1. Characteristics of a Documentary
Please copy into the Class Notes section of your notebook.

2. What is a documentary?
Definition: An informational documentary is a non-fiction film without actors. Typically, it is a journalistic record of an event, person, place or phenomenon. Its purpose is to convey factual data.
An effective documentary should be…
Compelling ‰
Based on facts.
Has a point of view, but does not try to persuade… or does it?
Entertaining ‰
Engages the audience with a variety of media, such as narration, text, interviews, photographs, dramatizations, or music. ‰
Holds audience interest.
Based on facts ‰
Uses and cites data from reliable sources. ‰
Does not rely on rumors or unsupported opinions.

3. What makes a documentary a documentary???

4. Observation (fly on the wall):
Putting the audience in a role of eyewitness where the camera appears to be unseen. Indirect address to the audiences, i.e. speech overheard is a common factor of this en-scene observation.

5. Interview:
Use interviews to make a contrast between observation sequences.
Structured in two ways:
Intercut fragments of observations
Completely uninterrupted sequence

6. Dramatization:
Even though all documentaries use a sense of drama, it is specifically used to portray people and events the filmmaker cannot gain access to in real life (this is not so much the case with Making a Murderer).
These sequences are said to be based on fact.

7. Mise-en-Scene
Literally what the director(s) and producer(s) put into the frame.
For example, lighting and props in an interview.

8. Exposition: The line of argument which is what the film is saying.
Sequences that lead the audience to make their own conclusions.

9. Documentary vs. “Mockumentary”