Documentary mini-tasks

Documentaries is a sort of non fiction media used to show and educate people on social realities. Documentaries use pictures, moving images and interviews involved with real events to provide a factual report on a particular subject. Again documents are there to provide us with some facts and truth of the world around us. Documentaries are normally interesting and unusual because there are various types of documentaries.
Here are some example of different documentary types:

• Expository Documentaries
• Observational Documentaries
• Interactive Documentaries
• Reflexive Documentaries
• Performative Documentaries

Expository Documentaries-

This type of documents normally expose a person or a topic, it is the most classic form of documentaries. These types of documentaries are famous for having a talking voice over the footage explaining and telling the audience what is happening. Expository documentaries also use rhetorical questions, facts to back up the footage, opinions and lots of persuasive techniques to really makes us believe what they are telling is true. A classic example of expository documentary is the nature documents.

Key points:

• Voice over most of the time
• Facts and arguments are provided
• Images are used alongside the voice over to back up evidence

Here is a classic example of this documentary:

Observational Documentaries

This type of document involve following the character around to observe their day life events. However the filmmaker is not seen on the screen. Usually the scenes can be very shaky as equipment can be informal, for example the use of hands to control the camera and carry it around. This documentary type does not have a voice over and normally no interviews are included. This documentary type is famous for its long takes. An example of a observational documentary is High School written by Frederick Wiseman, 1968. I am sure there are various observational documentaries shows you may watch/follow and you don't even know it is an observational documentary. For example:

• Teen Mom
• 16 and Pregnant
• Big Brother
• Jersey Shore 
• MTV's teen Cribs 

Here is a section of 16 and pregnant:

Key points:

• No voice over
• Film maker is not seen on the screen
• Shows a bit of a persons life 
• Some interviews at point

Interactive Documentaries

The most unusual thing about this documentary is that the presence of the filmmaker is evident meaning that they are a participant in the documentary. This documentary type takes us through some some interviews from the presenter and the the audience. Since there is an interaction between the presenter and the other characters normally arguments are presented to show more evidence. This documentary is slightly more organised and constructed then the previous documentaries we have looked at. It is way more noticeable that the presence of editing techniques were used to provide us with a more understandable and easier to follow document. An example of this type of documentary is "Clouds over Cuba. This is an interactive documentary commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis and President Kenedy's handling of the crisis".

Key points:

• We see the film maker
• Arguments and back ups to comments 
• Some editing techniques used to make it more constructive
• Voice over

Here is a section of Clouds over Cuba:

Documentaries like this type can sometimes be quite hard to record. This is because the filmmaker before he even records anything he must have permissions and releases from each character and its properties. If he does not manage to get them so sign all the paper work he can not record that particular scene. If he does and publishes the video it would be illegal and banned. Also the maker could face further consequences.

How is Access & Privacy is affected in a interactive documentary?
Without having access to certain scenes which could have a big impact on the documentary may affect the validity of the documentary. For example not getting sufficient interviews and reports may affect the way the audience sees the documentary. It could even lead to bias result as there is not sufficient data.
As I have mentioned before privacy is a very important part of media, not just documentaries but media as a whole. Without having the write paper works and legal permissions to film in a certain place or a certain participant in the film, the filmmaker could lose out on important or needed information that could help back up his point.

Reflexive Documentaries

This is a unique way of exposing the reality, sometimes the filmmaker is present. There is also voice overs to this documentaries, however not all the time. This document is consisted of enormous amount of shots which are all put together in such way to make us think a little and give our own opinion about the document subject. Because of the way the document is constructed viewers may sometimes be confused. This is because various type of editing techniques is used in this documentary. Reflexive documentaries are seen as the most trustful documentaries because they focus on realism and show things exactly how they happen, mostly without any editing or especial effects.

Key points:

• Exposing the reality 
• Shots from everyday life
• Voice over
• Shows video which has happened or are happening on time

Here is an example of reflexive documentary:
"The Making Of"

Performative Documentaries
This document type is normally presented to the audience with lots of interviews and investigations. This is done to grab the audiences interest for the final conclusion which may or may not be satisfactory. This documentary is normally done by re-enactments so what is really happening on the screen is not happening on time and the characters are not always the actual characters.

Key points:

• Re-enactments
• Actors taking place of real characters
• Exaggerated cameras positions 
• Sound tracks  

Here is an example of Performative documentary:

"The Thin Blue Line"

My Film-making philosophy:

I have not quite decided on a documentary to do however i am thinking on doing something i really like and think it should be really important to everyone. The topic would be "The importance of fitness". I would do this documentary as a performative documentary. I will have shots in the gym with real gym members, I will ask each individuals a couple of questions based on fitness. I will also try to hold of owner/manager of the gym to answer a few of my questions on fitness.  If i'm lucky i might also get hold of a doctor talking on his views towards fitness and how important it is to a human. I will have scenes in between the characters talking to show and back up evidence. The use of some soundtrack will also help my documentary to look a bit more professional.

In my opinion I think that all the documentarist should only provide the audience with the true and realistic scenes, scenes that are being filmed on time. I don't think that re-enacting scenes are the same as a scene that was recorded has it happened. The fact that there are pictures, facts and other evidence in documentaries is good. This makes the viewer more interested as he/she will know that the information they are being provided with is true and realistic facts.