"What distinguishes documentary is the portrayal of the recorded, sounds and images of actuality." -- John Corner 1995.
Some documentaries are staged, where construction takes place. Some don't have to analyse and can be descriptive. They should leave the auidence/viewer with opinion after watching. It has been defined by the John Grierson in 1930's and GPO (general post office), who coined the term documentary in 1926. Definition: Creative treatment of actuality. It has solved many house problems such as CoalFace, 1935. At first, there was only cinema audiences because there was no televisions at the time. Documentaries give the opportunity to glimpse into lives of others and have an understanding which was a boost morale in war times. The government invested internet.
Scheduling documentaries and positioning them is tricky. Paranormama is the meaning of commanding a prime time slot as the audience. Documentaries offer balanced points of view where the audience is made to make up their mind. Journalism and the view of government and society changed creative treatment of actuality. Creativity and authenticty is important, a lot of documantaries have failed due to camera angles as the angles determine sides of raw footage.
"Truth is what you actually come away with at the end of seeing the film. I mean, it's your truth that you're seeing. Everybody who makes a film is putting their own truth on screen." -- Diane Tammes, film maker.
People argue over the true documentary. There are sub genres in documentary but everyone agrees on recorded image, sound and actual reality shoule be included. A deep analysis varies from 30 mins, any longer and it is then a current affair. Elements/ingredients: observations, mise-en-scene, interview, expostion, dramatision. Observation is pretending the camera isn't there and ignored, working as the eyewitness, witness to the event happening. Interviews can contrast observation. Relating images alongside an interview support the documentary and can be used to make sense. Usually done in two days and rarely full flowing. Segments. Voxpops is the voice of people. Dramatisation is where the audience is witness. Naturally, reconstructions are based on exposition. Mise-en-scene makes the drama to unfold and the audience is the argument of exposistion. Exposistion is the line of arugement, description and combined documentary, as if what the documentary is trying to say. Plain or direct, indirect or hidden. Narrator tells the auidence what to think, relying on observation. Current affairs are programmes on shorter deadlines and often move fast but can take months to make. Public has reasons. Documentaries changed laws and legislation. Jen Loach's documentary, Cathy Come Home (BBC 1966), improved conditions of the homeless. Documentary makers deeply organise fairness of society.
"It is critical that film makers be rid of fantasy of unproblematic represntation on of reality and truth, dispensed and received like valuim." -- Dennis O'Rourke.
Truth and reality can be confliction attract counter claims or lies. Corner believes evidence rather than truth. Physical world involves evidence of actuality or reality, evidence to support exposition. Played out with witness that fight for ones side of the story, not the other and represents a transformed world. Documentaries to cut commercial channels finds money. Ratings winners would include sex, law and order, violence. Not popular with controversia are not popular with TV networks as they offend. Three way process in which documentaries are aimed at, people in the documentary and the reaction of documentary being watched after. Often about victims unable to defend themselves, using humans as evidence. Big Brother, loosly connects with the idea.
Types of doumentary: Fully narrated, with direct address, voice over for expostion aka, the "voice of God." Fly on the wall, all cinemaverite, relying on observation. The editing creates meaning and order. Mixed documentary includes observation, etc. Audience is made to argue in contrast with "voice of God." This represents objective reality and not selection contrustion, being self-relaxive, speaking to the film-maker. Draws attention to destruction and reality. Film for subjects have narrisism.
Docudrama is the re-enactments of events.
Examples include, Hilsborough by Jimmy McGovern.
There is truth, only hope that represents fiction. These can be mis-leading and dangeous because they are based on facts. Docusoaps evolve around occupations, airport, e.g. Katie Price. Evesdropping on popular events, orginated in the UK. The channels are cheap to make on location. Disneyfication, in which Steve Barrentt discovered was the means of watering down the genre with quality. Narractive was important, creative and story. Structure consists of a beginning, setting up, strong footage, persuasive. Middle, examines conflict, complications. End, fully apparent, no doubts in what has been said. Techniques within framing and questions, etc. Music and sound effects, fitting. Editing tells a story. Mise-en-scene relates to the subject matter.
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