TE

Techniques in Documentary Film

What is documentary film? : Documentary films are non-fictional films meant to document reality, usually to educate, instruct, document events, and more recently, to entertain.

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In order to achieve the purpose of a documentary film, there are various techniques that a director may utilize. These are known as %%persuasive techniques%% and are used to elicit a particular reaction from the viewer.

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The persuasive techniques can be split into 4 categories:

  1. What viewers see
  2. What viewers hear
  3. What viewers read
  4. The organization

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What Viewers See

  • Primary Footage
    • scenes shot/created by the filmmaker specifically for the film (think of location, interviews, re-enactments)
  • Secondary Footage
    • scene shot by other filmmakers that is gathered and used by the documentarian
  • Still Images
    • Photographs instead of videos

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What Viewers Hear

  • Dialogue
    • Communication between 2 or more people.
    • Conversational in wording.
  • Narration
    • Single speaking individual that tells the story or ads context to what is being seen. Sometimes the individual speaking is seen, others they are not.
  • Diegetic Sounds
    • Any sound that the character(s) or individuals can physically hear. Originates within the video or film’s world. (voices, background, an instrument)
  • Non-diegetic sounds
    • Any sound the audience can hear but the characters/individuals on screen cannot. Generally added in during post-production (narration,score, effects)

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What Viewers Read

  • Subtitles
    • add additional information to images
  • Graphics
    • images, charts, graphs, that add additional information to spoken words

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The Organization

  • Sequence
    • How events unfold
    • The order of the film elements presented
  • Transitions
    • Video and audio techniques that filmmakers use between film elements
  • Cohesiveness
    • Consistent look and feel given to the entire film

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