I learnt from research the different types of documentary filmmaking:
Cinema Vérité: was originally a "French film movement of the 1960s that showed people in everyday situations" (Britannica 2016). They often use handheld cameras for a more realist approach to the documentary. A Cinema verite approach means to capture the action in the most unobtrusive way. Also making it as unedited as possible with long takes and minimal commentary. My research taught me that the "Events are portrayed as they unfold, without having the presence of a camera influence those events" (Beach [no date]). An example is Dark Days (2000) where the use of handheld camera and showing people in everyday situations is seen throughout.
Docudrama: Docudrama "consist of films or television programs that are fictional reenactments of actual events or people’s lives" (Beach [no date]). An example of docudrama would be Catch Me If You Can (2002) where Leonardo DiCaprio reenacts a true story of Frank Abagnale. My research told me that filmmakers must attempt to recreate "appearance, language, and behaviors consistent with a particular historical period of culture" to convince the audience that the things actually happened.
Propaganda Documentary: An recent example of this would be the television series Making A Murderer (2015) where the directors Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos made the documentary "to promote a distorted or one-sided perspective to achieve certain goals." (Beach [no date]) The directors of this certain 'docuseries' are aiming to make people more aware of Steven Avery, who they believe was wrongly sentenced for murderer. The documentary has been criticsed for being biased. The documentary rarely supports the conviction, even though upon research into the series, it's clear the directors purposely missed out key evidence that made Avery look guilty.
My research directed me to Bill Nichols who developed six terms for six different styles of documentary filmmaking:
Poetic: They are fairly subjective documentaries and typically have a personal connection to the people involved. Poetic documentaries "emphasizes some aspects of the person’s life and presents these via music, camera shots and angles and the editing" (Williams 2013). It can also be presented quite artisticaly. An example of this would be 'SKATEISTAN: TO LIVE AND SKATE KABUL' which is told through personal accounts and is shot artistically with interesting camera angles and slow motion.
Observational Documentary: Often refered to as 'fly on the wall' documentary where the filmmaker is the observer. What is most important about this is that the "filmmaker is normally out of shot so they cannot influence what is happening" (Williams 2013). Example of this would be The Hunt (2015) which is presented by David Attenborough. The filmmakers observe animals from a distance and don't influence what happens.
Reflexive Documentary: My research taught me that reflexive documentary is "where the viewer is just as interested about how the film is constructed as they are the actual content" (Heffernan 2010) The TV series Catfish constantly shows the camera crew onscreen as they track the hosts. These documentaries feel more personal and the audience is hugely connected to the onscreen action. Nick Broomfield's Tales of the Grim Sleeper (2015) constantly shows the camera crew as they make the documentary.
Participatory Documentary: This is when the filmmaker has a heavy influence on the events show on screen. Super Size Me (2004) is an example of this, where the director and star Morgan Spurlock films his journey of only eating McDonalds for 30 days. The filmmaker is consciously making people aware of the affects of fast food and this is his aim throughout the documentary. The filmmaker depicts what story he tells and how.
Bibliography:
BEACH, Rick. [online]. http://www.tc.umn.edu/~rbeach/teachingmedia/module11/2b.htm
BURTON, Alex (2010). 6 Types of Documentary. [online]. https://collaborativedocumentary.wordpress.com/6-types-of-documentary/
DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING. (2016). [online]. http://filmschoolonline.com/sample_lessons/sample_lesson_documentary_filmmaking.htm
HEFFERNAN, Cissie (2010). Reflexive Documentaries. [online]. http://www.slideshare.net/cheffernan/reflexive-documentaries
WILLIAMS, Daniel (2013). Styles of Documentary. [online]. http://www.slideshare.net/Dan1401/6-types-of-documentary
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