The Codes and Conventions of Factual Programming for Television

Extract

[...] Comprehensively Explain the Different Codes and Conventions of Documentaries and How Have They Changed Factual Narrative? Documentaries follow their own codes and conventions, different to any other genre of film. Universally, these are: ● A voiceover, guiding the audience through the topic of the documentary. ● Real footage of events, non-fictional, convincing the audience that it is real. ● Technicality of realism, natural sound and lighting. ● Archive footage, aiding authenticity and adds further information that the film maker may not be able to get themselves. [...]

[...] The Codes and Conventions of Factual Programming for Television I. What is a Documentary? Documentary films are ‘non-fictional, slice of life factual works of art' (Reference: http://www.filmsite.org/docfilms.html). Because of this, documentaries may be described as accurate representations of life, whether that is true or not is a completely different story. The earliest forms of film were mainly showing a singular event, such as a boat docking or factory workers leaving work. These films were known commonly as ‘actuality films', as the term ‘documentary' did not become well known or popular until 1926. [...]

[...] These films never used voiceover commentaries, music or re-enactments. An example of an observational documentary is Gimme Shelter (Albert & David Maysles, Charlotte Zwerin, 1970), which documents the final few weeks of The Rolling Stones' 1969 US tour, which led to the Altamont Free Concert, where considerable violence, and the deaths of four people, occurred and were caught on camera and put into the film. D. Participatory Documentaries This is almost the exact opposite of observational documentaries, as these are all about the filmmaker being part of the film, and influencing the events that are being filmed. [...]

[...] This ‘documentary' is a prime example of Nazi propaganda, being used to fuel patriotism within the German public, and is a perfect representation of how poetic mode can distort reality and present a biased and subjective form of ‘reality'. B. Expository Documentaries This type of documentary speaks directly to the viewer, usually in the form of an authoritative commentary using titles and voiceovers. These documentaries propose a strong argument and point of view, and are rhetorical as they try and persuade the audience to agree with their views. This is done by directing the audience to important information, and showing the facts of the situation. [...]

[...] The six formats of documentary films all use different codes and conventions. For example, an expository documentary will always use a voiceover to guide the audience through what is happening on the screen, and real footage of events, but probably won't use non-diegetic sound, as to ensure technicality of realism. However, the voiceover will be different for most expository documentaries, the voiceover in a wildlife documentary is going to be something different about serial killers. Reflexive documentaries are going to use text and titles, as it allows them to anchor the show or film in time and space, and say exactly where the camera and actors to ensure realism. [...]