Documentary Mini-Task

A documentary is a non-fiction audio or visual programme intended to inform the audience of something, display the everyday workings of something or maintaining & documenting something if historical value.

An expository documentary is based upon fact, not opinion, with the information conveyed by a non-diegetic voice over with captions on some images and video clips. It has a direct and obvious representation and is meant to be non-biased. An example of such would be Autopsy: The Last Hours of... (Ros Edwards, 2014-15), due to it's prominent voiceover and speculatory, unbiased information. Its sole purpose is to expose the possible causes of many renowned celebrity deaths.


An observational documentary is filmed covertly; it has an unaltered and naturalistic view of the subject matter. The filmmaker has no interaction with the subject and this maintains the reality of the footage as there would be no observer bias apart from the bias the audience holds. The filmmaker is not seen by the audience and is not present and visible throughout the footage. The information on the topic is conveyed through commentary and/or interviews. The information is non biased. The Blue Planet (Alastair Fothergill, 2001) is a brilliant example of this, with the unobtrusive presence of the narrator and the undisturbed subject matter. There is no bias within the information given.



An interactive documentary has the filmmaker participating, in the form of interaction between the subject and presenter. Arguments and conflicts are usually presented, giving you converse views to the intended outlook. Editing is more apparent throughout the footage, in the form of cuts and captioning. The footage is viewed as manipulated to show certain view & there are plenty of people who say these kinds of documentaries can be misinterpreted. Louis and The Brothel is a prime example of an Interactive documentary, because of the heavy involvement that Louis, the presenter, plays, with regards to the subject matter, as he makes active inquiries and often plays a vital role in progression within the conflicts displayed in his footage, often causing further issues that prove the point he's trying to convey, despite the possible validity issues.


A reflexive documentary contains the exposure of documentary conventions to audience, using varying shots of regular activity strung together to give specific meaning. This is where the subject is exposed and experimented with.

A performative documentary gives an indirect world view and focuses more upon the presentation of the information as opposed to the information itself. Takes a theatrical approach towards presentation, using re-enactments and a immersive soundtrack to fully commit the audience to watching. Extreme and exaggerated camera angles give this type of documentary a stylised and fictional feel. The accuracy of this sort of documentary is debatable, as some minute details may affect the validity of the re-enactment if omitted or changed. However, for a vague and basic understanding of how a scenario may have played out, this is an excellent style to choose.

At the end of the day, each documentary has it's different and diverse uses and each can convey it's own individual message. In some cases, although not factual, the information still sends a message and provides some insight into the subject matter, despite bias and inaccuracies. In some cases, it's displayed formally and give accurate, unaltered and unbiased information in a pure form. Other times, the information is tainted with bias and opinions, but is still information in it's rawest form. And, in some special cases, the information is purely subjective, leaving it to the viewers' interpretation. In the end, it' whether or not the message gets across as opposed to how the message is put across. If your intended audience understands what the aim of the documentary is, then your goal has been met and you have achieved what you set out to do.