Introductory analysis of TV documentaries.

A documentary can be either a film or a television programme which shows the audience

information about a specific topic.

Below are some of the features included in documentaries:

Actuality: The filming of real life events/places or people.

Exposition: The start of a documentary when something or someone is revealed, often a

theme, e.g. fitness, smoking, or generally anything which is a problem in today’s society.

Interviews: Asking questions to people who have something to do with the topic which the

documentary is about.

Voiceover: A commentator/ narrator, often with direct address to the audience.

Poetic mode: The poetic mode of a documentary film tends towards subjective

interpretations of its subjects.

Expositional mode: The expositional mode moves sharply from the poetic mode in terms of

visual practice and story-telling devices. Its aims are passing on information and persuading

the viewer/audiences.

Observational mode: The camera, while moving with subjects and staying within the action,

remains as unobtrusive as possible, mutely recording events as they happen. Pure

observational documentaries proceeded under some bylaws: no music, no interviews, no

scene arrangement of any kind and also no narration.

Reflexive mode: The reflexive mode considers the quality of documentary itself,

demystifying its processes and considering its implication.

Performative mode: The perfomrative mode engages its filmmaker in the story creating an

almost autobiographical descriptions of subjective truths that are significant to the

filmmaker him or herself.