BRIEF

Year 13 coursework

Post 1 – Brief – The aim of this piece of coursework is to create the opening 5 minutes of a

TV documentary a radio trailer to support it and a newspaper advert. The work will be

completed in groups of 3.

Post 2 – Genre theories and concepts

What is a documentary?

John Grierson came up with the term documentary in 1926. The purpose of documentaries

is to document something that has actually happened it can be shown using literal footage

or reconstruction. It can use a narrators voice over to anchor the meaning or rely on the

participants themselves with perhaps an occasional interjection by the narrator

documentaries are not just about facts instead facts can be used to create socially critical

arguments inviting the audience to draw their own conclusions.

Central to documentary is that is focuses on and questions actual people and events, often

in a social context, placing the audience in a position to form an opinion about who or what

we are saying. Documentaries purport to present factual information about the world. We

understand what we are seeing is a documentary as it is often flagged up as such using on

screen labels e.g. persons name and job title. This leads the audience to believe that the

people and avents actually exist and that the information being conveyed is correct.

Features of documentaries – there are 5 central elements of the documentary

according to John Carner from the universe Liverpool.

These are: observation (fly on the wall – putting the audience in a rule of eye witnesses

where the camera appears to be on seen. Indirect address to the audiences i.e. speech over

heard is a common factor of this em-sing observation.

Interview – television documentaries use interview to make a contrast between

observation sequences and are structured in 2 ways: either intercut fragments of

observation or a completely on interrupted sequence.

Dramatisation – even though all documentaries use a sense of drama, it is specifically

used to portray people and events the film maker cannon gain access to in real life. These

sequences are said to be based on fact.

Mise en scene – literally what the directors and producers put into the frame, so for

example lighting and props in interviews.

Exposition – simply means the line of argument in a documentary which is what the doc is

saying. Sequences that lead the audience to make their own conclusions.

Types of documentaries – there are at least 6 types that include:

Fully narrated – direct address documentaries use an off screen voice over to convey the

exposition. Voice over is used to make sense of the visuals and dominates there meaning.

The narrator often gives such an impression of authority about the topic that critics have

dubbed the style “the voice of god documentary”.

Fly on the wall – these documentaries rely almost totally on observation. There is no

commentary or narration: the cameras are left to record the subject without interference

and viewers come to their own conclusions.

Mixed – many documentaries use a combination of interview observation and narration to

advance the argument. In contrast to the voice of god style, the narration is often from

within the frame (and therefore the action). Narration from within the scene is also the style

adopted in modern news reporting. The journalist speaks to the camera and then pictures of

the action continue the piece of his or her voice.

Self reflexive – when the subjects of a documentary acknowledge the presence of the

camera and often speak directly to the film maker this style is said to be self reflexive. These

documentaries make a point of drawing attention to the film maker’s role in constructing

review of reality.

Docu-drama – a Docu drama is a re-enactment of events that is supposed to actually

happen. In this style, the elements of argument and exposition are combined with those of

the fictional narrative. The resulting story is then said to be “based on fact”. The format is

particular popular with TV companies and many striking example have succeeded in vividly

recreating dramatic and often tragic events e.g. Hillsborough (ITV 1996). Critics say that

Docu dramas claim to represent the truth but can only hope to deliver fiction in passing

themselves of as reality they are best misleading and at worst positively dangerous in their

inevitable partiality.