Conventions of a Documentary

The styles of documentary video were developed by Bill Nichols. Bills created be distinguishing the particular traits and the
other conventions involved with documentary. There are different formats that are used which are poetic, participation,
expository, reflexive, observational and performative.
Observational documentaries are where the filmmaker for the documentary is a neutral observer. In observational
documentaries life is lived and observed and then filmed. Within this genre it includes filming animals or people whom are
in a situation and it is being filmed to see how they react. The film maker is not even in the shot he is does not take any
part in what happens In front of the camera, so he cant dictate what happening. Nothing on the set is rehearsed or staged
in any way which makes the crews job a lot harder considering they will have to be alert constant, due to this is can make
the camera shaky and unstable. An example of where all of these styles and conventions are used is in David Attenborough
documentaries which are directed towards animals and their way of life. All of David Attenborough documentaries are
filmed with no interference on what is being filmed on camera. Although David has to wait for the perfect moments of
where a situation is happening between animals which is very rare.
Reflexive documentaries are where the audience engages with the content in the documentary as it is happening. The
audience acknowledges the issues of realism and representation and modality judge them when they arrive. Within these
documentaries the editing, sound and the recordings are all made aware of towards the audience so that they can
understand and follow the documentary better and more efficiently. An example of a someone who produces Reflexive
documentaries is called Nick Broomfield and he best known for his Reflexive styles film making. Nick has had a great
impact on the production of documentaries around the world. Reflexive seem to be the most truthful kind of documentary
and this is because of how it has a strong sense of realism and showing things how it actually happens, with less editing or
special effects. Also the audience are being made more aware of what is happening and all the problems he documentary
maker faces while they make the film. An example of Reflexive film is called Driving me Crazy which was produced by Nick
Broomfield.
Expository documentaries are simply a documentary that exposes a person or a topic. Expository documentary is one of
the four main styles of a documentary, which make sit a classic form of documentary. These types of documentaries
usually have a commentator who describes what is going on the documentary explaining in deep detail so the viewer can
get a better understanding on what is happening. The conventions of a expository documentary is here is always a
commentator, rhetorical questions are asked, opinions and persuasive techniques are used as well. These documentaries
appeal to the audience one of the reasons is because they fell more engaged because the commentator is talking towards
the audience. These types of documentaries often are biographical, historical or a certain event. There are many
expository documentaries produced on channel 4 and More 4 approximately 541 documentaries this is a large amount of
documentaries all on different topics but some of their conventions will link into expository.
Performative documentaries are stress subjective experiences and show emotional responses to the world. All of the
performative are strongly personal, perhaps persuasive or experimental, unconventional, and it may include hypothetical
enactments of events. Performative is mainly biased on emotions and the documentary maker, also the crew may interact
with the subject and what is going on in the documentary. This sub-genre might also lend itself to certain groups such as
women, ethnic minorities, gays and lesbians to speak about themselves. Often, a battery of techniques, many borrowed
from fiction or avant-garde films which are used. Performative docs often link up personal accounts or experiences with
larger political or historical realities. Also performative documentaries present ideas as a part of a context having different
meaning for different people and are mainly autobiographical in nature.
Participatory documentaries are where the events are situations presented and then is altered by film maker. These types
of documentaries are more humorous than other styles of documentaries. An example of where participatory
documentaries have been done is Super Size Me which is simply about over weight people and their lives and how they
can improve their fitness through diets and exercise.

The poetic documentary type is very personal to the people that are involved which is usually the presenter and the
interviewees. In a poetic documentary it emphasis some of the aspects of someones life, and this is all presented through
music, camera shots, angles and the editing. Also the way it is presented can be done artistically. Music in poetic
documentaries is very important because it shows the different mood and tone to the story. Without music it would make
it harder for the audience to evaluate what is happening in the poetic documentary.
Realism is the concept of representation embodies the theme that the media construct meanings about the world. The
conventions of this documentary is that it is factual, non-fictional, educational also it addresses the viewer and it there is a
commentator who is the narrator towards the documentary talking the audience making it easier to understand what is
going. An example of where realism is used in a documentary is March of the Penguins where all the conventions are

follows such as the narrator was talking to the audience. Everything said was educational and non-fiction, also everything
was addressed to the viewer. All of the conventions are all conventions of a realism documentary. Real in Realism can
become a controversial concept, this is because sometimes it may not be seen as realism because it can be seen from
another perspective. The TV show and documentary Big Brother has a sense of reality and realism sometimes. Realism
documentaries are shaped or created by an individual, also the audience are positioned in an exact position to feel the
exact way the producer wants them to feel.
Dramatisation is someone telling a serious story, that is then intended r representation by actors impersonating the
characters and performing the dialogue and this is done to make it for more realistic. The conventions of a dramatization
documentary are how the storyline is always true although the producer may change it up a bit to amuse the audience
more. As the storyline is true it engages the audience more but it is performed by actors which would make it more
interesting for them. An example of a dramatization documentary is The Streets Stay Positive which is a very good
documentary and it also follows the conventions of a dramatization documentary because first there is actors which are
pretending to be the characters, and secondly the storyline is true and serious.
Narrativisation documentaries are made into a narrated account or a story, which is then made into a narrative form.
These types of documentaries are made interesting for the viewer this is because they can imagine it for themselves. The
only way is Essex Mario Dumps Lucy, this is the example for a Narrativisation video because they dont really use actors in
this which makes it Narrativisation. Also there is someone talking over the video so that it makes it easier for the audience
and to keep them on track wit what is going on in the video footage.

Bibliography
93, guest 798 C. (2008) Girishgk11. Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/guest798c93/realism-presentation (Accessed: 26
April 2016).
AJ_Goodwin (2014) Issues and conventions in factual programming (unit 27.1). Available at:
http://www.slideshare.net/AJ_Goodwin/issues-and-conventions-in-factual-programming-unit-271 (Accessed: 26 April 2016).
Alan Green (2008) KidultHood HD clip the streets-stay positive. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKIA30mny9U
(Accessed: 26 April 2016).
cheffernan (2010) Donnacha OMaille. Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/cheffernan/reflexive-documentaries (Accessed:
26 April 2016).
cmackenzie, 4 (2010) Al ameen yusri. Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/4cmackenzie/expository-documentaries1
(Accessed: 26 April 2016).
Expo Space (2015) Full Penguins documentary march of the Penguins wild animals life. Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3aFRdsH1rM (Accessed: 26 April 2016).
imnevergoingtousethis (2011) Doug Moore. Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/imnevergoingtousethis/observationaldocumentaries (Accessed: 26 April 2016).
Media, L.V. (2013) Buditobon. Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/LVHS/codes-and-conventions-of-documentaries28738886 (Accessed: 26 April 2016).
Name (2009a) 6 types of documentary. Available at: https://collaborativedocumentary.wordpress.com/6-types-of-documentary/
(Accessed: 26 April 2016).
Name (2009b) 6 types of documentary. Available at: https://collaborativedocumentary.wordpress.com/6-types-of-documentary/
(Accessed: 26 April 2016).
The Only Way Is Essex (2013) The only way is Essex - Mario dumps lucy. Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEUo5TcviRI (Accessed: 26 April 2016).
Williams, D. (2013) Tarun Chadha. Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/Dan1401/6-types-of-documentary (Accessed: 26
April 2016).