Documentaries

The purpose of a documentary is to report a topic with evidence. The point of a documentary is to use actual footage, or a reconstruction to tell the narrative of something that has actually happened. Narrators are often used to anchor the meaning to the images or footage used on the screen. The creators of documentaries often say that they are problematic. A quote from John Corner states that "what distinguishes documentary is the portrayal of the recorded sound and image of actuality". 

Documentaries rely on facts and there are always experts included who are there to give vital statistics. These experts are important to the investigation of a topic that is carried out throughout the documentary. Parts of documentaries are also staged, this is because cameras need to be set up a certain way for interviews or people need to be dressed a certain way to use the blue screen. When documentaries are constructed, they don't always need analysis to convey an opinion. Good documentaries have a balanced argument, and most documentaries are based upon current affairs such as historical, social and religious affairs. 


There are tensions between documentaries as art and documentaries reported. It has been argued by many documentary makers that documentaries should be about topic and not about the style of presentation. However, there are always some element of fiction included in documentaries which make them more entertaining. This can include reconstructions, how it's edited and staged. John Grierson was a scottish documentary maker who coined the term 'documentary' to describe a non fiction film in 1926.  He made some important documentaries such as "housing problems" and "cold face" which were both shown at the cinema because the television wasn't invented.   
  

                          

Documentaries are no longer popular on TV, at least not as much as other shows. However, some documentaries such as panorama are successful because they are able to reach their target audience by being played on prime time. Documentaries which include investigated journalists are sometimes quite controversial because they oppose the government. This means that they companies will sometimes refuse to take on these documentaries because they don't want the controversy. All documentaries should have images or footage of lived experience (archive footage) and interviews because it's not just about the facts. Facts are used to back up arguments and allow the audience to draw conclusions.

Current affairs programmes are documentaries that are mixed with the news. An example of a current affairs programme is Channel 4's dispatches. The point of this programme like other current affairs programmes is to discuss things of the moment and be topical. They are only 30 minutes long, because if they are any longer then they would be documentaries. Another popular current affairs programme is Trevor McDonald, who explores weighty issues. Sensationalism is used in current affairs programmes.