) — Dir. Errol Morris.

---

What is the difference between documentaries and docudrama?

Documentaries primarily focus on presenting factual information to the audience, discarding any irrelevent details. The information shared is fact checked by authorised sources. They use real footage ;  interviews with eyewitnesses and experts, quantitative and qualitative data and narration. Docudramas are a blend of documentaries and fiction. Actors may be hired to reenact historical events, or create dramatised scenes to portray what might have happened in situations where there's no recording. Docudramas are more focused on telling a dramatic story than just presenting facts. An example of a docudrama is the HBO mini series: Chernobyl (2019), whilst an example of a documentary is : Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes (2022)