Documentary Conventions and

Analysis
 John Grierson was a pioneer where
documentaries are concerned. He
described them as the “creative

What is a treatment of actuality” and is

responsible for the influential

documentary? documentaries Coal Face (1935) and

Night Mail (1936).

The purpose of a documentary is

to document, inform and educate
and entertain. They offer an
insight into people’s lives and
create a sense of empathy and
national identity in the process.
John Corner’s Identification of Documentary Features
The six features of documentaries are: observation, interviews, mise en scene, dramatisation
and exposition. Observation involves watching, usually without the subject being aware and an
example of this would be in one of David Attenborough’s animal documentaries. Interviews
involve questioning someone involved or knowledgeable on the topic and this can be found in
Ghosts on the Underground when rail workers were interviewed. Mise en scene is the setting
and scenery — Ghosts on the Underground used the underground as one of their settings
because it established an eerie atmosphere and connected with their narrative. Dramatisation is
when an event is reenacted, usually to give the viewer a visual if there’s no authentic footage
available. This is found in The Final 24 - Tupac Shakur often, one example being when
‘Tupac’ is at the casino. Exposition is the line of argument, which is clear in the ghost
documentary when it ends on a question about if the person next to you on the train is really a
ghost or not.
What narrative devices can be found in
documentaries?
● Linear narrative — the narrative is told in chronological order.
● Non-linear narrative — the narrative is told out of order i.e it might start at the end.
● Open narrative — the narrative has no conclusive end and questions remain by the end.
● Closed narrative — the narrative is complete and there’s a resolute answer to the argument posed.
● Single stranded narrative — the narrative focuses on ONE person and ONE story from beginning till
end..
● Multi-stranded narrative — multiple people, perspectives and stories are focused on.
● Chapters — the documentary is divided into ‘chapters’ or segments.
● Talking heads — interview quotes from multiple people are edited together one after the other.
What types of documentaries are there?
Fully Narrated: This type of documentary has a direct
mode of address, which is an off screen voice over, that
makes sense of visuals. Example of this is a nature
documentary. The voice over usually has a sense of
authority - "Voice of God".

Fly on the Wall: Mostly an observational documentary that

has no commentary or narration. It draws on comes too. It’s
just the cameras recording subjects without interference.
Sometimes the camera will affect the behaviour of the
subjects.

Mixed: A mixture of observational and narrative to advance

the exposition. This type of documentary mixes the use of
interviews, voice over and observational footage.
What types of documentaries are there?
Self-Reflexive: The person acknowledges the presence of the
camera and speaks directly to the film-maker, talking to the
interviewer who is behind the camera or sometimes on screen. A
criticism of this is it’s a confusing way to do a documentary
because it focuses more on the film-maker than the subject it
meant to be about.

Docudrama: This is a reenactment of events that are based on the

truth. It has style-elements of argument and exposition that are
combined with fictional narrative. The story is based on facts

Docusoap: A more recent phenomenon where the daily lives of

people in a range of different jobs or positions in society are
followed. E.g. airports, cruise liners, however there are disputes
that if these docs are actuality documentaries.
 Although not so clear in this
example, shallow depth of field is
another convention of interviews.
Sat down, not looking directly into the camera
and positioned slightly off centre.
Relevant background and mise en scene. Books
match him being a journalist and the overall
theme. Rules of thirds is applied to make sure
there’s always something interesting to
the eye on screen.

Mid shot allows viewers to see

their body language and
expressions clearly. Name and occupation superimposed on screen to
make the viewer aware of their relevance to the
documentary subject.

Clothing clearly reflects

their job role and makes
the documentary feel more
natural. Also anchors the
overall tone.

High contrast, natural lighting makes the

interview feel more realistic and less cinematic.

What is a conventional interview set up?

 What do the documentaries I watched have in
common?
Establishing shots help set the scene
ALL THESE Superimposed title around 15-60 seconds into the
or signify a change in location.
DOCUMENTARIES documentary. Font and colours match the tone.
ARE MIXED

And also include . . .

Interviews with cuts and jump cuts ● Voice of God to help Archive footage, including photos and
from different angels and frames. link scenes. motion on still images.
● Non-diegetic sound,
including instrumentals
Appropriate mise en scene that matches the to evoke an emotional Natural lighting where possible to
documentary themes and a atmosphere. response. add to the realism.
● Graphics that help
advance the narrative.
What other features can be found in
documentaries?
Dramatisations are for when there’s no authentic
or useable footage available and they can help
engage the viewer or break up long talking with
an exciting visual. This allows more to be
explored in a shorter time frame. In the Tupac
documentary, these dramatic reconstructions are
marked by a yellow-ish, hazy colouring.
Split screens are used in the Tupac documentary
to capture the fast-paced, chaotic nature of the
celebrity lifestyle and shows us some of the same
shots from different angles. This allows the
viewer to have a broader and more fully formed
view of what happened that day.
What other features can be found in
documentaries?
Hand held camera footage is used to create a
more raw feel in the documentary. This is
especially effective and unnerving given the topic
of this particular documentary is ghosts. In
addition, the shaky shots build a sense of intimacy
between those on screen and those watching at
home.
Throughout the documentary, there’s a ‘fade and
reappear’ type transition used on the workers the film
maker is following and this anchors the supernatural
themes. The transition no doubt has ghostly connotations
and establishes a tense and mysterious atmosphere. This
paired with the eerie instrumentals has the viewer on
edge.
What other features can be found in
documentaries?

Social media style graphics help transition

the multi-stranded narrative in Don’t Blame
Facebook. Each new person could be
interpreted as a segment and the use of
status and Facebook posts are on brand for
the topic.