Documetary Genres

•Expository Documentaries: These documentaries propose strong argument and convey the opinion of the director. A voiceover of an authoritative male is often used; this will occasionally be a female voice although it is less common. This idea is called voice of God narration. The narrator will present an argument, and the images we are presented with will reinforce their argument. They are rhetorical, and try to persuade the viewer to agree with their opinions.

•Observational Documentaries: These documentaries aim to show actuality rather than trying to persuade their audience. They show ordinary life situations and try not to influence their subjects in any way. The style of filming and editing is often very intimate, with many close-ups of the interviewees face. This makes it more personal and the audience feel involved. This style of documentary would be ideal for my project, as a hand held camera would be easy to document actuality on without too much disturbance.

•Participatory Documentaries: Believe it is impossible for them not to influence the events they are filming, so instead are involved in them. We are shown how the film maker being at the scene of filming affects the events that unfold. We are told that because they hold a camera they potentially have the power to change events.

•Reflexive Documentaries: This style focuses around the questioning of how the world is represented in documentary films. The do not see themselves as showing the truth of life, but that they are representations of it. They do not rely on realism and are sceptical of it.

•Performative Documentaries: Document emotional response the world and events. They aim to make us experience what it could be like to have different perspective on the world and life. They use unconventional techniques to do this, and will often include constructions of events that are hypothetical. They also usually link up personal accounts of much larger and political events.