- Voice over
The voice over will usually be authoritative in some way, encouraging the audience to think that they either have some kind of specialist knowledge or people should pay attention to what is being said.
- 'Real' footage of events
Documentary is essentially seen as non-fiction although there are debates around this. However, a conventions of documentaries is that all events presented to us are to be seen as real by the audience.
- Technicality of realism
This includes 'natural' sounds and lighting
- Archive footage/stills
to aid authenticity and to add further information which the film maker may be unable to obtain themselves.
- Interviews with experts
Used to authenticate the views expressed in the documentary. Sometimes, they will disagree with the message of the documentary, although the film maker will usually disprove them in some way.
- Uses of text/titles
Text watch out for the used of the words on screen to anchor images in time and space. Labels, dates etc tend to be believed inconstantly and are quick and cheap way of conveying information.
- Sound
Listen out for the use of non-diegetic sound.
- Set-ups
Not just reconstruction of events that happened in the past but also setting up typical scenes.
- Visual Coding
This like mise en scene and props. is that doctors any less a doctor if she's not in a white coat and wearing a stethoscope? has someone been ambushed in the street to make them look shifty.
This is a scene from top gear where James May is driving the new Zonda. They use voice over during the clip a lot. They do it when they are showing the car driving or turning corners and you have him in the voice over talking about the car and tell the people watching what he thinks about the car. They use real footage of the car driving and they cut between the car driving to the inside of the car where you see James driving the car and also talking about the car. The sound of the car and the noise it makes is real and not faked because the noise is important. They have James who knows his stuff about his car talking about the car so he knows what he is talking about so he is the expert. There are parts at the beginning where they use music to emphasise the Zonda as being the amazing super that everyone should get. It is a car show so it has cars in the show and it is set at a a racing track where they race the cars around so this helps to set the whole scene for the show.
Main Points:
Voice over of James May talking.
'Real' footage of events of the car driving.
Technicality of realism sound of the car.
Interviews with experts cut between James talking about the car and the car.
Sound to add to the suspense about the car.
Set- up is at a race track where they drive cars.
Visual Coding lots of car on a car show.
Doc 2
National Geographic Scene
This clip is from the National Geographic about the Ark of the Covenant. They have a mixture of clips of real life and clips of 3D animation to try and tell the story better than explaining the story. They use voice overs to explain the story while the 3D clips is playing because they need a mixture of images and voice over to aid the experience of the clip. There are scenes with real sounds from what ever is going on in the scene, there is also music that is played during the 3D scenes to make the whole scene more believable. They also cut in between the real footage and the 3D animation interviews with experts on the Ark of the Covenant. And they are there to tell you what they about the Ark and any other information that might interest you about the Ark. The Ark is thought to be in Jerusalem in Israel so the documentary is set in Jerusalem which fits with the mise-en-scene of the documentary.
Main Points:
Voice over of experts explaining the story.
'Real' footage of events of the present to set story.
Technicality of realism real sound from the present.
Archive footage/stills used to help aid story.
Interviews with experts explaining about the Ark.
Sound used to help the story along.
Set-ups in Jerusalem.
Visual Coding history show lots of historical information.
Doc 3
Golden Axe SEGA Game
This is a short documentary is about the SEGA game called Golden Axe. It is an very old arcade game. The documentary basically cut between old players of the game who are now involved in films or making and designing games instead of playing them. There are voice overs from the experts when the while the clips of the game are playing between interviews with the old players. Also when they are explaining what the game is about and what the game did they talk about it and then they show the game doing what they are talking about. They show the clips like they are being played with the music from the game being played at the same as the clip. They have a music behind the interviews with the experts to add affect to what the people are saying more interesting and less boring because it wont just be people talking in to a camera it will be people with music behind them as well. They use and affect that when there names and what they are comes up there are weird images and shapes that circulate around the names. They are red, yellow and orange and they role around the names for the whole time that there names are up on the screen. The interviews are set in areas where the experts work like the sound man is in a sound box and the director is in his studio and places like that. It is a video game review documentary so it is about a game
Main Points:
Voice over of experts explaining about the game.
'Real' footage of the game being played.
Text is used show who the people are.
Technicality of realism real sound from the game.
Archive footage/stills used to show what the games is.
Interviews with experts explaining about the game.
Sound used to help the experts sound better.
Set-ups in areas that the experts work.
Visual Coding Game show so talks about games.
Doc 4
Extreme Water Sport
This is a extreme water sport documentary. There is not talking in this short documentary there are lots of clips of different extreme water sports. There are clips of wake boarding, wind surfing, surfing, sailing and some clips of skating. There is no voice over and there is no texts used but there is a lot of music playing behind the clips of the sport to add effect to the sport that is being played. The are not interviews with experts but the people doing the sport are the experts becuese they are good enough to be in the film. There is no natural sound because the music i louder than the waves. The documentary is about water sport so the sports are all water related and all based in the sea.
Main Points:
'Real' footage of the different sports being played.
Archive footage/stills to show the sport.
Interviews with experts show my the sportsman doing the sport.
Sound used to make the whole documentary better.
Set-ups in water.
Visual Coding sport documentary show lots of sport.
Doc 5
New Cyborg Machine
This is a documentary about new machines that have been made over that last few months. There are a lot of voice overs while they show new machine that that have been made and they are talking you thought what the new machines do and what they are used for. Also there are lots of interviews with experts on the new technology that they are showing off. There are a few bits of text that show the name of the expert and what he does. they are using real footage all the time there are no 3D effects because they are show new technology of not showing something else. There is the sound from the machines working but only a few bits of music playing when the machines are being used to make the clip more interesting. The documentary is about new technology so it is held in a science lab scene where things are being designed and built. And there are lots of sceintist and tools and machines in the film to help set the scene.
Main Points:
Voice over of experts to explain what the machines are.
'Real' footage of the machines being used.
Text is used show who the people are.
Technicality of realism real sound from the machines.
Archive footage/stills used to show how to use the machines.
Interviews with experts explaining about the machines they have invented.
Set-ups in a lab with tool and scientist.
Visual Coding lots of machines set the scene.
Key Things i Need:
- Voice over help to aid the footage to make the whole show better.
- Using real footage is important to make the show look real.
- Have experts in because people will believe what they are saying.
- Needs some music to add to the show.
- Using text to help aid the show is always good
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