Below are a list of different factual programmes/films and documentaries ;
- Supersize Me
- The Elephant Man
- Africa
- Rick Steins India
- The Firemans Story 9/11
- Blackfish
- Countryfile
- March of the Penguins
- An Idiot Abroad
- Catfish
- The Armstrong Lie
- This Is It
- Outfoxed
- Planet Earth
- Frozen Planet
The purpose of factual films and documentaries is that they entertain by providing valuable information which people can use for research or just for their personal value.
Another purpose could be that the subject of the factual program/film might want to tell their side of the story or reveal something which they want to get off their chest.
The purpose could also be to help remember a particular time or celebrate a worldwide event. For example the Diamond Jubilee or to remember 9/11. So the purpose would generally be awareness.
Types of documentaries
Documentaries come in different types of modes. The first is expository, the purpose of this type of mode is to inform and educate the audience about a subject. All the material is also filmed or its archived footage and the camera crew cannot be seen. A expository documentary is voiced by what is known as a 'voice of God'. This is where the narrator cannot be seen however he/she voices the whole documentary and they are usually an expert of the topic. A key example would be a David Attenborough documentary.
Another mode would be observational. This type of documentary enables filmmakers to record people in their natural habitat with a minimum amount of fuss. This type of documentary aims to to get a natural feel to it. A good example of an observational documentary would be the likes of Big Brother and Educating Essex. Both these types of factual reality based programmes count as documentaries and these types film constantly. In the case of Big Brother all day everyday for three months and Educating Essex five days a week for a whole year. So a lot of footage is filmed however it is up to the production team to condense the footage into an hour per episode. A Fly-on-the-wall style documentary is very similar to a observational in which the filmmaker intends to blend into the background and film the subject as their normal life goes on making it seem like there is no crew. Filming for these styles of documentaries often goes on for a longer period of time. A couple of examples of these would be 7 And Up in which a family is filmed over every seven years and it is aired once every seven years. Another example would be a documentary filming a celebrity over a period of time, for example Michael Jacksons This Is It.
Interactive/Reflexive is a mode of documentary in which the filmmakers presence is fully acknowledged and often highly emphasised. The filmmaker is often author and character in their movie. A good example of a interactive mode documentary would a Louis Theroux documentary. He is the filmmaker and star of all of his documentaries and he often makes himself look stupid so he can get all the answers he wants. An interactive/reflexive mode of documentary is also similar to a personal style.
A drama documentary is where in absence of any archive material or footage from the time or eye witness accounts the filmmaker will stage dramatic reconstruction so the modern day audience can get a feel for what it would have been like at the time. A good example of this would be Nazi Hunters. A documentary which focuses on Nazis during World War 2. The final style mode of documentary would be poetic/avant garde. This style emphasises the creativity and what the filmmaker explores. For example very much the beauty in everyday life.
During our lesson with Sam we also watched a Michael Moore documentary called Bowling For Columbine. While watching this I filled in some sections of a table in which we looked at purpose and effect. This can be seen below.
Types of documentaries
Documentaries come in different types of modes. The first is expository, the purpose of this type of mode is to inform and educate the audience about a subject. All the material is also filmed or its archived footage and the camera crew cannot be seen. A expository documentary is voiced by what is known as a 'voice of God'. This is where the narrator cannot be seen however he/she voices the whole documentary and they are usually an expert of the topic. A key example would be a David Attenborough documentary.
Another mode would be observational. This type of documentary enables filmmakers to record people in their natural habitat with a minimum amount of fuss. This type of documentary aims to to get a natural feel to it. A good example of an observational documentary would be the likes of Big Brother and Educating Essex. Both these types of factual reality based programmes count as documentaries and these types film constantly. In the case of Big Brother all day everyday for three months and Educating Essex five days a week for a whole year. So a lot of footage is filmed however it is up to the production team to condense the footage into an hour per episode. A Fly-on-the-wall style documentary is very similar to a observational in which the filmmaker intends to blend into the background and film the subject as their normal life goes on making it seem like there is no crew. Filming for these styles of documentaries often goes on for a longer period of time. A couple of examples of these would be 7 And Up in which a family is filmed over every seven years and it is aired once every seven years. Another example would be a documentary filming a celebrity over a period of time, for example Michael Jacksons This Is It.
Interactive/Reflexive is a mode of documentary in which the filmmakers presence is fully acknowledged and often highly emphasised. The filmmaker is often author and character in their movie. A good example of a interactive mode documentary would a Louis Theroux documentary. He is the filmmaker and star of all of his documentaries and he often makes himself look stupid so he can get all the answers he wants. An interactive/reflexive mode of documentary is also similar to a personal style.
A drama documentary is where in absence of any archive material or footage from the time or eye witness accounts the filmmaker will stage dramatic reconstruction so the modern day audience can get a feel for what it would have been like at the time. A good example of this would be Nazi Hunters. A documentary which focuses on Nazis during World War 2. The final style mode of documentary would be poetic/avant garde. This style emphasises the creativity and what the filmmaker explores. For example very much the beauty in everyday life.
Documentary mode
|
Sequence/scene
|
Purpose and effect
|
Expository
|
One
|
The purpose is to establish the film and lay out little bits of information to warm the audience up. This gives an easy going effect feel.
|
Interactive
|
The purpose is that it shows Moore as being the filmmaker who is investigating the issue. It also males you feel more close to the documentary hence being the effect.
|
|
36 Minutes in
|
There are various archive footage which has been added in. The purpose of this is to show different opposing video so the story is two sided. It also allows the audience to engages with the issue. The effect is that it is powerful and moving.
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment