Conventions of Documentaries

Bill Nichols’ books Introduction to Documentary and Representing Reality claim that there are six different types of documentary. These are – poetic, expository, observational, participatory, reflexive, and performative. There are also sub-genres of documentary, which are categorised by either the topic they revolve around such as nature, history, science, or the style in which they are created, such as investigative, fly-on-the-wall and objective.

One thing which each subset of documentaries has in common is their codes and conventions; whether that documentary challenges them or not is a different issue. Conventions of documentaries include (but are not limited to) –

Voiceovers – Where a narrator (such as David Attenborough from Planet Earth) discusses the topic of the documentary, allowing video clips to simultaneously play in the background. This is done to inform the viewer, or to perhaps sway their thoughts on an issue.

Archived Footage – This is where the creators of the documentary implement already-existing footage to aid authenticity and to perhaps add further information which they were unable to obtain themselves.

Vox Populi – Latin for “voice of the people”. This is where people on the street are asked a question regarding the topic of the documentary, possibly to show what the thoughts of the masses are, or to act as a stepping-stone to which the presenter/narrator can elaborate upon.

Interviews With Experts – These are usually included after a view has been expressed through the documentary, to back up a point already made. They are also included to reassure the viewer that what they’re being informed of is authentic.

Natural Sound and Lighting – Documentaries will often choose not to alter the natural sound and lighting offered by a scene or location, as this could affect the “realism” they are trying to portray.

Facts and Figures – Statistics are typically used to enforce a point that the documentary is making (such as in Inside Job), however these figures should not always be trusted. If the documentary is critical of an issue/topic then figures will be incorporated (such as in Supersize Me, to make McDonalds appear worse than it is) but not justified.

Camerawork – This is usually affected by the style and nature of the documentary, for instance handheld shots are more common in documentaries about world events. As for interviews, the camera is typically positioned at a medium length, with the interviewee’s eyeline 1/3^rd of the way down the screen.