Genre Analysis:- Types of Documentaries

Fully Narrated -

• 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

Fly on the Wall -

• The unfolding of real events that happen.
• It is not scripted.
• Allows it's viewers to come up with their own conclusions.

Mixed -

• Narrator is often infront of camera.
• Advances argument with mixed elements.

Self-Reflective -

• Speaks directly to documentary producer.
• Acknowledges camera.

Docudrama -

• Reanacts as though it is happening or actually happened, on screen.
• Fictional story
• Uses techniques of documentaries to reinforce realism.

Docusoap -

• 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.