- Off screen voiceover (voice of God).
- Narrator is usually suited to the documentary (age, accent) very knowledgable as they always sound like they are experts on what they are talking about.
- Voiceover makes sense of the visual of what is on screen.
- Dominating
- The unfolding of real events that happen.
- It is not scripted.
- Allows it's viewers to come up with their own conclusions.
- Narrator is often infront of camera.
- Advances argument with mixed elements.
- Speaks directly to documentary producer.
- Acknowledges camera.
- Reanacts as though it is happening or actually happened, on screen.
- Fictional story
- Uses techniques of documentaries to reinforce realism.
- We start to get to know characters/the likes of people e.g the documentary follows the lives of...
Also Documetaries may contain...
- Visuals - old footage, intended to suggest emotion, a meaning of a particular scene e.g showing the collapse of the Two Towers to make audience feel sympathy of the loss.
- Interviews - held anywhere appropriate, but mise-en-scene has to create meaning, includes factual questions to start and end with emotional questions.
- Voxpops - street interviews of the general public being asked the same question, being strung together in fast sequence to show general agreement or a diversity of opinions.