Initial Documentary Ideas

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Documentary modes

Nichols Modes:

The theorist Bill Nichols has split documentaries into five different groups each of which shows how the documentarian attempts to impose their idea of what the 'truth' is on the audience.

Expository:

The Expository Mode is most likely the one which we as the audience will most identify with, it  traditionally uses a vioce over to narrate the film sometimess known as "Voice of God". Usually presented with an argumentative logic meaning that there is no 'grey area' within the topic of discussion there is only fact i.e. it can only be right or wrong. This is used in conjuncture with direct address to maintain the audiences attention.
An example of this is Natural World voiced by David Attenborough:

The use of a voice over or "voice of God" by David Attenborough in this film shows that this is a documentary filmed in the Expository Mode. Using this mode it presents the facts without compromising the audiences views by imposing an opinion, thus enabling them to form their own conclusions about the topic. The documentary uses realism by showing footage of actual monkeys in their natural environment it also shows a variety of species as well as providing the audience with facts e.g. at 3:32.  There is very little dramatisation involved as there is no way to control the outcome of events when dealing with wild animals, although the use and type of music has ben chosen to evoke a specific response from the audience such as at 0:26 the music matches the movement of the monkey on screen.

Observational:

In this mode of documentary the filmaker does not appear on camera and also tries to limit their involvment and interaction with the subject of the documentary so as not to influence them in any way. Traditionally none of the footage is staged and so the the camera movments are that of a handheld camera which makes it possible to capture as much of the action as possible it also allows the individual being filmed to forget about the presence of the camera and the documentarian and act normally thereby allowing the audience a more naturalistic view of the subject. 

An example of an Observational Documentary is Armadillo by Janus Metz:

As the documentarian is not seen on camera it gives the feel of a 'fly on the wall' type of film, as though we are simply observing the events but the filmmaker has no influence on events this helps to convey the reality of the films subject. Realism is also conveyed through the use of handheld camera footage and seemingly unnecessary camera movement, such as at 0:12 in the video above, complying to the standard conventions of the Observational Mode. One criticism of this is that although the filmmaker does not influence the footage directly, they are responsible for what is used in the final cut and so can manipulate the footage so as to make it in their image. This also makes the film more enjoyable for the audience as cutting from scene to scene and the music as well as any graphics used help to maintain their attention. One aspect of this film which doesn't comply with the conventions of observational documentaries is the use of a personal recall of events through a voice over present during the entire clip, as it connotes that the filmmaker must have interacted with an individual and asked them a question.

Participatory:

In this mode the filmmaker takes on a far more interactive role within the production of the documentary by engaging directly with the subject of the film, this often leads to the filmmaker becoming an integral character. This aspect of participatory documentaries is primarily based on the used interviews throughout the film, sometimes the filmmaker takes a more hands on approach by becoming the presenter as well.
An example would be Bowling for Columbine by Michael Moore: 

In this example Michael Moore is the filmmaker, camera operator, narrator and interviwer. One of the techniques he uses to make the film seem less set up is by using a handheld camera to film some parts instead of having one set up on a stable tripod, but as this is not necessary it does appear as he only did this for aesthetic reasons. The use of archive footage and images increases the dramatisthough ed feel of the film. The film has a biased feel to it as we only hear the questions Michael moore asks and the response to those questions from the interviwee's. This means that we only hear those responses and are not nesseccarily getting the entire story. Ultimatly this combined with the opinion of the Michael Moore voiced throughout influences our feelings and opinions about the topic of the film.

Reflexive:

This mode openly releals the opinion of the documentarian which may not necessarily be truthful but is put across to us the audience as reconstructions, meaning that they may be telling the truth but it is a heavily manipulated and subsidised version of real events. It also includes parts of the post production stage as the addition of music and other aspects like cutting, making the audience aware of the editing used.
An example would be Biggie & Tupac:

One way we can tell hat this is a Reflexive documentary is that there re reconstructions used meaning that we, as the audience, are only getting the  parts of the truth the filmmaker wants to show. It does incorporate aspects from other modes such as the documentarian being present on camera in some of the interviews giving it the atmosphere of a participatory documentary like at 0:05:56 in the video. There is a lot of archive footage used to get across the full story, there is very little current footage as both Tupac and Biggie are dead apart from some voice overs used as they are more current then some of the video footage. A lot of dramatisation takes place in the form of music throughout the film as well as the transitions used between pieces of footage. 

Performative:

In this mode the filmmaker is an active participant in the documentary, using this mode shows that they wish to evoke an emotional response from the audience through the use of the filmmaker giving a direct address at times and giving their own subjective view on the situation. It can be used to make the audience think about a specific topic and can skew their own opinion as the film does not present an impartial view.
An example would be Catfish by Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman:

The film is a Performative documentary as the main character is one of the filmmakers, in Catfish we follow the filmmaker "Nev" as he begins a relationship which started on a social network site and we follow him as he explores the people he has become involved with. The use of hand held cameras gives it a realistic atmosphere, maintaining the conventions of this mode. Although they attempt to give a non-biased view of events, as we are seeing the reaction of 'Nev' as he discovers the truth it evokes an emotional response from the audience and we feel sympathy for him. Some music is added to increase the Dramatisation and provide a sympathetic mood but other than that there is far more realism as all the footage used is first hand and not scripted.

Video of Factual Programme Rules

Conventions of a News Package

We created this video in order to show the different elements that should be included in most news packages in order to keep it looking proffetional.

In the video we have covered:

-How the news anchor must address the audience

-How the presenter must be ready as we begin filming

-The repetative gestures used by field reporters

-The types of camera movement used


The Presenter:
At the start of the news package we had Morgan finishing her makeup which should never happen in a news package as this makes the programme appear less proffetional and may lose the audiences trust in what the news chanel is presenting. Also our news anchor had a heavy regional accent which may be difficult for some audience members to understand, we also chose to highlight the way a news anchor should present themselvesw to the audience e.g. sitting at a slight angle whilst facing the camera in order to give a direct address to the audience watching at home.

The Reporter:
We had Raees make very exagerated and repetative hand gestures to highlight similar hand movements made by most reporters, this is used in conjuncture with a change in tone on certain words in order to create emphasis for specific points of the story. Also we chose to include a long panning shot of the environment, this was to exagerate some of the camera movments used in real news reports to provide the audience with a good idea of the location. Finally during the interview with the witness Raees finishes by facing the camera directly, making seem as if he is making eye contact with the audience. This adds emphasis to his last comment of bringing more information when it is received as it is a direct address to the viewing audience.