Documentary and Documentary Form:

The Documentary Form:

Documentary is constructed, just as film or TV, but gives the impression of reality. A good documentary maker is able to make the documentary seem real but put across their own views and values.

Conventions:

·         Bad camera work and lighten, give the documentary a more real look, in that there was no time to set up shots.

·         Editing maybe unclear as you cannot edit reality.

·         Voice over or presenter show it’s not a fictional TV program.

·         Interviews.

·         Captions make it clearer and more real.

·         Music to support the makers view and provoke emotion from the audience.

·         Framing to establish who the audience should identify with.

Types of documentary:

Event Documentaries:

·         Record major event, with a voice over or presenter. E.G. The London Marathon.

Documentary Accounts:

·         Follow events leading up to a bigger event, with different accounts or perspectives. Historical documentaries usually follow this form.

Documentary Journeys:

·         Journalist following a story, or real account of real journey. Such as travel documentaries.

Fly-On-The-Wall:

·         Studying a particular situation in great detail, with the use of interviews and montages. Reality TV is this at its most extreme form.

Docusoaps:

·         Combining Documentary and Soap Opera. Using the same conventions of fly-on-the-wall documentaries and that of soap operas, such as the representation of characters and stereotypes.

Docudramas:

·         Show a dramatic telling of a real event. Some historical documentaries use this form.

Early Documentary:

·         Term documentary, created by John Grierson.

·         Narrative and Character were used to create reality.

·         Robert Flaherty is said to be the establisher of the rules of documentary.

·         In 1934 John Grierson began his career creating some of the earliest documentaries in the UK.

·         He said film should be both entertaining and informative.

·         But reality had to be shaped and organised to make it entertaining.

Direct Cinema:

·         Conventional, seeking to record events. Mediating them as little as possible.

·         Fred Wiseman, Michael Moore and Nick Broomfield.

·         Narrative is still constructed even though it seems to be recorded exactly as it happened.

·         The film maker is never seen.

Cinema Verité:

·         Originated in France, 1950’s and 60’s.

·         Conveys to the audience that they are seeing exactly what was happening.

·         No TV lighting and interviews are rare.

·         Uses hand-held cameras and real surroundings.

·         Using voice-recorded interviews, conversations or statements pair with related pictures.

·         The film maker will have a social conscience and/or a political agenda.

Lifestyle Programmes:

·         Present information or explore topics in a superficial way.

·         They are usually aspirational.

Initial look at documentaries.

Three Minute Wonder: Burning Candy

A gang of street artists with energy to burn who call themselves Burning Candy ( DSCREET , SWEET TOOF , CYCLOPS, TEK 33, LL BRAINWASHED, CEPT, GOLD PEG, MIGHTY MO and ROWDY ) converge on a mysterious wall somewhere in Britain and paint it.

3 Minute Wonder: Marcel Duchamp "Fountain" 

Installed for one day in a public toilet, Liverpool.

As part of DLA Piper Series: This is Sculpture, acclaimed film director Mike Figgis worked with Tate on a series of short films that focus on conversations with people from Liverpool about works of art in the first floor displays. Throughout 2009 select art works were taken into locations around the city, where members of the public were invited to talk about them in these new contexts.

3 Minute Wonder: Life in boarding

A 3 minute documentary film, showing the life of girls in a prestigious Boarding School in Kent.

It follows three girls and their experiences at Cobham Hall. With interviews with the schools Head Master, and a fellow teacher.

3 Minute Wonder: The Busker 

A 3 minute wonder documentary about Jishnu, a talented musician, and his passion for busking.

3 Minute Wonder: The Driving Instructor

A 3 minute wonder to Driving instructors, and how pupils can pass there driving test.

Specification.

An extract from an original documentary TV programme, lasting approximately five minutes, together with two of the following three options:

Two of Three:

• a radio trailer for the documentary;
• a double-page spread from a listings magazine focused on the documentary;
• a newspaper advertisement for the documentary.

Aside from the main task, it is complusary to do atleast two of three ancillary tasks. The two I would prefer to do are: a double-page spread from a listings magazine focused on the documentary and a newspaper advertisement for the documentary. I originally wanted to do my documentary on the topic of the olympics. However this may no be possible due to restrictions on recording equiptment.