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What is a Documentary film?

Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record. A 'documentary film' was originally shot on film stock — the only medium available — but now includes video and digital productions that can be either direct-to-video, made as a television program or released for screening in cinemas. "Documentary" has been described as a "filmmaking practice, a cinematic tradition, and mode of audience reception" that is continually evolving and is without clear boundaries.
(Source: Wikipedia)

Cinéma vérité is a style of documentary filmmaking, combining naturalistic techniques with stylized cinematic devices of editing and camerawork, staged set-ups, and the use of the camera to provoke subjects. It is also known for taking a provocative stance toward its topics.
There are subtle yet important differences among these terms. Direct Cinema is largely concerned with the recording of events in which the subject and audience become unaware of the camera's presence. Operating within what Bill Nichols, an American historian and theoretician of documentary film, calls the "observational mode," direct cinema is essentially what is now called a fly on the wall documentary. Many therefore see a paradox created by drawing attention away from the reality of the camera and simultaneously declaring the discovery of a cinematic truth.
(Source: Wikipedia)


1. What channel was it broadcast on?



2. What is the title of the documentary?



3. What type of documentary is it?

Historical: The Rise and Fall of the Eqyptian Empire
Biographical: The Life of Sir Stanley Matthews
Investigative: The truth behind the disappearance of Madeline McCann
Artistic: The work of Van Gogh
Wildlife: The Anatomy of the Blue Whale
Political: The New Labour Years
Drama: Margerat Thatcher
Reality: Keeping with the Kardashians
Celebrity: David Beckham's New Tattoo
Scripted Reality: The Only Way is Essex


4. What Style of Documentary is it? Think in terms of:

Narrative Structure: (Linear/ Non Linear)
Editing (fast, slow, dissolves, fades, superimposing etc)
Voice Over (narration, register, tone, mode of address)
Archive Footage (type, style, place, time, period)
Graphics (pie charts, images)
Text (captions, subtitles, banners)

5. What is the subject matter? Content of the documentary?



6. What are the messages and meanings behind the documentary- What is it trying to communicate to the audience?