RESEARCH: Codes and conventions of : Documentary

 Codes and conventions of a Documentary 

Hand held camera 

• fly on the wall filming 
• narrative voice over 
• creation of a 'narrative journey' in order to answer a question
• vox pops and interviews with experts/witnesses/participants 
• 
• often a shorter running time than non-fiction feature films 
• intercutting/parallel editing linking key scenes
• use of archive footage or photographs to support films scenes 
• mediated culture - documentaries select and construct, thus encoding opinion and subjectivity - key importance of editing 
• selective editing crucial to constructing meaning - use of anchorage to encourage preferred reading 
• often point of view encoded ideology, preferred meaning 
• use of establishing shot and close up 
• 
• observational, interactive , reflective , expository, in formal 3 act structure , closed investigative narrative 
• often single stranded, linear - one subject is often the topic 
• exploration of narrative themes , messages and values of the film maker
• different purpose - to entertain , inform , educate, satirise, shock , provide voyeuristic pleasure and for propaganda purposes 
• characters are often hyper real, exaggerated stereotypes e.g. Charlton Heston and Micheal Moore himself in bowling for columbine - real people framed in narrative roles such as hero or villain 
• use of emotive or other music 
• use of mise-en-scene or props to reinforce ideas about characters or theme 

REFLECTION 

This blog has helped me learn the key elements of a documentary

I also learned some new vocabulary  

I can then use this information when filming for my final task