A documentary, is a media text that gives insight into a certain way of life or lifestyle; its purpose is to educate an audience and normally shed light on an issue or important subject. There are many different styles and forms of documentary; these all take different approaches into exploring their subject but all achieve the same aim to educate the audience. These include: Expository, Observational, Interactive, Reflexive and performative. These all have different components and techniques which we will explore.
An 'Expository' documentary, speaks directly to an audience. Typically through the use of narrativization. This may sometimes effect the authenticity of a documentary as this voiceover is persuading the audience to think a certain way and may manipulate their views. The narration and image in an expository documentary normally have a direct relationship, with the commentary being about what is happening on-screen.
An example of an 'expository' documentary, is David Attenborough's 'Blue Planet'. This is a series of documentaries that discovers wildlife in the ocean. This is an expository documentary because throughout the documentary, David is narrating with facts about the animals on-screen. Every single frame is justified by the narration.
An 'Observational' documentary, does not include input from the filmmaker such as voiceovers, or inerviews. Instead, it just shows things as they unfold. This allows the viewer to watch the documentary and form their own opinion as it is non-biased. In editing, music is normally used to make it more interesting to watch.
An example of an 'Observational Documentary', is 'Children Underground'. This documentary is about Romanian children who were born victims of the nation's reckless population growth policy during its communist era. This is observational because it shows their lives without narration
An 'Interactive' documentary, involves constant interaction from the filmmaker, this includes interviews between the presenter and others. There can be manipulation trough editing to emphasise a point or way of life.
A good example of an 'interactive' documentary is 'Louis Theroux: The Most Hated Family In America'. This documentary involves showing the lifestyle of an American family at the core of a Baptist Church that don't believe in homosexuality. The whole documentary is about Louis (the documenter) learning about their way of life and their beliefs as he frequently interviews people where he questions the way they live and if they think they're wrong at all. There is also interaction between Louis and the audience as he narrates over the documentary when he explains where he is going or what he is doing. Arguments are presented between him and the people he meets when he is challenging their opinions and views, protests are also shown. For example: when they stand on the streets holding up signs of hate towards the homosexuals; we are also shown what Louis' opinion of all this is.
A 'Reflexive' Documentary, oftens include the filmmaker within the film. Most creators of reflexive documentaries make no attempt to explore an outside subject. Rather, they focus solely on themselves and the act of making the film.
A 'Performative' documentary, emphasises the filmmaker's involvement into a production.This is the opposite to an 'Observational', where the aim is the subject of the documentary.
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