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.