Is TV News a Window on the World?

The question is asking does TV News really show us reality or does it construct it? The News can't simply show us reality, there are rules about what the News can say/show and how they show it to an audience and the the Broadcast isn't freedom of speech. This makes the news impartial. The News chooses what stories get shown on TV from what they believe is "good news" for the audience. But how do they go about choosing what they think is "good news" from thousands of events happening everyday all over the world and they have to narrow this down to about five to show on TV. They decide this though a process called "The Gatekeeping Process" which a story has to go through before it can be aired on TV so the stories don't go straight to the audience. If a news story fails to meet the requirements it will get thrown away and never get shown on TV.

TV news tries to present itself in this way

TV News tries to present itself as unbiased, showing us reality as it is and impartial information about the world through a number of different techniques but this is simply not the case. I talk about how they do this here:
BBC News Analysis

The broadcast has a set of regulation codes it must follow because of these rules the broadcast is restricted what it can show. It can't cause harm or offense, it can't show material which may encourage crime etc. For this reason, the news can't completely show us reality because they are restricted what they can and can't show viewers.

However on the Ofcom Broadcasting Code section five there are a set of rules that the news must be due impartiality and due accuracy and undue prominence of view and opinions. Some of these regulations are:

Due impartiality and due accuracy in news:-

(Click To Enlarge)


The structure of a news story also tries to present reality through the way it's set out on TV:
The news will start in the studio with the news reader talking about an event then it would cut to an on location reporter talking about the event in more detail and makes it look like they are there on live on scene as the event is happening. The news would then show actuality or archive footage to act as evidence.

However TV news cannot, simply "show" reality

TV news can't capture reality as something could go wrong with a story, they need to be careful with what they can show on TV making sure it's suitable for the public and they can't always get actuality footage meaning the news would in fact use archive footage reflecting the reality itself but because this isn't actual footage of an event, it isn't really showing us reality. Because of these problems news companies go through a process called "The Gatekeeping Process" which is the steps a news story goes through before it can get shown on TV news.

The Gatekeeping Process is as followed:

1.An event will happen

2.Routinely Monitored Sources - such as courts, government departments, parliament, services - police, ambulance and army etc. Would tell the news company about the event.

News Values - Does the news story meet any of Galtung and Ruge news values - frequency, negativity, unexpectedness, unambiguity, meaningfulness, conflict, threshold, reference to elite nations, reference to elite persons etc.

News gathering process - News companies have to gather as much information about the event as possible to then talk about it to the audience on TV.

Law - Is the news story appropriate and follow the Ofcom Broadcasting Code

Late breaking news - If an event happens late when the news as begun and the news company consider it breaking news they would decide to cut a news story they think minor and less important to fit in the breaking news story as quick as possible as they're competing with other news companies they all want to try and be the first to show fresh in news.

Cost - News companies have to consider the cost of a story as it could be expensive. Depending where the event is happening news reporters may have to fly to the scene.News companies would have to take a risk if a news story will be worth the cost.

Competition - News companies want to get the best news stories and footage they possibly can, however this narrows down the range of stories shown as all the news reporters will be at one location, capturing footage of an event they consider important while other news stories they think insignificant will get lost.

Technical Problems - If an news story has any technical problems such as a camera stops functioning to an on location news reporter or the news station can't find the link to the news studio for an event. The news company would decide on a new story to take the one having technical difficulties place. However if the issues are fixed the story would get shown again later in the news.

Aired - Finally the news is shown to us on TV

TV news also uses continuity editing and narrative structures to make "events" into stores to help viewers engage with the story and get a their message across. Because of this the news can manipulate and change our perspective of what we think to what they might want us to think with the use of continuity editing. Making the news some what bias.

Conclusion

The news doesn't show reality completely because it's basically impossible with the rules put in place and the process the stories have to go through but the news definitely tries to show reality as much as they can. But I don't think this matter in the era we live in now as there are many different methods to receive the news. Such as the internet, newspapers, magazines, mobile phone apps, radio etc. Looking at news this way stops the continuity manipulating the story and structure. You can also find out more stories and ones which interest you without someone in the news company deciding for you. The Broadcast isn't freedom of speech because it only had one TV channel "BBC" and because of this there was no other views/opinions on broadcast at the time as there was only one channel but the internet does have freedom of speech.

Documentary Evaluation



Documentary Style

The documentary style I chose to create was an expository documentary. An expository documentary is a documentary that uses voice overs giving a verbal commentary over pictures or video. They usually contain facts, opinions, ask rhetorical questions and strong arguments.My documentary uses a voice over from the interviewees giving their opinions about dogs and reasons why owning a dog is beneficial over a video of their dog doing a variety of activities

Why I chose this topic

My topic I chose was about dogs and the relationship the owner has with their pet. This was a good topic for me as I am a dog person and own a dog myself and I thought it would be interesting and intriguing to meet other dog owners and their dogs and see their relationship with each other as well as learn about why people own a dog and the benefits with owning a dog. I wanted my documentary to only focus on the good things about dogs and the benefits they bring by showing the relationship between the dog and it's owner. I also wanted to capture how compassionate and friendly dogs are within my documentary.

Use of Camera

I used a handheld camera when following the dogs around the garden and playing with their owners because I wanted to give my documentary realism when watched by an audience and make them feel as if they are there with the dogs. When interviewing the dog owners I used a mid shot because I wanted the camera to show the owner and the dog together when the interviewee was talking about their dog. I done this to show the relationship between them. I also used a fish eye on the camera to show a dog licking the lens, when receiving feedback from my classmates they said they really liked this shot. I am also happy with it because it captures the dogs affection and friendliness. More feedback I got was that people liked the close up shots of dogs, such as their nose, tail and face, etc. However there is a shot towards the end of my documentary where the camera cuts off some of the interviewees head which I am not happy with and if I were to do this again I would change the angle of the camera to fit the dog owner and the dog.

Use of Sound

For sound I used the interviewees answers to the questions I asked them and put that audio over shots of their dogs. For some of the shots I felt the audio of ambient sounds in because I wanted to hear the dogs growling and barking, etc in my documentary. However some feedback I received for improvements said the audio on the visual was too loud and difficult to hear the voice over of the interviewees. I completely agree with this, there are some parts in my documentary where the ambient sound over powers the voice over. To improve this I would lower the audio in places balance out the sound. More feedback I received said I should add music in the background. I think this is true, after watching my documentary back I feel it does need music somewhere in there, something quirky and fun I think would work well and compliment the visuals.

Use of Editing

When editing my footage I cut out the interviewers voice asking the questions and make it obvious it was edited out. I did this so the audience just heard the interviewees answering the questions about their dogs. Some feedback I got on this said their was too many cuts, making it look jumpy. I agree with this partly, there was one interview where I do believe there was too many cuts and it also cut out some parts of  some words when the interviewee was speaking. For the rest of interviews I am happy with the jump cuts. To hide some of the jump cuts I put visuals of the owners dogs doing a variety of activities over the interview itself, but keeping the audio from interview in. I thought this was a nice touch because while the dog owner talks about their dog in the voice over, the visuals show the dog and the it's owner doing different things together showing their relationship and makes it more fun for an audience to watch.

I also showed the names of each of the dog owners and their dogs together pop up on screen. Feedback I received people said they liked the names being together because it showed the idea of a relationship. Some improvements I received was to change the fades, and add a fade in at the start of my documentary so it doesn't just jump straight in and also add a fade out at the end. I completely agree with this, it will help my documentary look smooth. There was also some fades after it changed to a new interview, however I only used a fade out to black and didn't fade in which made the documentary look unprofessional with the editing. This is something I could change and improve on.

Use of Mise-En-Scene

For the locations I shot and interviewed each of the interviewees in their own homes as it would be easier for them and less stress for the dogs because they have the comfort of their own home. The lighting I used was just the ambient lights in the house, however for the last interview I felt the lighting was too dark and needed another light source.

My Thoughts

I am fairly happy with how my documentary turned out however watching it back I saw some silly mistakes that I could definitely improve on and I felt I could have done better. I'm happy with the shots I got of the dogs and the layout of the documentary but due to timing and the arranging of the interviews with some not being available until a later date and having the interviews at all different days it was difficult to edit properly without all the footage that kept changing and because of this I spend a lot of time filming and less time editing which caused me rush at the end of the project. If I done this again I would definitely organize and manage my time better. I'm happy with the shots, the interviews and how the production turned out but I'm too happy with the editing with a few mistakes and wanted to add a title in my documentary.

The Nature and Purposes of Research in the creative media industries

Primary research/self-generated research

Primary research is your own research which you got yourself. It is newresearch, carried out to answer specific issues or questions. It can involve questionnaires, surveys or interviews with individuals or small groups.

For primary research I created questionnaires, surveys on http://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/ to gather information and get peoples views about a certain topic which I wanted to know more about and what an audience thought about it. Gathering the information first hand helps you because you get to ask questions/find out the specifically what you want to know.  

For my project I created a survey about my documentary with questions that will help me when creating my documentary. The questions I wanted to know was how many people actually liked documentaries so I could get a rough idea how successful and popular documentaries are. But most importantly I asked what people thought of my documentary idea which tells me if my idea is good and would be watched by my target audience. 

Secondary Research

Secondary research is research carried out with already existing data, making use of information previously researched for other purposes and publicly available. Secondary research includes published research reports in a library, books, newspaper, journals, magazines, surveys and information on the internet. For my project I used secondary research when creating my documentary to find out more information in depths about my topic by exploring the history of dogs through the ages and why people own dogs by looking at the benefits of owning pets. To do this I used websites  to find this information. 

Qualitative Research

Qualitative research is more in-depth information and understanding of opinions,motivations and feelings by finding out what people think and why they think it. Some methods of qualitative research include face to face interviews, group discussions (typically small groups) and participation/observation. This makes qualitative research great when creating a new product or marketing campaign because this type of research gives in-depth feedback and see peoples reactions and discuss different approaches and ideas. Other examples are reviews for games or films because people share their own opinions about a certain game or film and backing up why they think it. 

Here is a film review of Man of Steel:http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/man-of-steel-2013

I used qualitative research when creating my documentary in my survey to find out peoples opinions on documentaries and the type of documentaries they watch and if they would watch a documentary about dogs. Example:

"What type of documentaries do you already watch?"

"Documentaries about games, for example "The King of King" or "I am Street Fighter".

Historical(WW2, Ancient Cultures) and Nature(Dinosaurs and similar) 

I also used qualitative research in my documentary by having a number of face to face interviews with dog owners and asked them questions about their dogs such as why did you get a dog? and what difference has having a dog made in your life? etc. 

You can watch my documentary here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7II3faGOMo

Quantitative Research

Quantitative Research includes surveys and questionnaires. Quantitative Research is asking people for their opinion in a structured way like collecting numerical data that are analysed using mathematically based methods such as statistics. To get reliable statistics results it is important to survey a large amount of people.

 Quantitative research is also a great way to see programme/film ratings, box office figures, sales of DVDs/CDs and hits on a website. This is very handy to see if your product is successful and popular with an audience. For example if you look at the box office figures for Godzilla, it scored the biggest opening day of 2014, ruling the box office with $38.5million made on the opening day. These box office figures tell the producers of the film that their distribution methods and film is successful and very popular with the public.

For my project I used quantitative research in my survey to see how many people I surveyed watch documentaries, heard of 3 minute wonders and if they would watch a documentary about dogs. Quantitative research here helped me see clearly how many people are interested in documentaries and helps determine if my topic idea is good and if it would be watched by an audience.

Here is an example of one of my questions from my survey:

Data Gathering Agencies

Data gathering agencies are responsible in collecting and maintaining company specific data. Some examples include Broadcasters Audience Research Board (BARB) which is an organisation that collects audience measurements and television ratings in the United Kingdom.

Here you can see the total viewing summary of all the channels on BARB and shows BBC1 is the most popular channel: -->

Other examples are Radio Joint Audience Research Ltd (RAJAR) is also a data gathering company very similar to BARB but collects measures radio audiences in the United Kingdom instead. Internet Move Database (IMDB) which collects information related to films, television programmes and video games such as the actors, crew, finance, etc. And Box Office Mojo which is an online movie publication and box office reporting service which is similar to IMDB but focuses on Box Office revenue and more finance of movies.

Audience and Market Research

 Some examples of audience and market research include audience data, audience profiling, demographics, geodemographics, psychographics,consumer behaviour, consumer attitudes, etc. Audience and Market Research is important when trying to sell a product because the general public are your consumers and it is very important to know about the target audience you're selling to. This is what Audience and Market Research is for, it helps gather information about consumers and learning about your target audience will help successfully sell a product in                                                       the long run because you know your audience and what they like.

 For my audience research for my project I went on the BARB website and researched channel 4 because that is where 3 minute wonders are shown and I am creating one of my own. I also used audience and market research in my survey about documentaries and 3 minute wonders. I had demographic questions asking people their gender and age which will help me determine roughly the age and gender 3 minute wonder documentaries appeal to. This help me determine my target audience for my documentary.

Production Research

Production research is the collection and analysis of information for the content and production of a media product. For example viability, finance, costs, technological resources, personnel and locations. For my project I needed a location release to get permission from the people I interviewed to use their property for filming. I also did a location scout to work out the day and time I will be interviewing. I also needed to do talent releases to get an agreement from the interviewee that I have permission to film them.

Assessing Research Data

Reliability

My our Brut Advert and my documentary I created a survey/questionnaire where I asked a number of people to answer them and I managed to get quite a few answers on my advert survey but not so much on my documentary one. Getting a good amount of answers is important to make your research as reliable as possible. The problems identified for my documentary survey is that I did get many answers, I only got 12 and wanted at least 20 to make my research more reliable. For my Brut Advert survey I got a good amount of answers to make my results reliable however some people didn't take it very seriously, meaning that I couldn't use their answers.

Validity

For my documentary survey I think people did answer truly and what they believe because I got a nice mixture of different answers in my survey. I also think people did think about the questions because for one of my questions I asked "What type of documentaries do you watch?" and I received a list of different documentations from people, e.g. "Homeless people, Drugs, Space, Wildlife and E-sports.". 

For my Brut Advert I also think people answered what they believe but some people I think rushed the question and didn't really think about or answer it fully and didn't help me at all. For example I got some answers

like "eh, I don't know.", "The End", "I have no idea" and "It was all pretty good" etc.

Representatives and Generalisability

I think my participants were representative of the population, however I would have liked more answers from my target audience being more aimed at a more middle age/older age group as they are usually the people who buy/own a dog. But generally I think my target audience was interested in the concept of my documentary as 58.3% of them said they would be interested to watch a documentary about dogs.

BBC News Analysis

Title Sequence - 

The title sequence has lots of rushing movement, very fast paced with zooms of red rings and parts of the world flying across the screen to grab viewers attention.

The globe tells us the BBC gets news from all around the world 

The red rings pulsing around the world could connote a satellite signal, the beeping sound in the music could also be the satellite which tells us the BBC is collecting all the news that is happening  all around the world.

There are names of capital cities dotted around the globe, for example, Cario, Madrid and Beijing all connected together by a line. This also tells us that the BBC news covers news from all different countries around the world.

Typical business colours of mainly reds, orange/yellow connoting it's formal and serious.

The music is powerful and the repetitive beeping sound will grab attention and tells us the urgency/importance of the news.

The "BBC News" text is using the same colours as the title sequence - White text on a red background, keeping to the colour scheme. "News" is capitalized telling the audience it's serious/importance and grabs their attention.  The logo isn't very large and located on the bottom left of the screen, this could be because BBC News is so big and well known that people already know what it is.

Newsreader

Deep and serious voice which is easy to understand. Newsreaders can't show any signs of their own opinion when speaking or this would make the news biased. 

Serious facial expression tells the viewers the news is serious and important. Face also looks serious and straight with not really expression because the newsreader can't show any signs of their own opinion/views on the news.

Looks smart wearing a suit & tie telling viewers the BBC News is formal. 

Documentary programmes

BBC1

6th March -

Heir Hunters - 45 mins

Countryside 999 - 45 mins

Holiday Hit Squad - 60 mins

7th March -

Caught Red Handed - 30 mins

8th March - (None)

9th March - 

Wanted Down Under - 45 mins

10th March - 

Heir Hunters - 45 mins

Countryside 999 - 45 mins

A week in A&E: Condition Critical - Panorama - 30 mins

11th March - 

Heir Hunters - 45 mins

Country side - 45 mins

Swansea: Living on the Streets - 35 mins

Insane Fight Club - 60 mins

12 March -

Heir Hunters - 45 mins

Countryside 999 - 45 mins

Famous Rich  & Hungry for Sport Relief - 60 mins


Channel 4 = 12.6 %

BBC1 = 6.7%

Research

How many people own dogs as personal or household pets in the world?

Estimated 40 millions - 70 million own a dog as a pet in the world. 

Approximately 42.5 million households in the U.S. own one or more dogs.

There is  an estimate of 6.8 million pet dogs in the United Kingdom. 

There are at least 525 million dogs on our planet.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/201209/how-many-dogs-are-there-in-the-world

http://pets.thenest.com/number-dogs-cats-households-worldwide-8973.html

History of dogs

When the early hunter-gatherers formed the first bond between Man and Dog, they had no idea how important this link would be to their descendants, but the dog's true value was not realized for many hundreds of years. Their purpose was for hunting and guarding along and any concept of keeping them as pets was frowned upon. During the Middle Ages people found keeping pets were accused of witchcraft. The Victorians made dogs acceptable as pets in Britain and, as a result, they are largely responsible for the degree of genetic disorders in dogs today. They bred dogs to achieve a fashionable look or to emphasize a cute, childlike appearance as seen in the pug, the King Charles spaniel and other lapdogs.

To our discredit, this taste for unnatural appearance continued and it was not until the horrific results of interbreeding were disclosed on a controversial BBC documentary in 2008 that the Kennel Club were forced to revise their breeding policies to improve dog health and welfare. In some ways we have to be grateful to the Victorians, for had dogs not become acceptable as companies, we might not have recognized their other enduring qualities and, specifically, their ability to enhance human health. It was Florence Nightingale in 1856 that noted "a small pet animal is often an excellent companion for the sick" but it was not until recent decades that scientists actually proved their therapeutic worth.

Dogs are a key factor to keeping fit in this modern world by exercising their humans, lowering their cardiovascular rate, reducing stress and facilitating communication with other humans. They can also initiate a positive response in the elderly, infirm or mentally ill. In 1976, a freelance journalist and magistrate, Lesley Scott-Ordish was responsible for starting an organisation called, Pro Dogs Active Therapy (PAT) dogs, an organisation of volunteers who take their dogs to visit hospitals and residential homes. It was a highly successful project and the PAT volunteers continue with the good work to this day.

http://www.londondogforum.co.uk/a-potted-history-of-mans-relationship-with-the-dog-c68.html

Why people keep dogs as pets

People keep dogs as pets for a number of good reasons. Main reason above all is their loyalty. They take a lot of interest in people who takes care of them and give them plenty of love. Pet dogs are usually called a "mans best friend". Humans on the other hand feel that their pet dog is the most trusted companion. A dogs natural instinct is to protect their owner in any situation, and not only that, they will protect your home since your home is also the territory of your pet dog.

Apart from their loyalty to you, pet dogs are also very loving, cute and furry. People feel sort of great pleasure and comfort by cuddling them when they feel lonely or down. Pet dogs depend heavily on people. They cannot survive on their own.

Benefits of having a dog can improve mood and health

Dogs are a mood booster

Helps you stay in shape

Dogs help you be more social

Dogs are great stress relievers

Dogs can help with Cancer Research

Dogs Empathize with human pain

Dogs aid with depression

Dogs can detect cancer, seizures and low blood sugar

Help Veterans overcome PTSD

Having a pet can help you make healthy lifestyle changes

Increasing exercise 

Provides companionship

Helps meet new people

Reduce anxiety 

Adding structure and routine to your day

Pets and the health benefits for older adults

Helping you find meaning and joy in life

Helps you socialize 

Boosts vitality

Primary Research

To gain primary research I created a survey for the public by uploading it on social media.  The questions I asked and wanted to find out were about documentaries and to find out how popular they are, the type of documentaries people watch and if they would watch a documentary about dogs which is what my documentary is about. This was a good way to find out certain questions I wanted the answer to.

As well as this in my documentary I interviewed dog owners face to face and asked them different questions which I prepared that would be interesting to know and help me in my research. I asked questions about their dog, what it's like to own a dog and how much getting a dog has changed their life. I interviewed a number of different dog owners to see what each one had to say about owning a pet dog. This helped me gain more detailed research by interviewing different people because I found out what I wanted to know.

Documentaries about dogs

The Secret Life of the Dog

Dogs Decoded 

http://www.helpguide.org/life/pets.htm

http://dogvacay.com/blog/10-unexpected-side-benefits-of-having-a-dog/

http://distractify.com/geek/science/reasons-you-absolutely-need-a-dog-in-your-life/

My documentary idea

Proposal: Individual Idea

A Man's Best Friend


The concept of my documentary idea is going to be about dogs' lives showing them doing activities and why people like/want a dog as a pet. I will have interviews with dog owners with their dogs and show them playing with their owners and having a fun. 

My documentary format will be a mix of interactive and observational. It will be interactive because I will use interviews by asking dog owners some questions. It will also be observational because I will show shots of dog owners and their dog together and the camera will follow the dogs around.The genre for my documentary will be a special interest documentary.

For my target audience I will focus more on the psycho graphics rather than the demographics. For this reason I will focus on peoples interests and my target audience will be anyone who is an owner of a dog. The 3MW slot on Channel 4 is in peak time and needs therefore attract a wide demographic.

The aim of creating my documentary will be to show the importance of dogs in peoples lives and show the positives of dogs and reasons why people own them.

I won't have to travel anywhere because the location where I will be filming my entire documentary will be in my local village at the playing field where owners take their dogs. I will also film in my home and maybe other peoples home if they own a dog and I get permission from them.

For my production I won't need many crew members to help me with production at all. I might need at least one cameraman to help out during filming for some parts and I can easily find someone to help me film.

Questions

Can you introduce your dog to us?

What made you want to get a dog?

What do you love about your dog?

What difference has having a dog made in your life?

All the equipment needed for to create my documentary is already available to me. I own a HD video camera and a tripod to make my documentary look as professional as possible. I will also use a steady cam provided by the college to help keep the camera still and steady when following dogs around. The tripod will also help when recording interviews and dogs in my documentary doing various activities. Costumes isn't important in my documentary because it focuses on the dogs. I don't think I will need to buy any props, the prop I may need is some dog toys but I expect dog owners to own some.

UPDATE - AFTER DISCUSSION WITH TEACHER

To clarify about the style and mood of the documentary I'm hoping that it will be a quirky, amusing piece that will make people smile.

I'm going to aim for 6 dogs and owners interviews and my teacher who also lives in my village and will also try and set some up for me.

Research: 3 minute wonders

3 minute wonder - Street Art

I enjoyed this documentary because I found it pretty interesting talking about street art and the interviews with street artists telling the viewers why they create street art is also very interesting and insightful. I think it's trying to show street art can be a good creative thing to do in the community and is "user friendly" which the public love to look at. This documentary has elements of observational and interactive, because the film makers presence is evident and there is an interaction between the interviewees. The film maker can sometimes be seen in front of the camera but other times is hidden from the audience.

3 Minute wonder - King of Laughter 

I really liked this documentary because it was a great, happy subject to talk document. It has a good cause and deeper meaning to try and get members on the public to be happy, laugh and enjoy life even through the tough times. The film maker, Balechew Girma is very inspirational as he talks about his life and the challenges he faced. He lost everything he had caused by a fire disaster and  2 years later another disaster happened and he lost his business and because of this he learnt to always be happy and laugh and is now he is trying to help others to laugh and be harry, which I think is a great inspiration to others. I think this documentary is an expository because of the use of a voice over and also an Interactive documentary because the camera goes around following the main character as he interacts with members on the public, trying to get them to laugh.

3 minute wonder - Three Ball Total Equilibrium Tank 

I liked this documentary because it had some humor to it. I also found it very interesting to see different students opinions of the "Three Ball Equilibrium Tank" artwork. Some students thought it was a great piece of art while others said it's pointless and don't understand it. I enjoyed watching the arguments the students about the art, and documentary had a good balance of both good and bad points of the artwork. I think the documentary is an Interactive Documentary because the filmmaker's presence is evidence and gets involved, interacting with the students by interviewing them about what they think of the piece of art. Furthermore you can hear the interviewer ask questions behind the camera now and again, throughout the documentary. The subject matter is also controversial in the documentary which causes arguments because the students all have different opinions on the art.

Documentaries

What is a documentary?

A documentary is factual programme which give facts about the certain subject being documented. They are used to revel interesting information and facts to try and inform or change an audience views on something. Documentaries usually use interview techniques to get opinions and information from people on the documentary subject.

Expository Documentaries

An expository documentary is a documentary that uses a voice over giving a verbal commentary over pictures or videos and explaining the story. The commentator speaks directly to the audience giving facts, opinions and rhetorical questions with strong arguments to try and persuade the audience.

We are the Lambeth Boys (Karel Reisz, 1958) is an example of an expository documentary. It has a voice over talking about what's happening in the video and trying to show the audience how nice the youngsters are at the youth club. Another example if an expository documentary is An Inconvenient Truth (Davis Guggenheim, 2006) because it has a voice over talking and argumentative to persuade people to do something about global warming and preventing it.

Observational Documentary

 An observational documentary is where a camera follows people around to observe events that happen in their life. The camera equipment is handheld or CCTV cameras to follow events such as Big Brother. An observational documentary doesn't usually use interviews or voice overs and has long takes. This is because this certain type of documentary just wants you to observe the events happening to create realism. An example of observational documentary is High School (Frederick Wiseman, 1968) because it uses a hand held camera following around different people and recording the events happening at their high school.
Big Brother (2000- ) is also an Observational documentary because there are CCTV rigged up all around the Big Brother house watching the housemates live their life in the Big Brother house.

Interactive Documentary

An interactive documentary is when the film maker's are on screen interacting with people and events and mainly consists of interviews. The cameramen are usually shown to the audience in an interactive documentary which makes it seem more real. The film maker's will interview people to get their opinion on the subject and arguments are usually presented. The film maker's haven't always got to be on camera, they can be off screen. If they remain off screen the film maker's can choose what questions will be heard by the spectator. However the manipulation of the text through editing have been criticized for "misrepresentation" and "manipulation" but the film makers have defended the projected image is more important than the fine details. An example of an interactive documentary is Louis and the Nazis (Stuart Cabb, 2003. Louis Theroux a film maker who is on screen interacting and interviewing Nazis. Louis sometimes asks questions which he wants to know which sometimes causing arguments. The film team can also been seen in this documentary to create realism. Another example of an Interactive Documentary is I Love Your Work (2003) Directed by Adam GoldBerg.

Reflective Documentary

A reflective documentary is similar to an interactive documentary but the film maker's go one step further. The film maker's attempt to expose the conventions of a documentary to the audience. Instead of focusing on the events and people, a reflective documentary focuses on how they are filmed. Reflective documentaries makes the whole process of film making known to the spectator and sometimes shows the filming team in the documentary making it look real. Reflective documentaries tend to be more truthful and real as they try to show things exactly as they happen with out editing or special effects. An example of a reflective documentary is Biggie and Tupac (Nick Broomfield, 2002). This documentary uses real life footage and the film maker's and cameramen can be seen on screen interviewing but other times they interview people behind the camera.

Performance Documentary

A performance documentary deflects attention away from the world and towards dimensions of film and this type of documentary focuses on presentation rather than content. It aims to In The Thin Blue Line (Errol Morris, 1988). This documentary creates re-enactments of the murder. The murder scene changes each time someone else gives a different testimony about the murder, showing a re-enactment of what they saw. The re-enactments are also rendered in a vivid, stylized manner, helping the audience submerge into the narrative.
Presents it's subject matter in a subjective, expressive, stylized, evocative and visceral manner. It does this by using re-enactments, exaggerated camera positions and soundtracks helping to submerge the audience into the narrative. An example of a performance documentary is Night & Frog (1955) Directed by Alain Resnais. This documentary is a commentary about the Holocaust survivor Jean Cayrol and uses re-enactments about her memory.

Access & Privacy

When filming a documentary you need to be careful filming people on camera, not you're not in a public location you can't film and feature people in your documentary without their permission first. You will have to speak to the people you want interview/film first and get their permission by asking them to sign a talent release giving the filmmaker approval to film them. If the person is under the age of 18 you will need to be careful for legal reasons meaning you will have to get someone over the age of 18 to warrant the minor to give you permission. As well as documentary filmmakers may need access to certain locations and must get permission to film/use the location by getting the land owner to sign a location release to give you rights.

Conclusion

I believe documentaries are good because they are very informative and educational, they help get views across and make people aware of  the documentary subject matter. Documentaries interview people to get their opinions of the subject and can change peoples opinions on something. They cover multitude of different forms and styles such as presentation or a visual document or record of reality, there are many different forms and styles documentaries can use to persuade an audience. However documentaries can be very manipulative and and spectators don't know how much of the documentary is reality.

For example Bowling for Columbine (Micheal Moore, 2002) uses editing techniques to manipulate an audience. They would cut out answers to questions and only use questions they want the audience to hear. It also uses an editing technique of Micheal Moore buying a gun from a bank but making it seem like it bought and gained possession of it in just one day, when in reality it took more than one day to get hold of. I believe using editing techniques to manipulate an audience to get across what the documentary is trying to show and tell the viewers is good to get points across and persuade an audience. However people would disagree with this because we would only be seeing what the film maker's choose to show us, making the documentary seem less real and less truthful because they're not showing things exactly as they happen.