Documentary Modes

Expository:
The purpose of the expository documentary is to inform and educate the audience about a subject. Material often includes original and archival footage, with the camera and crew normally visible to the audience. The material is tightly scripted and often accompanied by a voice-over narration, normally by an expert or actor.


Observational:
Since the 1960s lightweight film and video cameras have enabled filmmakers to record people in their natural environment with a minimum of fuss. This approach aims for a greater degree of naturalness as camera and crew take a back seat.


Fly-On-The-Wall:
An extension of the observational mode, fly-on-the-wall aims to blend into the background as the subjects go about their daily lives. Filming may go on over a prolonged period. The aim is to give the audience unmediated access to the subject.


Interactive/Reflective:
In this mode the filmmakers presence is fully acknowledged, with the filmmaker often both author and character in his or her movie, often appearing in shot and interacting with other people in the film or programme. The film might offer suprises, play with conventions or aim to provoke reactions from subjects and the audience.


Mockumentary:
Fictional films which parody the forms and conventions of documentary, often for humorous effect.