Documentaries

Documentaries attempt to bring real life into people’s homes. Although the film is carefully edited the characters in the films are not actors and often portray themselves. The narrator/ voice over describes the film as it plays, putting opinions, often in a humorous way into what can be a very serious visual.

The word documentary has its roots in the Latin word ‘docere’ which means to teach or instruct. The word was first used by John Grierson who is known as the founder of the classic British documentary movement from the 1930s. He coined the phrase ‘creative treatment of actuality.’ The documentary is one of the earliest sorts of films known as ‘actuality films.’ Propaganda films were also early forms of documentary often portraying people such as Hitler as a Hero.

Today, the documentary film is very popular. To make a documentary film there needs to be a message or artistic point of view. The film maker may try the ‘fly on the wall’ or observational style .Recording a documentary is not about pointing a camera at a real situation but it is a demanding process of recording, selecting and editing.


Although the viewer feels like the real life scene is unfolding and happening in front of them, the raw footage could be shot out of order. It is then cut and edited in a specific way for a particular style whether to shock, inform or humour the audience.

Sometimes the TV documentary uses professional actors to re-enact scenes in order to make the viewer understand how something may have happened.

My taste in documentaries is varied. I particularly like the role that comedy dialogue and a tongue in cheek manner can put over a serious subject.

Dom Jolly’s Happy Hour is a prime example of this. They make fun of clichéd documentary styles by adding humorous montages (see video below) and add witty comments throughout. As a ‘Brit’ and a presenter from another country he is able to poke fun at other cultures without offending the interviewee. This has a similar premise to Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Borat’ film.



I also enjoy Louis' style of presenting in ‘Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends’ as it can be both obtrusive and innocent at the same time when interviewing subjects.


They take serious subjects and inject humour and often elements of sarcasm into the programme which is obviously is a great mix due to the programmes’ success.

I also like the way the camera is known to the audience unlike any other type of film making. The camera and its crew are obvious in the shots making the filming process and subject feel especially real. Documentaries such as this really involve the audience. Small comments to camera makes the audience feel like they are with the character like Louis or Dom and are in on the joke really giving a sense harmony between the audience and the programme.


I also like nature and travel documentaries like Ray Mears - bushcraft, Coast, Life on Earth, Globe Trekker. I love travel series such as Long Way Round and Long Way Down that take you on a journey to places that you wouldn’t usually be able to go to visit. The documentary also contains a story element that unfolds weekly really making the viewer yearn for more. The audience gets to know the narrators and characters in the documentary and follow their intimate journey as it unfolds making them feel part of the journey without even leaving their settee, lovely!


Dom Jolly's Happy Hour - Belgium


Check out Ray Mears here
Check out Globe Trekker here
Check out Long Way Down here
Check out Long Way Round here
Check out Dom Jolly here
See Dom Jolly's Happy Hour in Prague here
Check out Louis Theroux here

The Pitch - 12th March 2009

The writing of the pitch focussed our minds on making our subject interesting, engaging and to show that we had thought through our ideas clearly.
We divided our pitch into sections for us each to read out. This injected pace into the reading.

I put over the fact that the number of foreign workers entering Britain may be sparking greater support for the British National Party which is the central focus in our programme. I also explained in the pitch how we were going to use interviews as well as statistics in our film.

In our pitch we tried to get over the fact that although this subject is very topical and has been aired before, our video will be different because we will be getting up to the minute views of the public, locally in Bath. We will bring a new dimension to the subject because it will be produced by young people and it will portray this section of society’s views. We also aim to make this current, as we will be visiting a public meeting about the recession that I saw advertised in the University.

I think that our pitch went well and I am looking forward to working on my role which will be collecting archive footage, taking notes at the public meeting, finding archive and current newspaper research, recording and editing suitable music for the video.

Making A Video Project - Ideas

We began with our first production meeting where we brainstormed ideas for the documentary video project. We discussed several ideas such as the increase of tattooing in society, healthy eating and people’s opinions about food. The idea I was particularly interested in was the prevalence of diabetes in our country. I wanted to make a film about this as I am type one diabetic and often personal experiences make for the most interesting documentaries. However, on this occasion it was decided by the group that Rich had come up with an interesting documentary idea which would raise a question about the recent recession by asking ‘Are we becoming a more nationalistic country due to recession?’ We want to make a documentary that is relevant to today.

This will involve looking at past recessions by reviewing archive footage, researching current newspaper articles, interviewing the public by means of vox pops and supplementing the narrator led video with facts and figures.
Hannah drew up a production schedule in order to organise our time efficiently which details tasks for pre and post production to ensure tight scheduling and a clear overview of the whole project.

My initial reaction to this idea was not very positive, but the more I have researched the subject through newspaper articles, talking to people over fifty about previous recessions I am now quite enthusiastic about the video that we will make.

Soundscape Video

Above is a video I made using the visual feedback from a camera pointed at a television. I then added effects and re-edited the piece.

London Broadcast Video Expo

I went to London to attend the Broadcast Video Expo in Earls Court. This was interesting as we got to see a lot of the new technologies that were emerging within the industry. Businesses were competing for customers and attracting them with freebies. A lot of business types were there mingling exchanging cards and chatting over the newest gear. I was particularly interested in the 3d film cameras and the new Digital SLR cameras that were coming out.

A fabulous array of digital mixers was also to hand which was overwhelming at the best of times. I’m sure it would have been a more fulfilling visit if I actually knew what half the stuff did. On the other hand I had a great time listening to the people sell the equipment and dipping into various talks on some of the new editing software. I also had a go on a few of the new HD cameras that were out which was fun although all we had to shoot at was a toy train track.


Everyone was fond of the 'Tricaster' which was actually "pretty neat" as the American presenter said himself. The 'Tricaster' is a portable live production software that allows the user to have different three dimensional backdrops in one area using a green screen. This means that instead of the presenter just sitting in a studio with a table and desk he/she can be in a variety of places at the touch of a button. This is perfect for small budget companies needing more than one set in a short amount of time.

I thought the day was enjoyable giving me a further insight into the recently developed technologies of the media industry.

See the Broadcast Video Expo page here