Research

A documentary is a type of media that captures non fiction such as events, issues and people to tell their stories and capture that reality.  They can be about anything and can often cover interesting and unusual topics and can be used to uncover or reveal facts and evidence that we may not have known before. However documentaries can often be used to push a certain agenda or make you believe certain things. As well as to create public interest

Documentaries can be funny,disturbing, poignant, inspirational, shocking or any combination.

Like any other type of Media, Documentaries will have conventions. Conventions are the recurring things that a general audience expect from a type of media.  These include Interviews,Archival Footage, Narration for a documentary.

• Narration is a type of convention that an audience would expect. Narration is also known as the voice of god is the guide through the film. For example in nature documentaries, David Attenborough would be the voice of God,Will guide audiences through his programmes such as Blue Planet, describing what is happening on screen whole providing additional  context and background to the animals he is covering .
• Voice Over- is a commentary by the film maker spoken while the camera is filming, or added to the soundtrack during the production. This is important as the filmmaker can speak to the audience offering additional information, explanations and opinions to help further understand what is going on 
• Archival Footage- also known as stock footage , is material obtained from a film library or archive and inserted into a documentary to show context of an event where the camera crew where not around to film it. For Example in Being Elmo, they use archival footage in order to provide additional context to what they are talking about these include images and videos. 
• Re-Enactment- is a scenes of an event that have been reconstructed to tell a story where there has been no archival footage to tell a story of an event such as an expedition. They generally provide factual information, and give the viewer a sense of realism. These reconstructions will use actors who look like the people who actually took part in the event. For example air crash investigation will use actors to portray people who were on an aircraft when it crashed, either survivors or people who died so they can recreate the events so the viewers have context and understand what happened  
• Interviews-  It allows people being filmed to speak directly about events, prompted by the questions asked by the filmmaker. An interview may take place on screen, or off screen and the people being interviewed are those who have something to do with a event or person who share their experiences.  Interviews can provide additional context to a story especially if the person being interviewed has a unique connection to a person or event by sharing their perspective and experience which can help provide evidence.

These are the main conventions of a documentaries and people typically expect to see in an documentary. For example in Touching the void, the main conventions that are used are interviews, re-enacts and voice over. The two main people that were being interviewed are Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, the two men that went up Sulia Grande. They are the only two people who had the experience so interviewing them gives the audience the facts that will help them understand further.
The documentary uses re-enactments because there was no archival footage of the expedition so they used actors in order to show the audience what the men went through on their journey.

Touching the void uses a few conventions like Re-enactments and interviews 

In the 2011 documentary, Being Elmo which is about the journey of Sesame Street and Muppet puppeteer, Kevin Clash. From a young man with a dream of working for Jim Henson to becoming the person behind (or underneath) one of most popular children's characters in the world... Elmo. And throughout the documentary we see many connotations. For example we see many interviews from Kevin's family members, Muppet Performers such as Fran Brill and Marty Robinson and other people in Kevin's journey who each give their own perspective about Kevin  and allow for the story to progress. We also see lots of Archival Footage such as photos and clips of Kevin growing up and even later on in his journey showing TV reports of the Tickle Me Elmo craze. They use archival footage in order to provide additional context to what they are talking about.
Being Elmo also uses narration, Whoopi Goldberg is the voice of God who we do not see but will be used to help guide us through the narrative of Kevin's life.

These Two documentaries are both very different although they do have some similarities.  Both documentaries use interviews. These documentaries use interviews in order to get the imput who know something about an event or person. In the case of touching the void, they use interviews to get the perspective from the men that experienced it. As they were there and they are the only people that can give that input. But with Being Elmo there are lots of people who are interviewed. From puppeteers such as Fran Brill and Marty Robinson to Kevin's family such as his parents and his siblings.  Being Elmo  uses archival footage  in order to show previous tv shows Kevin had been on, pictures of his childhood, behind the scenes of sesame street. This has all been done to provide context to what is being spoken about. Touching The Void cannot do this as there was no footage taken during the expedition up the Sulia Grande so the film crew had to make a re-enactment of the events using the interviews as a guide. Here the film crew were able to recreate the events to tell the story using actors in order to give context to the documentary.

There are lots of different types of documentaries, these can be defined as modes and these are what you expect to find in certain types of a documentary.
Modes of Documentaries:

• Poetic Documentary: Is a documentary that uses a recurring theme rather than a set narrative, here the filmmaker will convey information through visuals, colour, mood and music. A poetic documentary takes the form of a montage and does not have a set structure. An advantage of a poetic documentary would be that it allows for the film maker to be creative however these documentaries can be vague as there is no visual or verbal communication. An example of a poetic documentary is Trail of Happiness.  It uses music and colourful visuals to tell a story. 
• Expository: Exposes a person or topic, often for an educational purpose such as a biography or factual nature program. These documentatries will use the voice of god (narration) to guide viewers through the program or film. David Attenborough documentaries are a type of Expository documentaries are easy for audiences to follow as they guided through by a narrator who presents them with fact however these films may not be well rounded as film makers can manipulate to provide a certain agenda or opinion.
• Reflective: The Film Maker acknowledges their presence. Here they act as a lense to what is being seen as well as aid and influence the audience. Louis Theroux often does this and his specials such as wild weekends and when Louis met series use this mode. Reflective Documentaries allows for critical thinking from the viewer and allows them to make up their own opinion based off of what they see.
  Preformative: Film Maker is the main focus of the documentary, they take part in a social experiment in order to find something out. Morgan Spurlock's SuperSize Me is a preformative documentary as Spurlock is the main focus of the documentary where he eats Mcdonalds for a month and uses his findings to come to a final conclusion. Preformative Documentaries allow for a unique perspective from the director however can be manipulated by director to be biased to the agenda they want to the audience to see. 
• Participatory: Film-maker collaborates and interacts with the subject of the documentary. The film maker is often seen on camera or behind it asking questions. Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine explores this mode. This mode of documentary can help make the audience feel more included. However can be biased. 
• Observation: Fim-maker does not disturb subject, no interviews or interaction with subject. David Attenborough does this in his documentaries. Observation documentaries can be unbiased as there is no own manipulating the audiences. 

I have decided to do my documentary on a blood condition called Polycythaemia Vera. It is a condition that I have had since 2017 and it is a little known condition as it is quite rare in young people and is commonly found in over 60's. 

And I would like to do this documentary in order top bring some more awareness to this condition. and throughout the documentary there will be interviews with people who know someone who has

Polycythaemia and how it has affected them.

Interviews can be used in documentaries for lots of different reasons. They are mainly used to provide a sense of realism and is more personal than a voice over or narration. Some times interviews are done in order to find out some research. This could be with a professional in a certain filed such as criminal investigation or medicine. Doing interviews can allow for these people to share their knowledge with the researcher or interviewer in order to make a documentary more accurate.

Documentary interviews can be used to inform the audience about something they do not know about an event or a person. For example in a documentary about criminal, the documentary crew could interview family or friends and they could inform the audience of evidence or information about that person that we did not know before. May be used by the filmmaker in order to try and change your perception of an event or that person. 

Documentaries can be used for emotional purposes as well. Many filmmakers may do this in documentaries that will try and make you feel something for a person. They will ask someone questions about a touchy subject in order to get an emotional reaction from them. This could be used when retelling an emotional event or when interviewing a controversial person like a politician. 

 When doing interviews it is important to use a variety of questions in order to get a variety of answers. Open ended questions are the best type of questions to ask in order to get a better answer from someone. Open Ended questions allow for descriptive answers rather than a yes or no answer. For example: What did you do during the summer?

• Whereas Closed Questions don't allow for descriptive answers. They are useful if you want a limited response such as yes or no answers. For Example: Do you like pizza? 
• Single Questions -  Are questions directly based on a topic. These are done in short interviews such as vox pops when you only need them to answer an important question. This way you get a unique set of answers. For Example- What is Christmas? Here you can get a variety of answers and opinions. 
• Multiple Questions- Require more than one answer. These questions help you find out much more about an interviewee. For example What did you have for lunch? and did you enjoy it? 
• Direct Questions- When you get straight to the point of a question. This helps the interviewee get straight to the point of an answer. Often used to try to get a reaction from someone 
• Leading questions - leads an interviewer straight into a topic. helps the interviewer move the interviewee into another topic, by answering a quick, easy question about the subject

Interviews can be informal or formal. 

An informal interview can allow the interviewee can move around freely while performing normal daily tasks such as cooking if the interviewee is a chef. Because it is informal you will see the interviewee at there most commutable because it feels like they are having a conversation. The disadvantage of it is that lighting, or sound can be very unpredictable 

Formal interviews sits or stands in a specific location (usually off camera) for the entire duration of the interview. The interview also takes place in somewhere the interviewee feels most comfortable. This way the interviewee feels comfortable and at ease so it will be easier getting better answers from them

My Documentary is about a little known blood disorder called Polycythemia Vera, which a chronic slowing growing blood disorder where the bone marrow produces too many red bloods cells. It can also produce too many white blood cells or platelets. It is a very rare condition that can affect anyone but is commonly found in people over 60. I have a fair amount of experience with this condition as I was diagnosed with it back in the summer of 2017. When I was just 14.
And as it is not that well known, I have decided to make a documentary on it and the affects of living with  Polycythemia Vera as the person living with and the people who affects such as family members

I decided to watch a mini documentary based around a person who is also suffering with Polycythemia. This documentary is about a women called Taja who was diagnosed with Polycythemia at age 27.

This documentary has been made in order to capture what everyday live for Taja and how Polycythemia affects it. It is a very powerful film that captures how much Polycythemia can affect her life. The purpose of the documentary is for you to understand that life with PV is tough and they successfully do this through the conventions that the filmmakers use. This documentary uses voice over, interviews and re-enactment as the main conventions in this film. They use voice over and interviews with Taja to give it a personal feel and so you can understand how she really feels. This documentary ulitiles music brillaintly to give emotion and make you understand how Taja is feeling, and this music choice allows for the viewer to feel sorry for her.
The Visual cut aways, are not always related to what Taja is talking. will be talking about Polycythemia and how it affects her, however the visuals will be her hanging out with her parents or at work which has been used toshow to the audeince that it does not affect Taja from being a normal person who continues to live her life as normal.
I have decided I want my documentary to follow in a similar pattern and the message to be that an illness like this should not stop you from living your life as normal.
This documentary about Taja, explores what she goes through with Polycythemia. For example she suffers pain in her day to life, this is smething that is different to me. I do not experience pain so finding this out has allowed for me to udertand that not every polycythemia sufferer will go through the same things  so watching this has given me an understanding that each persons story will be unique and I want to showcase that in my own documentary.

In order to get practise for my actual documentary, I interviewed my mum on the subject of Polycythemia. As a nurse for nearly 30 years my mum has dealt with hundreds of patients over the years. However she had never dealt with Polycythemia so when i was diagnosed in 201, it was a learning curve for her as well.

How Creative Choices Affect Our Perceptions

In media, many things can be used to create meaning or present a message to an audience and each director or filmmaker will put their own unique spin on these things in their film, documentary or television program. The things they could use include the micro-elements, macro-elements, conventions or modes of documentary. Filmmakers will often use more than one of these creative choices to present something to the audience and this essay will explore how those choices affect audience perception.

Filmmakers may use conventions in their documentaries in order to change or affect an audience perception. A convention is something that an audience member will expect to find or appear in a form of media such as a documentary. A specific type of convention is an interview. Interviews are a common type of convention where the filmmaker can speak directly to someone who is directly connected to an event or person. Here the person can tell their side of the story and the documentarian can use this in order to create his film. Filmmakers will know going into an interview what they want from their interviewee and each film maker makes are they are well prepared for their interview. “Being prepared should mean knowing exactly what role that person should be playing in your film” (Anderson-Moore 2014) and this shows that each film maker will use each interview in order to create a perception of an event or person and that can be either positive or negative. Film makers may use the interviews in order to create a biased opinion by only having positive or only having negative opinions appear in the documentary. They do this in order to change an audience perception. Also interviews can be used to provide additional context or evidence to a story which can be very helpful for film makers who may be trying to push a certain agenda on a topic and will use this additional information to further emphasise their point and to try and push their bias in order to try and change the opinion or perception of the audience

Another convention that may be used is archival footage. Archival footage, also known as stock footage is material obtained from a film library and is inserted into a film for additional context or evidence of something that the camera crew cannot capture footage.  Archival footage can often be photographs, home videos and letters that can all be used in a film in order to tell a story or present more evidence.

For example, the 2011 sports documentary Senna, explores the career of the Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna only uses talking heads to make its film. This happened because Ayrton Senna died in 1994 at the age of 34 so they could not capture any footage of Senna at the time that the documentary was made in 2010. Filmmaker Kevin MacDonald said “I wanted to make it like a drama. The worst thing would have been to make a slow film about formula one” (MacDonald 2012). Because they did not have to film anything, the filmmakers could use the archival footage and cut it in a specific way in order to create a bias. Here they can change audience perception and get them to accept what the film maker is showing them as the truth.

Another way that creative choices can affect perception is through the mode of documentary that the filmmaker uses. Modes, is a concept developed by American documentary theorist Bill Nichols, that seeks particular traits and conventions in documentaries. Nichols stated that there are six modes: Poetic, expository observational, reflective, performative and participatory. These modes are all unique ways to create a documentary however, they do share some similarities and can all be used to tell a story.

Performative, is a mode of documentary. This is where the filmmaker takes part as the main subject in the documentary to try and find something out to present as facts or evidence for an experiment.  Performative documentaries allow for the audience to gain a unique perspective from the eyes of director.

An example of a performative documentary is Super-Size Me. Super-Size Me is a 2004 documentary staring director Morgan Spurlock where he only eats McDonalds every day for an entire month. This film gives us a unique perspective from Morgan Spurlock and everything he does effects the outcome of the film. The film explores the impact McDonald’s food can have on a person’s body and we also see how it affects Spurlock’s weight and health, which increased rapidly throughout the month and his health got worse, Doctors warned Spurlock that his “Liver would turn to pate” (Spurlock 2004) if he continued to eat McDonald’s throughout the month  . Also, because we are seeing things through the perspective of Spurlock, he can manipulate the outcome in order to present something as fact or evidence to audience when in reality it may not be the truth and he’s done it to change audience perceptions of McDonald’s food, It also evokes an emotional response from the audience to seeing what McDonald’s food has done to Spurlock’s body and how it could impact their own health if they continue their current eating habits.

In conclusion, there are many ways that a filmmaker can use to change audience perception and although a film maker may want us to understand one thing the audience may interpret it another way due to their own personal understanding of the subject matter.

Anderson-Moore, O. (2014). What I Learned After Conducting 40+ Interviews for My First Feature Documentary. [online] No Film School. Available at: https://nofilmschool.com/2014/08/what-i-learned-after-interviews-first-documentary, Benzine, A. (2012). Archive Masterclass: The making of “Senna”. [online] Realscreen.com. Available at: https://realscreen.com/2012/02/13/archive-masterclass-the-making-of-senna, Burkeman, O. (2004). Interview: Super Size Me director Morgan Spurlock. [online] The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/jul/16/foodanddrink.shopping.