Friday 22 July 2011

The Purpose of a Documentary




Documentaries are non-fictional stories that are usually narrated by a single individual. The purpose of a documentary is not to develop a fictional story, but essentially to tell a realistic and true story by presenting facts and interviews with professionals. A documentary must be given a purpose, whether it is to teach, inform or entertain. The documentary must fulfil this goal. Most documentaries present a one-sided argument, however, in my documentary; I plan to challenge the codes and conventions by presenting a two-sided debate. The topic covered must provide proof and evidence to support each argument, in order to provide a realistic picture to the audience on a topic they may be unfamiliar with. There are many codes and conventions frequently used in documentaries including, voiceover narration, real life footage, interviews with professionals and realism. The codes and conventions all contribute to making the documentary appear more realistic and true when exploring an unfamiliar topic, which is the primary purpose of a documentary.

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