Analyse genre: Documentaries

Documentary 

Typical Examples

Planet earth -2006
Life -2009
Life on earth -1979
The blue planet -2001
The life of mammals -2002 to 2003

I have picked a scene from the 2006 Planet Earth episode one (voiced by David attenborough).
In the genre of documentary the typical subject and layout of a documentary would be an animal watching one such as the example i have chosen Planet Earth and the other ones i have listed above. this genre is usually narrated by a well known person of this genre such as David attenborough or even ones voiced over by celebrities such as the South Pacific which was voiced by various different people. This particular documentary has various episodes which cover up a 50 minuet span. in the case of animal documentaries it takes a considerable amount of time to film due to certain rare findings of animals and unseen moments such as in the video below.There many different types of genre in documentary such as crime documentaries or story documentaries and even the animal documentaries i am using.

Planet earth :

Hungry polar bear surprises a seal - The Hunt: Episode 2 Preview - BBC One

In this scene David attenborough narrates how polar bares barely catch there pray and n the case of the polar bare we see he is extremely skinny due to not being to lucky with catching his pray. As it unfolds in the documentary David narrates every action taken by the polar bare such as when the clip start he starts telling us why he is so skinny this shows that he is informing use on whats going on and also why this is happening, the soul objective for a documentary is to inform us on hidden truths or things that we wouldn't know ourselves.In a way documentaries answer questions that we want to ask such as at the start of the clip we see a obviously skinny polar bare and because we have never seen this before these are things that the creators of documentaries thinks about and due to this they incorporate the answers this is why this type of documentary is purely information based.

People watch these types of documentaries because they want to know certain things and may see this as interesting also the way it is displayed such as graphics and film quality makes a big difference in what you watch for instance if you was watching it in bad quality you are most likely to just stop due to it maybe being blurry or poor sound quality and for documentaries such as this the sound and visual qualities have to be top notch.This is set in the antarctic due to that being the thing of topic at this point in time in the documentary. In a documentary you are telling someones story or informing someone of something.

The main audience for this would be the aspirer this is due to it giving knowledge and information and the main goal for the aspirer is to succeed. older people would have been draw to this in the past and still are but now more teenagers and even some kids aged 10-12 are watching more animal based documentaries this is due to more and more people being intrigued by them. The overall age of the audience for these types of documentaries is around 15-50 this is so wide spread due to over the years more kids and teens are watching more shows/documentaries such as this one so the age gape of the audience keeps growing.

Planet earth :

Wolves hunting Caribou - Planet Earth - BBC

With this scene from Planet earth it shows a time laps effect this is used to show a long period of time in one short few second clip such as that scene may have taken hours to film but they sped it up and condensed it into mere seconds this is efficient in documentaries such as this because you may need to show a certain point in the filming to show what is going on but it may take long to do so they condense it to save time and because even though they may need to show it it could still be a small and insignificant part of the overall story.

in this they also used a helicopter to show a over head view of whats going on in the sequence this is also used to save time due to it taking a long time to do this on the ground. in this they used various panning shots to show how big a thing is such as in the case of the video it would be to show how wide spread the hard of caribou are.

In this genre of documentaries voice over is always used as they are unable to do it wail filming. The voice overs could be in person this is seen in the new planet earth 2 voiced by David attenborough.
In this series they use various camera angles and camera shots that are always changing to focus and un focus on specific events in the show.They have used various close up to make you feel as if you are there watching the animals your selves.

Rio Ferdinand

Typical examples of a Documentary:

Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum and Dad
Making a Murderer
An Idiot Abroad
Man on Wire
Planet Earth
Kurt and Courtney
The Secret


Rio Ferdinand's "Being Mum and Dad" is a 'one-off' documentary that explores Rio's life after the sudden death of his wife, leaving him alone, looking after three children of theirs. The show appeared on Tuesday at 21:00, after the British watershed, which possibly makes the documentary more realistic, as it is more likely that they will use footage that might not have been considered before the watershed. Throughout the episode, Rio would follow through a journey, and we, the audience, take on the role of watching how Rio copes from the loss. Some stories, more setbacks than anything, occur throughout the episode, making Rio's life harder, and making the task of being 'both parents' harder for him and his family.

From the very start of this scene, Rio has already used a technique that is widely used in documentaries. The blank 'stare' out into the wilderness signifies that he is looking out into the future, trying to see if there is happiness for him and his family, because at the moment, he has nothing due to his loss. The blank stare also shows the lack of emotion in him, as the grief has completely overtook all other emotions in his body. This is empathized by the facial expression after this, a blank stare downwards, towards the floor. This always creates an emotional feeling to the audience, as it appears that Rio is reflecting on his life, wondering if he made his wife, Rebecca, proud. But, the start of this clip is conventional in documentaries. Most of them start happily, and this one is no different. He describes his family, and then (along with the change of shot to a flashback) he drops the bombshell, and suddenly everything changes. The slow, piano music starts to get louder when he stops speaking and the text takes over, possibly signifying that Rio has no words for what has happened to his wife. The documentary appeals to the audience through personal identity. Although, hopefully, not many of the audience have lost a wife, we can position ourselves in such a way that we can relate to him, as we can imagine life without our loved ones, and suddenly we can feel his pain. By putting ourselves in Rio's position, we are then engaged in the media text. It could possibly be considered to be escapism, as we can take our mind of our life for the duration of the documentary. The use of shock tactics is also important, the audience is meant to be shocked about some of the storylines within the documentary, as it keeps us engaged in the journey that Rio is taking, and makes the audience more likely to continue watching until the end.

Documentaries like Rio's usually attract a Mainstreamer audience. Mainstreamers live in a world of the domestic and the everyday, a daily routine is necessary to Mainstreamers, and with most documentaries (albeit, not this one) being a series on weekly, they are more fitting to Mainstreamers. The target audience of this documentary is likely to be both male and female, in my opinion. Females are stereotypically usually more emotional, and sympathetic in times of despair, however Rio challenges the stereotype, as unconventionally, it is him who has come out, and he is proving that men can be emotional as well. It proves that men, without their partner, have a little piece missing inside them. It is likely to be an older audience, about 25-34 years old, who are being targeted by the documentary, as they are likely to have partners, and they are the ones who are, more than likely, personally identifying with the documentary, as they are of a similar age to Rio. The use of the children in the family is important, as this creates a 'bubble' around the target audiences age, as people who are outside the bubble (age group) can still personally identify with the documentary if they have children themselves. A traditionalist could possibly be a Lifestyle of the target audience, as they typically don't want things to change, they like things to be done in the old fashioned way. As documentaries started less than 100 years ago, Traditionalists would definitely be targeted by documentaries.

Documentaries

Documentaries 

The Insider

Examples

• An Idiot Abroad 
• Planet Earth 1 and 2 - David Attenborough
• Big Fat Gypsy Wedding
• Secret Life Of the Zoo 
• The insider 
• Making a Murderer
• Antique Roadshow

Format

Documentaries are split into series that contain many episodes or are a singular episode that run for longer and could be considered a documentary film. They usually run for 1-2 hours and are shown later in the day, depending on the content in them. Documentaries such as An Idiot Abroad or The insider are typically scheduled to be broadcast at night time after the watershed, because they feature more mature adult content, whereas The Secret Life Of the Zoo or Planet Earth are shown mainly early in the morning or throughout the day, because they can appeal to all ages. They normally provide factual content, but present them in different ways, for example they can be comedic to express information.

Appeals 

Documentaries can appeal to people in lots of different ways, such as some are factual and are about the world around us, appealing to peoples need to satisfy curiosity and this is because these programmes can provide answers for questions people have, while letting the audience escape. They can also recall historical events and be used as a way to educate people or appeal to the explorer and their need for discovery. Some documentaries like An Idiot Abroad are used to inform people through entertainment in a comedic way and therefore letting people escape and immerse into the show. Certain documentaries like Antique Roadshow use the same format when they are aired and follow the same narrative, leading to appealing to traditionalists who like things to stay the same. Being about real life and primarily providing information means that the conventional aspects of documentaries appeal to people, such as mainstreamers, as we can expect each episode to follow on from the previous one and develop the narrative further or the episodes may be completely isolated and not link together, but each one follows the same format and provide information for the audience.

Target Audience 
Documentaries usually have an underlying message of the world and how it is changing targeting at utopians who want to make the world a better place. They are also usually thought of having a more elderly audience, because they are more about informing and educating the audience, rather than entertaining them which would appeal to a younger audience. But, now documentaries have become so broad and varied they can attract lots of different types of audiences, depending on what they feature. On the whole, the genre is targeted towards the reformer and explorer, as they fulfil the need for enlightenment and discovery, even though documentary topics are now very widespread.

Opening Sequence 
The opening sequence for An Idiot Abroad is panning shots of the seven wonders of the world. This iconography is instantly recognisable, informing the audience of where the documentary will be set and showing them that it is about travel. It uses a deep male voice over accompanied with dramatic music to emphasise that documentaries are usually serious and factual. After this, both audio elements stop to further tell the audience that this documentary doesn't follow typical conventions as the protagonist Carl doesn't want to part take in the journey or documentary. The quick cuts of Carl in the different countries show the audience that the programme is action packed and full of content, also highlighting the some of the best bits giving them a sense of what to expect, for example comedy, as well as learning about different culture and religion.

Setting
This documentary is set in a different each showing, usually a completely different country and part of the world to the previous episode. Carl is seen interacting with people who live in these different places and this is where he part-takes in daily rituals and activities that they do. Through this, the audience are entertained through his negative attitude and outlook on life, while being educated on how other people live their daily lives. The cities and villages he visits, range from densely populated urban cities such as Tokyo in Japan, to sparsely populated rural areas to visit tribes. This means that the documentary covers a wide range of lifestyles to be explored.

Technical Codes 
Non-diegetic music seems to be used frequently in documentaries, to bring them to life and make them interesting. An idiot abroad uses it for example to increase comedy in specific moments, however other documentaries such as planet earth may use it to make it more appealing to watch, rather than just being bombarded constantly by the factual information given throughout. Close-up's are often used too, to give the audience a very clear and accurate image of the information that they are actually being given and match the visuals with the audio. A typical technique, often used particularly in wide life documentaries is a voice over. This is usually a males voice and linked to this is normally David Attenborough. This shows the audience how documentaries are factual, because the narrator of the episodes isn't in the shots, typically if it involves animals as we can see them in their natural habitat. However, some documentaries choose to challenge these conventions, such as an idiot abroad, where the narrator actually visits different places and learns and retrieves the information at the same time as the audience. This can make it seem more authentic, because the information is given to use directly from its source.

Characters and Representations 
The presenter or narrator of documentaries are usually considered quite serious, due to their stern voiceovers. In other documentaries like an idiot abroad, the narrator is considered the 'idiot' and follows this stereotype. He usually is seen confused and uncultured when he visits different places in the world, often asking lots of questions and querying everything he does. His function is to retrieve information directly from its source to feed it back to the audience and he is also used for entertainment purposes. Carl is asked to take part in different activities of that culture that we would find strange for the purpose to create comedy, while entertaining and educating the audience. Certain groups that he goes to visit such as tribes, are normally represented as very different to us and this is highlighted through the presenters unwillingness to immerse into their cultures and rituals.

Narrative 
Documentaries may use action and enigma codes, for example enigma codes that pose questions for the audience such as 'Where in the world is this?' 'Why do they do that?'. These questions arise, because they intrigue the audience and they want these questions to be answered and therefore continue to watch. Action codes are also used, these are significant things that happen within the documentary and this teaches the audience new things about the topic being explored. Documentaries usually follow the theme of the world around us. They teach the audience about the world that we live in.

Documentary Research and Analysis

Typical Examples:

Planet Earth - BBC
Walking with Dinosaurs - BBC
Life in the undergrowth - BBC
The Insider - BBC
Natural World - BBC

Format-
Documentaries normally come formatted into a single series lasting multiple episodes or as one compact epic-length feature that normally comes in a film like form due to its length, an example of this is National History's 'History of the World in 2 Hours'. Shows like this tend to be scheduled for a later time due its mature nature not being as applicable to children as it is to adults, so normally after the watershed. There are multiple different ways that the episodes themselves are formatted however. For example, a documentary such as ones that follow an event or the life of a person, will tend to have a story that will unfold and draw to a resolution by the end. Examples of this are:

Appeals:

In terms of the uses and gratifications of a documentary, most will satisfy all of them. Social interaction would be a reason for consuming a documentary as friends and colleagues may watch this type of media in order to spark a debate about the event portrayed or about the person portrayed. Someone may watch a documentary for personal identity so they can see more about an event/person which/who is more close to home, for example Hillsborough (2016). Also, documentaries may be used as entertainment or escapism from our lives as we may watch it to view the life of someone else or we may find the documentary about something captivating and so we become immersed in the show. Examples of this are, Planet Earth and Walking with Dinosaurs.
However, the most prominent of all of the appeals is the gratification of education and our desire for information. This is because these documentaries make us feel more informed about our world or about the world before us or maybe even the world in the future. All of the previous mentioned examples would fit this gratification as that is what the main purpose of a documentary is.

In terms of the lines of appeal, only two of these, in my opinion, are satisfied. These being the need for autonomy and the need for escape. The need for autonomy only really comes into certain documentaries such as most BBC documentaries where it allows for the audience to interact with them via email or social media in which it allows for your opinion to be considered however, it isn't a typical convention for the genre as a whole but more dependant on the developer or broadcaster. An example of this is Panorama.
The need for escape is a lot more prominent in documentaries as a whole however, as it immerses the viewer into the environment in order to create a sense of sympathy from the viewer so that the viewer can understand the situation portrayed better. This is done through the use of dramatizations of events which allows for the viewer to be in the same position as the person in question. An example of this is the Hillsborough documentary previously cited.


Target Audience:

The target audience is mostly either those affected or those who would wish to see a different perspective of an event they witnessed such as Hillsborough or something larger scale such as WW2. It mostly targets an older and more mature audience as it is something that requires a certain sense of autonomy in order to consume as well as some maturity in order to understand. Furthermore, many of these documentaries will play of the audiences empathetic and sympathetic emotions which can only be played on if the audience has knowledge of the world. Personally, I believe an aspirer may watch this documentary in order to flaunt a sense of knowledgeability and intellect. However, I believe it mainly applies to explorers or people who wish to get a varied and broad experience of the world and due to their recency, explorers do have the ability to be first on the topic. In terms of lifestyle categories, the most common audience would consist of: Innovators, Puritans and Utopians. Innovators want to leave their mark on the world and therefore, being more informed about the world they live in would make them more capable of fulfilling their needs. Puritans may watch a TV documentary for the same reasons as an innovator however, a puritan has less interest in making their mark on the world with the knowledge gained from the documentary but having that knowledge go to fulfilling their duty. Finally, a utopian would want to know the way of the world and everything inside it and so watching a documentary would make them more knowledgable and possibly more capable of helping to create a utopian society.

Opening Sequence:

The visuals are quite blunt and professional with not gimmicks and no comedic elements. This shows us instantly that is quite serious but the use of an elite person (David Attenborough) shows us that this going to be a documentary, but more specifically a nature documentary. Furthermore, the use of an orchestral opening in terms of the audio shows us that this is going to be more formal in nature however, the use of drums shows that it is also going to be intense or high action. The slow panning of the camera paces us for the show to be slow but with a build up and conclusion which is shown when the name is revealed.

Genre of TV -- Documentaries

The format of Documentaries varies on what subject the show is featured. Most run continuously, others are one off which most feature social issues or events that are, or have happened. These one off documentaries are usually scheduled within a month's period while the subject is still fresh in people's mind. Documentary series that are continuous,are ran weekly on a certain day at a certain time. For example, every week on Tuesday nights at 22:00 a new episode will be aired. Typically for this genre the TV shows will either reveal the truth behind a story or provide information for people on subjects that they like such as Animal Planet, the channel features shows that are based around the animal kingdom and cover subjects of all animals.
Documentaries can also revolve around reality. This in this sub-genre, stories are told through a series of aired shows that commonly start negative and end with a positive out for the featured individual such as 'Hoarders: buried alive'.

There are many reasons why people are appealed to the genre of documentaries and this can be described through the Uses and gratifications of this genre. Audiences watch these shows because they provide information. This information provides the decoder with what's going on in the world at the moment. This can be through interviews, personal experiences or commentary. This information can vary from facts about life, wildlife and events that the media have not yet revealed. though like the news, documentaries are more popular, they provide statistics in detail and bizarre subjects that audiences may find strange but interesting such as 'Monsters inside me'. The sole purpose of the whole genre of Documentaries is that to provide facts and information at is not misleading.

Another use and gratification is Personal identification. to enhance the experience of a documentary especially within the sub-genre of reality. The reality genre includes real life experiences whether they're positive or negative, or a look into the lifestyle of someone who owns a business. . This genre is the most popular subgenre with a wide variety of shows that include; 'Deadly women', 'Ghost hunters' and 'air crash investigation' . These shows provide real life experiences and manipulate the way they are shown through POV shots, voice overs and close ups. These camera and editing techniques allow the audience to experience these TV shows like never before. For example the documentary 'Deadly women' reveal the stories behind the most brutal deaths committed by women. Point of view shots used allow the decoders to witness the event of the documentary through the eyes of commentator whether that be the 'victim' or the presenter. This leaves a greater impact on the audience, engaging them further into the show. Close ups allow the decoder to personally connect with the Victim whether that be through empathy or closure as this may have happened to one of the audience members.

Audiences who enjoy Documentaries have certain expectations for the shows. This means most sub genres of documentaries have conventional aspects that audience expect to see. This means for the sub genre of Esposurtry

Research and Analyse of Documentaries

Research and Analyse of Documentaries 

Typical examples of Documentaries

• Blackfish
• Cowspiracy
• Racing Extinction 
• Virunga
• Chasing Ice
• Earthlings

Format

The format of these documentaries are typically 1 - 2  hour long broadcast, however there are some documentaries that run in a series, for example 'Making a Murderer' these are less common that the 1 - 2 hour broadcast. Documentaries are scheduled to broadcast when its an anniversary of an event, for example on September 11th there are several documentaries that talk about the 911 attacks.  Or if a topic that relate to the documentary is popular in the news. A typical documentary features videos that have been filmed by the audience and also some professional video clips, it also has people that relate to whatever the documentary is about so for example if it was a documentary about 911 then it would have eye witnesses, members of emergency services talking about the event. 

Appeals

Documentary appeal to audience for many reason due to the uses & gratification model. The audience will have more knowledge about a certain topic meaning they are able to socially interact with people when out. Also the audience will watch documentary to educate themselves about certain events and topics.

Target Audience

I think the main target audience would typically be adults between the age of 20 - 55. In the lifestyle category it will be aimed towards the innovators and the utopians because most documentaries have a message about changing the world and ways people can help.

Opening Sequence 

The visuals in this documentary tell us that the characters in this documentary are not actors and are in fact real people that have a part in the events that happened, the audience know this because you see clips from handheld cameras that feature people that are then interviewed later on in the documentary.
Many of the camera shots are close up during the interviews because the audience are able to see the emotion on the peoples faces as they talk about what happened. Also the editing in this documentary is very slow pace and slow transactions between clips because it makes it seem even more dramatic.

Setting

Documentary's don't have a set setting. They can film the interviews anywhere, however most of the interviews in this documentary tend to be in an outdoor space or what seems to be a studio. But some documentary's film their interviews in various spaces such as that are linked to what the documentary is about.

Technical codes

One shot type that is used a lot through out documentary's is close up shots, close up shots are used during the interviews in the documentary. Close up shots are used

TV Genre- Documentary

Some examples of TV Documentaries are:

• Making a Murderer
• An Idiot Abroad
• Ghost Hunters
• Top Gear
• Earth Story
• American Greed
• How Its Made
• The Crocodile Hunter
• Paranormal Witness
• 24 Hours in A&E

TV Documentaries are shown in a series. They have many episodes and sometimes many seasons. TV Documentaries are usually scheduled to be broadcast at different times depending on what type of genre it is. TV Docs like Top Gear, Ghost Hunters and An Idiot Abroad which appeal to a more mature audience will be broadcast later in the day, usually at night. TV Docs like The Crocodile Hunter and Earth Story which appeal to any age of audience will usually be broadcast through the day or in the morning. Usually in TV Docs there is not story to unfold as it goes on nor does it move closer to a resolution. TV Docs give information to the audience on the subject it is about. For example, The Crocodile Hunter will give the audience information on crocodiles and their habitats and Top Gear will give the audience information on cars and car parts. No stories are unfolded really, it is just a series of information given to you based on the subject.

TV Documentaries will appeal to the self-actualisation part of the Uses & Gratifications graph because it is the acceptance of facts. This is the least needed need in the Uses & Gratifications theory so it isn't as important to the audience as the other Uses & Gratifications. Another appeal to TV Docs is that they are unconventional. They do not follow a narrative and don't have any characters. They have real people doing real things and teach you about the subject the show is about. Another appeal to TV Docs is the people. There are usually famous people in TV Docs which will appeal to the audience. For example, Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear would be an appeal. Also Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant would be an appeal to An Idiot Abroad. Another appeal to TV Docs is the places shown in them. In the majority of TV Docs the audience will be shown another location that is different to their own, the  TV Doc will allow them to se other countries they've never seen or maybe heard of and see how their lives are similar or different.

The typical target audience for TV Documentaries are the

Television Genre: Documentary

Documentaries usually run within a series between 4-8 weeks, depending on the length of the series of the documentary. Sometimes a documentary can be filled into a 1-2hour slot just as a one off, such as Blackfish and The September Issue. Depending on the nature of the channel, documentaries can run through the day, however more mainstream documentaries play around after 8pm and into the watershed (past 9pm) if the content is explicit or taboo.  the whole purpose is the inform the audience on a certain topic area, such as birds, or the ongoing presidential campaign.

Documentaries can differ immensely due to the vast amount of content of the documentary. Documentaries focus on on particular topic, for example they could discuss the way of life of wild animals in Africa or the hidden side of fashion. They identify with the audience and their likes. Catfish the original documentary say it brake traditional roles of how a television show is filmed, as we POV shots from the host himself. in mainstream documentaries the usually do sit down interviews with people who were there of the topic, giving it a homely feel to the audience as they base it in familiar everyday settings. Each documentaries aims to give the facts, but make interpretation and uncover new facts about the topic.


Louis Theroux documentaries are made within a series, played weekly when they do run and broadcasted after the watershed (after 9pm in the UK) due to the explicit nature of the documentaries. Throughout each documentary, Louis is introduced into the lives of people on the topic area he is studying. He indulges himself each documentary on many topics such as life in prison, interviewing prisoners or he could indulge himself in extreme right wing racist families all so he can attempt to understand their lifestyle and views. In documentaries we are introduced to the topic area at the start of the show, either through the title of that possible on of documentary like The September Issue, or we could have a high profile researcher like David Attenborough or Louis Theroux and then the topic for that specific documentary.

Television- Documentaries

Examples:

• Who Do You Think You Are?
• 9/11: The Falling Man
• Life on Earth- David Attenborough 
• When Boris Met Dave
• Supersize She
• Educating Yorkshire/Essex/Cardiff
• My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding 
• Dynamo:Magician Impossible 
• Gleeful- The Real Show Choir's of America 
• MacIntyre Undercover- Chelsea Headhunters

Format

Documentaries typically run in series' over the course of around 4-8 weeks with a new episode being broadcast weekly. Other documentaries are one off episodes and are considered 'Documentary Films'. This genre often appears on our televisions during the evening at around 8 or 9 o'clock. Documentaries aim to inform, and give the audience an inside view of a certain topic or event. They usually last for an hour and have one or occasionally two presenters. However some documentaries don't have any presenters, such a Making a Murderer. This show has no presenter

Appeals
Documentaries offer the audience information and in some cases, personal identification. A lot of documentaries are filmed in familiar settings such as urban streets and family homes, however they usually follow a more extreme and unfamiliar narrative. This allows the audience to associate with the documentary allowing them to fully emerge themselves in the "story". Hand held, POV shots are also used in documentaries particularly covert documentaries such as MacIntyre Undercover and The Hidden Enemy, making the audience sympathise with the camera man/woman, making the events feel closer to home, creating a sense of personal identification. Documentaries are based on facts and aim to uncover more facts and evidence as the programme goes on providing the audience with information.

Target Audience

Documentaries are often thought of as a programme for a more elderly audience, however documentaries have become so varied and wide spread, they attract a diverse audience. For example, CBBC have started their own documentary series called "My Life" in which they choose a topic each week and explore more about it, such as living with autism or becoming a ballet dancer, this attracts a younger audience from around the ages of 7-12, whilst also maintaining the attention of their parents. Because documentaries do cover such spectrum of topics its difficult to give the genre as a whole a target audience, however most are aimed towards Explorers or potentially Reformers. They fulfil their needs of discovery and enlightenment. They also allow the reformers to make their own mind up about the topic or event because they provide them with more information so that they can make a more informed decision. 

Opening Sequence

 Eg- https://youtu.be/1NenCBS3AQc

The opening sequence of Sir David Attenborough's Life of Mammals, uses a montage of wild animals. Each clip fades into the next, layering the images creating a dream like atmosphere. This feeling is heightened by the use of slow motion, back lighting and calming music. The slow motion emphasises the movements of each animal, making them appear powerful, majestic and some what hypnotising. The back lighting adds to the dream like feel, with the sun often beaming through the gaps around the animal, creating a shadowy outline of the creature adding a sense of mystery. The music is an soothing, orchestral music consisting of trumpets, violins and symbols to create a mature, soothing sound.

Setting

Documentaries are set in real life places such as a desert or street with no studios or special effects involved. This also adds to the authenticity and sense of trust that the audience are placing in the facts and information provided by the documentary.

Technical Codes

Documentaries often use handheld POV shots which encourages personal identification with the audience and also adds a sense of jeopardy. They also use secondary shots from other sources such as security cameras or hidden cameras. This validates the information they are giving and also allows them to get shots that would be impossible to retrieve themselves with a huge television camera. 

Characters & Representations

In most documentaries there are five distinct characters, the presenter who conducts the research, the expert (often a policeman or scientist), the victim, the criminal and the general public who offer an outsiders view. Even though documentaries are non-fiction they still have a narrative and aim to hold their audiences attention just as a drama or soap opera would. In David Attenborough the victims are often the prey, whilst the criminals are the predators. Even though the life cycle is a vital and natural event, theses types of documentaries makes the audience fear for the prey even in cases where they already know the outcome. 

Narrative
Documentaries follow a presenter, uncovering more information, providing evidence and facts for the audience. Like Todorov suggests their is often a disruption mid way through the documentary. The scan be either in the event itself or in the search for information. However it is then repaired or at least uncovered. A lot of documentaries also look at some binary oppositions such as truth vs myth and the impossible vs possible.