Types of Documentaries

the Expository

the Observational

the Participatory

the Reflexive

the Poetic

the Performative

There are 6 main types of documentaries, each with their our conventions and styles. The main 6 are 

Expository Documentaries : These are documentaries which, as the name suggests, expose a topic or person. A convention of these types of documentaries is having a commentator who would speak over a series of pictures or clips and explain them directly to the audience. One of the ways this commentator would directly address the audience is by using rhetorical questions. These normally appeal to audiences by containing exclusive images or interviews, and by covering a topic that most people find quite interesting.

Observational Documentaries : These are documentaries in which the audience would follow a person or animal around and observe them naturally. In these documentaries the audience normally has no impact on the events. A popular documentary with strong observational aspects would be planet earth if it did not contain the commentating.

   

Participatory Documentaries : Participatory documentaries are documentaries in which the creators of the documentary do impact the events, and are usually the ones asking questions and conducting interviews, though their dialogue is normally cut out and the person interviewed would include the question in their answer to make up for the section that has been cut. A popular documentary in this type is 'Free to play'. 

Reflexive Documentaries : Here the creator is able to narrate and even show themselves in front of the camera. Most of these documentaries can revolve around the creation of that documentary and the journey to create it. These documentaries are seen as more personal as the filmmaker is usually accompanied by minimal crew, which brings the audience closer to them. These documentaries also focus on truthfulness and realism, usually using minimal editing and no special effects. Although they are usually truthful, it is not to say that the content is non-biased, as they can be greatly altered based on the opinions of the filmmaker

Poetic Documentaries : This seems to be the most abstract form of documentary, where the usual conventions such as commentary and continuity are not followed. Instead shots are usually included randomly to encourage the audience to form their own opinions about the 'inner meaning' of the text, 

Performative Documentaries : The mode of documentary is very closely related to the participatory mode though the filmmaker is not usually as involved as in participatory documentaries. Performative documentaries also attempt to present truths from the filmmaker's perspective rather than absolute truths.