Types of Documentaries

Types of Documentaries

• Poetic = This mode will seem more suggestive and use 'associative' editing to capture a mood or tone rather than make an explicit argument about the subject. Evoking a mood rather than stating or asserting things directly. Occasionally, you may question whether you are indeed watching a 'documentary'. An example would be Rain (1929), where there is a continual switch from rain falling on the ground to the public's reaction to the rain.
• Expository = These documentaries use explicitly rhetorical techniques in order to make points about aspects of actuality. This mode often uses voiceover and has a relatively straightforward 'show and tell' structure to guide the viewer through the material. Many documentaries follow this template (especially TV documentaries) where the voiceover provides the connection, the logic, between what might be different shots. An example would be the BBC's Blue Planet II (2017), where David Attenborough is showing how plastic in the ocean is killing life in the ocean.
• Observational = The direct address of expository may be contrasted with the observational model, where the documentary appears to take a neutral stance towards its subject matter. Overtly interpretative techniques such as voiceover or music are avoided in favour of an apparent capturing of reality. An example would be Rain (1929), where there is no sound. This documentary focuses on the observation of people's reaction to rainfall.
• Reflexive = The reflexive mode attempts to offer a commentary on the means of representation. A reflexive documentary uses techniques that encourage the viewer to question the very idea of the documentary as a category or mode. This questioning can also lead to a critique of other things such as 'cinematic realism'. An example would be Driving Me Crazy (1988) because it conveys real-life by portraying rehearsals for a play.
• Participatory/Interactive = A documentary where the filmmaker actively engages with it by openly participating or interacting with the people and institutions on show. This documentary form is far removed from the detached (observational and poetic) or the straightforward didactic (expository). An example would be Emma Willis Delivering Babies (2018) where Emma Willis becomes actively involved in delivering babies.
• Performative = The most confusing mode, performative documentaries raises questions about filmmaker and subject performance - the notion of the filmmaker and their subjects actively creating the documentary by performing certain actions. The performance of the documentary maker is central to the way the documentary is constructed. An example would be Ross Kemp: Extreme World (2014) as Ross Kemp has a large role in choosing the issues that are explored in the series.

Reflection

• In my opinion, the most interesting type of documentary is observational because there is no intervention and it just observes the main subject. An example would be a documentary called Life Is Nuts because it just observes the ordinary life of a squirrel.
• The most honest type of documentary is expository because it portrays a subject matter as it is. An example would be a documentary called Blue Planet II which observes how marine life is in the modern world.
• Expository documentaries have the most effective sense of realism because they are very blunt in the sense that they portray subjects as they are.