Following from the research into documentary formats History and Development of Documentaries and origins I have decided to choose the expository format. Next step is to research into expository documentaries, I have used Bill Nichols’ book, Representing Reality. Bill Nichols is a famous, well known documentary theorist and lecturer that has written many books about documentaries. I have done research on the expository mode because the documentary I am making will be expository.

Expository documentaries are to educate an audience and want to know and satisfy. These type of documentaries are heavily researched and sometimes referred to essay films because they educate events and life and issues in the world some people didn’t know much about. These documentaries include interviews, illustrative visuals, graphics and photos, a narrator, voice over and archive. The narration organises and presents the documentary and presents whilst the filmmaker does not appear on camera.

Exposition documentaries usually addresses the audience directly with the narration of the voice and titles on screen. For example, Night Mail and The City which employs a ‘voice of god’ commentary. In my documentary, I will be using a voiceover with titles on the screen. which will address my audience.

The expository mode usually raises ethical issues of voice of how the text speaks conclusive or dispassionate. They will sometimes ask ethical, political, ideological questions which I will use a lot in my documentary especially when it comes to the more emotional parts in my documentary for example, when I come to talking about the down sides of Liverpool when raising awareness for homelessness, migration or displacement that people in Liverpool suffer with.

Interviews are often used it expository documentaries but they tend to support an argument offered by the documentary via the voice over or on camera on camera voice who speaks on behalf of the text. They are used to make the argument and support it or provide evidence for what the commentary addresses.

The viewers of expository documentaries will usually expect the expository text to talk place around the solution to a problem – presenting news and exploring. Rather than the suspense of solving a mystery, the expository documentary frequently builds a sense of dramatic involvement around the need for a solution.

Nichols, B. (2010). Representing reality. Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana Univ. Press.

Frank Carlyle is a historian from Liverpool who is also a BBC Merseyside Radio presenter and lecturer. He attended Liverpool University and studied Ancient History – Roman Empire / Westward Enterprise. He talks about the history of Liverpool on his radio.

He also has a bus tour he does around Liverpool and takes the people around different parts and talks about the history including buildings, statues, cathedrals, the library and many more which he does every year and always gets really good feedback like the one below.

I have messaged Frank for some more information about his career and what he has achieved and he has sent me this.

I am using him as my main talking head throughout my documentary who will be my anchorage as I will be using his information and what he says to put my documentary together and once that is done, I will be able to put together my voice over script. He will be on and off the camera so he will be used as a voice over as well when I put some archival footage over what he is saying.

He is a historian so I can use all the information he gives me to get my footage and what I need for the rest of the documentary. I will be behind the camera asking him the questions but I will not be heard or seen.

I have looked at the documentary techniques and they include montages, expositions, voice overs, direct and indirect interviews, archival footage, wallpaper technique. I will talk about how the techniques are used in documentaries and how I will be able to apply them in my own work when it comes to filming, planning and editing.

Voice over in documentaries are commentaries by the filmmaker, while the camera is filming or has been added to the soundtrack during the production.  This helps the filmmakers speak directly to the audiences and offers information, explanations and opinions. A voice over doesn’t always directly relate to the text that appears on the screen and the narrator does not usually read the text but the narrators job is to support what is viewed on screen.

The voiceover’s job in my project will be to introduce the documentary to my audience and it will also introduce the contributors who will appear right throughout in the documentary. My voiceover will support what is being shown on screen but also will give some facts on the different segments in the documentary. For example, when I introduce the music part, I will mention some facts when doing this so the audience already have an idea of what will be spoken about.

Archival footage is material obtained from library and inserted into a documentary to show historical evens and helps add detail to what the narrator or interviewee  is talking about without additional filming.

If I am to use archival footage in my work, it will be over the history parts in the interviews. If I use archival footage, I will have to get the owners permission or I will have to get it copyright free. When I interview my grandad, I will ask him if he has any images from when he was younger and in Anfield so I can use them and have him sign a permission form.

Direct and indirect interviews are very common in documentaries. It allows people being questioned to speak directly about the events by answering the questions asked by the filmmaker. The interview may take place on or off the screen. Interviews in documentaries give the audience a sense of realism, that the documentary maker’s views are mutually shared by another person or source.

I will have interviews right throughout my documentary which will all be direct interviews asked by me behind the camera. Each interview will be on different things such as a musician will talk about the music in the city, a historian on the history of the city and man artist in the art of the city. They will all give information on different segments in the documentary – this also helps break up the voiceover speaking all the time.

A montage sequence conveys ideas visually by putting clips into a certain order in different parts of the film. Narrative montages involve in the planning of the sequence of shots used to indicate changes and time and place.

A different positioning of shots conveys different ideas to the viewers. Like a montage including a negative theme follow by a positive theme may gibe the viewer the idea that the positive theme might be the main part of the montage.

Montages in documentaries usually link with what the narrators are saying, this visual representation of the characters thoughts helps the viewer in the story and understand what the character is saying.

A photo montage is used in the same fashion but uses pictures instead and a voice over supports it.

A montage in my documentary will be used at the beginning of the documentary, in between the scenes to break them up and also over the voice over which helps let the audience know that the topic is changing and gives the audience a visual representation of what is being talked about.  This will be played under the voice over so that there isn’t a blank screen either.

Exposition in a documentary occurs at the beginning and introduced the main themes and events of the film. It is important because it gives the viewers their first impression and introduces the audience to the content.

Whsd.net. (2019). [online] Available at: https://www.whsd.net/userfiles/1441/Classes/54973/DOCUMENTARY%20FILM%20TECHNIQUESx.pdf [Accessed 22 Mar. 2019].