TYPES OF

DOCUMENTARIES
FULLY NARRATED

A fully narrated documentary has a voiceover over the footage shown which is
used to guide the audience through the documentary and give them a better
understanding of what is going on. These type of documentaries often use direct
address and the voiceover addresses what is being shown on screen. Fully
narrated documentaries are part of the expositional mode as they use the voice of
God to ensure that the audience trusts and follows them throughout. Human
planet is an example of this type as it captures the true occurrence of the animals
whilst educating the audience about them. The voice is dominant therefore
influences the audience to believe that whatever is being said is the truth.
FLY ON THE WALL

Fly on the wall documentaries use cinema verite which captures what
seems like a natural setting to the audience however it has been
edited to seem that way.
A fly on the wall documentary is mainly observational and the film
maker acts as a neutral observer. The film maker remain hidden
behind a camera and does not change or influence the actions that are
being captured. The technique is also used to show events as seen
candidly. Benefit Street and Educating Essex are two examples of this
type as they simply observe the subjects whilst investigating the topic.
MIXED DOCUMENTARY

Mixed documentaries uses a combination of interviews, observation and narration

to help strengthen the argument that the film maker is attempting to put
forward. A positive to this type of documentaries is that it represents an objective
reality not just a selective construction. An example of a mixed documentary is
Inside Out, these are mainly news based showings that portray an educative and
investigative side to them.
SELF-REFLEXTIVE

Within a self reflexive documentary the film maker talks directly to the camera
to gather the attention of the audience. Self reflexive documentaries have been
criticised as being perplexing to the audience because they apparently draw
attention to themselves for publicity. They have also been criticised for the
documentary being about them and not the subject or the topic that they are
basing the documentary on.
 DOCU-DRAMA

A docu-drama is a re-enactment of real life events as they happened. Although docu-

drama's claim to relive the truth critics claim that they can only deliver fiction because
they do not really know the true account of the events and how the people involved
felt. Docu-drama's are also criticised for being misleading and dangerous as
sometimes the audience may believe them as the truth. This is negative as although it
aims to achieve a successful re-enactment, these types of documentaries will always
be a mediated form of the event. An example of this is the JonBenet Ramsey Netflix
original, this contained accounts from the people involved in this unsolved mystery as
well as a significant reenactment from the locals.
DISNEYFICATION

Steven Barnett believes that there is a pressure for glossing up documentaries

to earn ratings, therefore the more serious documentaries have to be watered
down to entertain todays audience. He believes that documentaries have
been dumbed down as this is what the audience is more used to. This claim
suggests that television is cheap and producers are more concerned about
ratings than educating the public on societal issues.