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Today we received a seminar on the fundamentals of every documentary, which was described as "dry" by our tutor herself. Still, best to write it all down, right? Right?
With a documentary, there are multiple ways of telling a story via addressing the audience in different ways. What medium is the documentary presented in? Who is the target audience?
According to Bill Nichols, there are six main types of documentary. Expository documentaries are a traditional approach, with voiceover commentary explaining what is being shown on the screen - narration. Examples of this are wildlife documentaries.
Observational documentaries are "fly-on-the-wall". They appear to have been filmed in real time and the filmmaker is not visible. There is no voiceover. Examples of observational documentaries are reality shows.
Interactive (or participatory) documentaries feature subject responding to direct questioning. The filmmaker may be edited in or out, and statements might be taken out of context. Questions may be prompted but context is added in experimental ways (e.g. via sound).
Reflexive documentaries are similarly often experimental, in which the filmmaker is as interested in the process of developing the final cut as much as the actual content of the documentary. Reflective films often make no attempt to hide the aspect of its instruction.
Poetic documentaries are very different from all other documentary types. Instead of using traditional, linear continuity to create a story structure, the poetic documentary arrives at is final cut by arranging footage in visually and emotionally stimulating ways. This may be using colour, sound or objects.
Performative documentaries began showing up in the 80's. Along with the reflexive sub-genre, they also feature acting or dance to provide information on a topic, rather than simply speaking about it.
When creating documentaries, other factors must be considered regardless of the type of film.
Structure is incredibly important. What the viewer should take away from the documentary must be affirmed early on in the production process. Narratives can be constructed in a number of ways, but the classical form is that of the linear "beginning, middle and end". Introducing the location of the documentary can give the story a "face", and letting people tell their own story can be both beneficial and counter-productive in the making of the documentary.
The relationship between story, event and issue requires knowledge of the context. For someone developing a visual story, the most important thing to ask is "what story is to be told?". What is the issue? What will the events or developments in the documentary be? If needed, who are the characters? Perhaps the most important question of all is "what is the context?".
I have chosen to create a documentary about playing guitar. I would like to make this documentary mostly interactive, with footage of guitar playing, famous artists and equipment demonstrations with voiceover narration/commentary, but also including elements of observational and poetic documentation.
With a documentary, there are multiple ways of telling a story via addressing the audience in different ways. What medium is the documentary presented in? Who is the target audience?
According to Bill Nichols, there are six main types of documentary. Expository documentaries are a traditional approach, with voiceover commentary explaining what is being shown on the screen - narration. Examples of this are wildlife documentaries.
Observational documentaries are "fly-on-the-wall". They appear to have been filmed in real time and the filmmaker is not visible. There is no voiceover. Examples of observational documentaries are reality shows.
Interactive (or participatory) documentaries feature subject responding to direct questioning. The filmmaker may be edited in or out, and statements might be taken out of context. Questions may be prompted but context is added in experimental ways (e.g. via sound).
Reflexive documentaries are similarly often experimental, in which the filmmaker is as interested in the process of developing the final cut as much as the actual content of the documentary. Reflective films often make no attempt to hide the aspect of its instruction.
Poetic documentaries are very different from all other documentary types. Instead of using traditional, linear continuity to create a story structure, the poetic documentary arrives at is final cut by arranging footage in visually and emotionally stimulating ways. This may be using colour, sound or objects.
Performative documentaries began showing up in the 80's. Along with the reflexive sub-genre, they also feature acting or dance to provide information on a topic, rather than simply speaking about it.
When creating documentaries, other factors must be considered regardless of the type of film.
Structure is incredibly important. What the viewer should take away from the documentary must be affirmed early on in the production process. Narratives can be constructed in a number of ways, but the classical form is that of the linear "beginning, middle and end". Introducing the location of the documentary can give the story a "face", and letting people tell their own story can be both beneficial and counter-productive in the making of the documentary.
The relationship between story, event and issue requires knowledge of the context. For someone developing a visual story, the most important thing to ask is "what story is to be told?". What is the issue? What will the events or developments in the documentary be? If needed, who are the characters? Perhaps the most important question of all is "what is the context?".
I have chosen to create a documentary about playing guitar. I would like to make this documentary mostly interactive, with footage of guitar playing, famous artists and equipment demonstrations with voiceover narration/commentary, but also including elements of observational and poetic documentation.
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