Documentaries

Documentaries are said to be documents of reality. However some people argue this is not true due to the process of mediation. I agree that a documentary cannot be an example of complete reality because the person behind the lens is framing and shooting what they want, and the editor is cutting and editing the bits they want. Therefore it cannot be a true representation of reality.

Most documentaries as well as showing you a new world and trying to inform and educate you, are also trying to persuade you into a specific opinion. A perfect example of this is Bowling For Columbine. In which Michael Moore uses interviews, montages, and getting a free gun for opening a bank account (!) to convince us the violence and how very easy it is to purchase a gun in America was the cause of the Columbine High School massacre.


There are several themes of documentaries, such as nature, investigative, sports, history, theoretical and religious. There are also different ways in which these can be presented, such as drama doc, observational, authored, horror doc, political, war, presenter led and archive.




With archive documentaries it is evident that the script for the narrator is vital to the programme. After watching The Power of Nightmares I realised this as the images and video archive all link with the script in time to visually tell the historical story, almost allowing us to look back in time.



Although the documentary would be classified as archive material only it is also voice over led and includes interviews with experts. This cuts up the montages to let the experts reflect and inform us.Here's a quick snip from it

I personally enjoy watching documentaries especially observational. They're voyeuristic and give us an insight into someone elses world or situation. Documentaries I've watched that stick out in my mind are The Boy Who's Skin Fell Off, which was very emotional and took you through the last weeks of a boy who had a very rare skin condition in which his skin would peel off.

It almost felt heartbreaking the way in which is was made because we become close to the boy watching him fulfill his last dreams before he dies, and watch him go through the day to day agony of changing bandages and simple tasks only for him to die at the end. And although you know it's going to happen throughout, it's still a shock and upsetting when it does. But I suppose that is what made me remember it, because it was so sad and so well made.

Another documentary I enjoyed was Mum, Dad, Alzheimer's and Me.

In which Fiona Philip's questions and attacks the Governments care system and help for sufferers of Alzheimer's and their families. This documentary was very moving as it showed first hand everything Fiona has to go through caring for her Dad, from shopping for things he doesn't have to cook (because it's too dangerous) to receiving calls from the police to say he's been out walking the streets at 2am. The observational shots of her Dad just trying to do normal things such as turning the TV on, but he can't remember how to, are just as upsetting as when Fiona goes to clear out his old house. The footage used is perfect to represent the struggle and help families of Alzheimer's sufferers need.

The documentary also follows other couples and families dealing with Alzheimer's and the ways they try to cope; and interviews with experts and Government officials.

Other shorter documentaries I've watched have been mainly on the Fourdocs site.http://www.channel4.com/culture/microsites/F/fourdocs/video/video2.html.

A Damn Nice Caff I think highlighted the importance of your contributors and their ability to speak and stories they have to tell. The short doc is about a cafe closing down in Piccadilly Circus and it's importance as a social place. For example the voice over is that of a customer of the cafe who is a writer of comedy, and explains how he would have meetings at the cafe and sit for hours on end drinking tea, eating apple pie coming up with ideas with his colleague. For such a simple story I think it works really well, and again it's down the contributor and the stories he has to tell.

My favourite out of the short classics is docs was definately The Beach. Telling the story of Mary and Reg on their beach holiday and the importance of a flask! It was very heart warming and reminded me a lot of my Nan and Grandad, inspiring me to maybe make a short doc on them, and their love of Lidl cheapness. The couple seem so happy and content on their holiday which looks a lot like it's in a field, overcast,with their flask of tea and sand samples they collect from every holiday. As the description says, it is very British and I love the relationship between Mary and Reg and I think it's portrayed beautifully in this short doc.