The Interview stage is a key part of any factual media product as it is the view of a professional or someone who is involved with the subject matter.
A good interview consists of the interviewee and interviewer sitting level with the interviewer sat at the right or left of the camera, thus the interviewee is looking at them and not directly at the camera. The interviewer must be clear when asking questions and mustn't interrupt the reply. They must ensure they look interested in the answers they are given.
When using a set list of questions, it is good to give the interviewee and idea of what is going to be asked so they can prepare answers. It is worth having many questions, as you may not use them all, but it means there is plenty of footage to use.
Also, it is essential to think about where the interview is, including background and surroundings. This includes lighting and sound.
Bill Nichols developed a classification of what he called 'documentary modes' during the 1980's and 90's. Each mode can be used to produce a particular style and to recieve particular reactions:
Poetic: This uses music and narration to produce a light hearted style like in 'Nightmail'.
Expository: This uses a narrator in a 'voice of authority' style while describing the representation of reality that is shown on screen. This is often used in programmes like 'Blue Planet' and 'Panorama'. David Attenborough is often a narrator for these style of programme.
Observational: This is the 'fly on the wall' technique used by reality TV shows and in Direct Cinema. 'Big Brother' use this to represent the housemates. This is by using hand-held shots and using an actuality film-making style of leaving the camera to film the unfolding events.
Interactive: This is the mode used in 'Supersize Me' and 'Catfish' as the film-makers interact with the audience and characters represented in the film. It is produced in a video log style with the film-maker telling the story.
Reflexive: This is often used by Errol Morris as it concentrates on the interview process in a confessional style and is more about the making of the documentary than the subject.
Performance: This is slightly 'Reflexive' but reduces 'Objectivity' and is viewed negatively. This mode is used in the work of Michael Moore who is known for producing highly controversial documentaries.
Documentaries are often led by the individual's personal view on the matters they are making a documentary about. Most film-makers try to be objective, meaning they are only showing the facts as they are and not mediating it influenced by feelings or opinions about the facts. Historical documentaties are very good at this as they try to be impartial. However, as most documentaries are about matters which cause emotional attatchment, many makers are subjective and influenced by their views on the issues.
Sometimes documentarians manipulate the representation of characters to make the audience dislike or like an individual.This can make the viewers side with the film-maker and agree with the point of view. For example, in this scene of Bowling for Columbine the clip is edited to show the shots of Michael Moore getting a weapon when he has filled out the form showing it as a fast and easy process with not a lot of checks when really the footage will have been cut down to emphasise these key points.
There are many ethical concerns for documentaries from whether the material is 'fake' or misleading, to whether it is morally right to represent a subject as seemingly unilliterate or as a bad person and did they have informed consent for the footage to be used in that way.
For example, Jade Goody was represented as a racist contestant on Big Brother but this escalated and she was shown as a monster. However, after it was revealed she had cancer, she was shown in a positive way by using clips of her battle with it and all the events she managed.
Documentaries are a representation of reality and are constructed as they cannot just point a camera at someone and expect them to behave naturally (unless they are a single celled organism with no brain or a vegetable). A good example of this is the Lumiere Brothers collection of films as the people in the clips respond to being recorded.
There films were "actuality" style in which a camera was left to capture events that happened over time. Notable films are 'Workers leaving the factory' and 'un train arrivee.'
However, as we as humans react when a camera is placed noticeably in front of us and change our behaviour, it poses the question can you really capture reality?
Documentary film-makers have many approaches they can take to create the effect they desire. This can be narration and having the film-maker as part of the story to make it a more personal approach. Interviews are a key part of an approach as this is an account by a reliable source (which can be done in a confessional style). Other parts of the approach can be use of archive footage, photos and music to add to the story.
The documentarians have the ability to choose what is appropriate for the statement they want to make using the codes and conventions I have outlined in 'What is likely to be in a Documentary'. Using these, they can sculpt the narrative into whatever they want to, even by using staged scenes or re-constructions and then editing the clips into short fast paced scenes to emphasise key parts of the narrative.
The description of these factual films as a documentary first derived when John Grierson called Robert Flaherty's, 'Nanook of the North (1922) as "a creative interpretation of reality". Grierson was head of GPO film unit in England in the 1930's and often used a "poetic-realist" approach to documentary.
'Nightmail' is one documentary that used this approach produced by the GPO using it to show the London to Edinburgh overnight postal train. It used some music and narration which caused much debate over this kind of editing but Grierson argued it was the new "poetic" style.
With the cold war looming, a new major development in documentary took off in the USA during the 1950's and 60's, it was called 'Direct Cinema'. It presented social and political issues in a direct, unmediated way using the 'as if you were there' point of view. Through this breakthrough, new advances in technology rocketed as camera's that were smalled and lighter and used less film stock were developed.
At the same time as "Direct Cinema", "Cinema Verite" was a movement happening in France that also used a seemingly direct view but used a minimalist style. Jean Roach, an important documentarian used this style in the 60's. But the same style has been used in fictional drama films such as 'Kes (1969)' directed by Ken Loach.
This technique is also used in modern times to create "Mockumentaries" which make humorous events seem 'real'. Larry Charles in known for using this method when following Sacha Baron Cohen's various characters.
Today, people still debate over whether a documentary is completely truthful when claiming to be so.
Over recent years, starting in the 1980's, new breakthrough documentary styles have developed such as the hybrid 'Prankster Cinema' which uses similar themes to 'Mockumentary'; performance, art, slapstick and satire. This is where unsuspecting subjects are pranked and their reactions are viewed by the audience for comedy value. Other new styles developed are ones which use interrogation in interviews which Errol Morris uses in 'Fog of War'. In 'Supersize Me' Morgan Spurlock put himself at risk to make a point which Yaniv Schulman does in 'Catfish'.
In documentary, it is crucial that editing is done correctly and that the editor has manipulated the form of reality the viewers see to make the point of view clear and to make it interesting to watch.
The editor's will use various techniques to do this, like zooming in to capture certain details and choosing when it is appropriate to give certain information, thus making it a shock when it is revealed and manoeuvring the audiences thoughts to agree with the creators. Also A-roll is used for interview footage and B-roll for any other related footage to make the documentary a pleasure to watch.
For example, in 'Bowling for Columbine,' Michael Moore uses shots of news clips are used to show the public view of Marilyn Manson in which the media is represented as an angry mob and then he is interviewed and he is potrayed as a 'nice guy' who is calm and collected, contradicting the manipulated media's view and making the audience sympathise with him.
Moore does this by using fast paced editing and the most heated discussions from the news about the goth scene, music and Marilyn Manson and then using a laid back interview with the musician himself.
A documentary filmmaker will make his/her point of view (Overall opinion) on a matter clear through editing a piece focusing on highlighting there interpretation of the situation by attacking other views using clever manipulation of footage.
A way in which something is usually done, esp. within a particular area or activity.
Behaviour that is considered acceptable or polite to most members of society.
There are several different conventions commonly used in documentaries.
Here are a few:
Point of View; bias yet it is mainly clear what the view of the maker is. This is done to get their point across to the audience using strong and interesting premise. This is generally what Michael Moore uses in many of his documentaries to make his point extremely clear such as in Fahrenheit 9/11.
Presentation of facts; by interviewing experts on the subject matter and using archive footage and photographs. This is used in most documentaries and factual films.
Manipulated editing and framing; to create clear meaning to show the producers P.O.V. This can be disjointed to create suspense by concealing the outcome and choosing when information is revealed.
Poor sound/lighting and Hand Held Camera; to add a sense of realism, like the viewers are in the moment in the constructed interpretation of reality. 'Catfish' uses this in the film to make it a more personal approach.
Voice over/presenter; to explain the events unfolding or to put themselves into the situations to make their point known in a drastic way. (See clip above).
Music; is sometimes used to emphasise moments and dramatise the events on screen. For example, on make-over programmes when the person is revealed to the changes, dramatic music is generally played along with reaction shots.
Overall, the documentary uses select codes and conventions to convince an audience to take their side BUT more often than not they ensure that the argument is balanced to make it a fair judgement.
"In feature films the director is God; in documentary films God is the director." - Alfred Hitchcock
So just what is a factual programme?
The clue - as they say - is in the name. It is a programme filmed to convey real life. These were inspired by the first actuality films from the late 1800's. The Lumiere Brothers' films are a perfect example of this:
Documentary first became what it is today from John Grierson naming the first feature length factual film, 'Nanook of the North' a "Creative Interpretation of Reality" in which he meant it was the closest to the real thing Robert Flaherty could've achieved as it was obvious some scenes had to be re-created or staged to show this. From this, Grierson felt this type of film needed to be classified, he called it... Documentary. This is a non-fictional representation of reality that has an obvious point of view communicated to an audience.
There are many types of factual programme and genres of documentary:
NewsDiscussion
ReviewChat Show
WildlifeDocu-Drama
EducationalDocumentary
Special InterestDocu-Drama
MakeoverMagazine
Mockumentary
The recent hybrids in documentary is 'Prankster Cinema' This combines documentary, performance art, slapstick and satire. These are usually made to highlight a point of view about something in an extreme way through humour. Reality TV is another recent hybrid using 'fly on the wall' perspective. A good example is 'Big Brother' which uses the idea of the media is always watching you to see how people react to each other in a contained environment.
