a documentary is a type of media that displays facts and the daily on goings in people's life or an a event. There are 5 different types of documentary; expository, observational,interactive,reflexive and preformative. In this task I'll be talking about each one and giving my own example.
expository documentaries
- Has a disembodied and a authoritative that directly addresses the audience on what is happening in the accompanying images. giving a meaning to the image and not the voice-over's opinion.
- Facts and arguments and provided by the voice-over which also provides information for the image
- A series of images (which are descriptive/informative) are used to compliment the voice-over.
- The effect of this type of documentary is mainly one of objectivity, of direct and transparent representation.
The film secured full access with all six players and also includes interviews with former footballers Zinedine Zidane and Eric Cantona, former Manchester United youth coach Eric Harrison, film maker Danny Boyle, former Prime Minister Tony Blair and The Stone Roses bassist Mani. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Class_of_%2792)
observational
unobtusive construction and presents a slice of life
no intervention from the film maker they are un-involved in the film
the filmaker is hidden from the audience
more centered on what is not contained
presents a transparent record of an event and is neutral
audience has to decide what to think
Armadillo is a Danish documentary film about Danish soldiers in the war in Afghanistan. The film follows a group of soldiers from the Guard Hussars(Horse Cavalry) regiment who are on their first mission in Helmand Province at a forward operating base near Gereshk named FOB Armadillo. The film premièred at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010. It was awarded the Grand Prix de la Semaine de la Critique.
The Semaine de la Critique screening described the film as "a journey into the soldiers' minds and a unique film on the mythological story of man and war staged in its contemporary version in Afghanistan".(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armadillo_%28film%29)
interactive documentaries
the filmaker's presence is evident
there is interaction between the interviewees,the presenter and also the audience
arguments are usually presented
manipulation of the text through editing is more evident
sometimes criticised for misreprisentation and maipulation but defended by filmakers due to prjected image being more important than fine details
Wonders of the Universe is a 2011 television series produced by the BBC,Discovery Channel, and Science Channel, hosted by physicist Professor Brian Cox. Wonders of the Universe was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two from 6 March 2011. The series comprises four episodes, each of which focuses on an aspect of the universe and features a 'wonder' relevant to the theme. It follows on from Cox's 2010 series for the BBC, Wonders of the Solar System.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonders_of_the_Universe)
Reflexive Documentaries
- the filmmaker attempts to expose the conventions of documentary to the audience
- the construction of documentary texts are exposed and also experimented with
- the documentary text will consist of shots that have captured 'everyday life' but they are then used as bricks which can make vastly different/experimental films.
Man With Movie Camera is an experimental 1929 silent documentary film, with no story and no actors, by Soviet director Dziga Vertov, edited by his wife Elizaveta Svilova.
Vertov's feature film, produced by the film studio VUFKU, presents urban life in the Soviet cities of Kiev, Kharkov, Moscow and Odessa.From dawn to dusk Soviet citizens are shown at work and at play, and interacting with the machinery of modern life. To the extent that it can be said to have "characters," they are the cameramen of the title, the film editor, and the modern Soviet Union they discover and present in the film.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_with_a_Movie_Camera)
Preformative Documentaries
- represents the world indirectly and emphasis is on presentation rather than content
- use of re-enactments,exaggerated camera positions and soundtracks help to submerge the audience into the diegesis
- aims to present the subject matter in a subjective, expressive, stylized, evocative and visceral matter
Crimewatch (formerly Crimewatch UK) is a long-running and high-profile British television programme produced by the BBC, that reconstructs major unsolved crimes in order to gain information from the public which may assist in solving the case. The programme was originally broadcast once a month on BBC One, although in more recent years the programme has more usually been broadcast roughly once every two months. It was announced on 15 October 2008 that the BBC would move the production of shows such as Crimewatch to studios in Cardiff.
in this type of documentary reconstructions are a key part of it they use them as it can help display the crime and can help people identify where people where at the time and if they could of done it. the implications is they don't know what person did it so they could have the wrong ethnicity displayed in the reconstructions.
conclusion
I think that if someone knows not very much about the subject they shouldn't be manipulated and should be able to make their idea up themselves. But if it is something that is really bad like terrorism or something then they should be manipulated as they should be swayed away from it.
Reece,
ReplyDeleteYou have made a decent start here and you have summarised each documentary format (according to Bill Nichols) and provided a relevant example. You now need to go back to each example and say, in more detail, how each example is a good one for each of the terms. You do this a bit for the first one but need to do it in more detail for the others. You also need to source Nichols' work as they are his bullet points you have pinched!
Ellie