Types of Documentary

Types of Documentary

By Gina Rimmer

• Fully Narrated have off screen voice over to help the audience gain a better understanding of what is going on. Fully narrated documentaries often us direct address and the voice over goes along with the visuals that the audience is seeing; meaning that everything is based around the visuals. Fully narrated documentaries use the voice of 'God' and so people take what they hear as the truth.

• eg Wildlife Documentaries.

Fully Narrated

• The camera is hidden or unseen.• Mainly observation.• Little to non-commentary.• Relies heavily on editing.• eg Big Brother, Educating Essex.

Fly On The Wall

• Mixed uses a combination of interviews, observation and narration to help to advance the argument the creator is trying to put forward. Within a mixed documentary as the journalist is speaking pictures continue over it.

Mixed

• The camera follows someone around, and the person knows they are being followed so they talk to the camera.

• eg The Secret Millionaire.

Self Reflexive

• Reconstructions and re-enactments so show an event that has happened in the past.

• eg Crimewatch

Docudrama

• Long running documentary series.• They are fairly new.• Follow particular characters in detail.• It has ‘episodes’.• eg Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, Driving School,

One Born Every Minute

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