Documentary Theorists

John Corner
John Corner is a visiting professor at the University of Leeds and
specialises in Communication Studies. Corner has done extensive research
in the aspects of documentaries and has devised a few theories of his
own. He was quoted saying "What
distinguishes a documentary is the portrayal
of sound and images of actuality, this gives
us an idea of the importance of keeping the
sense of realism and verisimilitude within the
documentary, in order to obtain the
appearance of truth and make the viewer
believe the information that is being given to
them. There are many different types of
documentaries which are, political, historical,
social, cultural and religious issues, but Corner states that they have to be
based on facts, but, unfortunately, real evidence is not always available so
we have to resort to reconstructions of previous events to demonstrate
what happened in that moment in time.
Corner believed that there are 5 core elements in a documentary that
have to be included, these include:
Observation
Most programming involves observation on the subject, this is especially
evident in documentaries. This technique is done by using fly on the wall'
type method, by placing the camera as if it is unseen by the actors, and
the audience is allowed to view it as if they are there themselves, almost
like POV. This is an important aspect of documentaries as it again, reenforces the verisimilitude as the viewers believe that the camera cannot
be seen.
Interview
Interviews are a fundamental part of documentaries, this is due to the fact
that the documentary relies on an interview to support the overall subject
or statement, and it provides the sense of actuality to the viewer as
interviews give an opinion based theme rather than just facts. With
interviews, the filmmaker has an option to play the whole thing, or split it
apart, which is key to delivering the sense of verisimilitude as it backs up
the statement of the documentary.
Dramatisation
Dramatisation in a documentary is a subject that the filmmaker has to be
very careful of. This allows filmmakers to amplify' a certain emotion in a
scene for an effect, e.g. if there was a program about WWII, then they

may amplify the emotion of sadness when showing shots of a battlefield

by using sad music, dark lighting etc. to physically make the audience feel
a certain emotion about that topic. Dramatisation can also be used to reillustrate a point that is being made by re-enacting a story or other
methods, to provide the audience with a visual projection of what is being
said. Dramatisation can be a useful tool in the creation of a documentary,
however, if it is overdone it can lose its sense of the reality of the program
and may result in the audience not believing what is being said to them.

Mise En Scene
Mise en scene plays an important role in any film production including
documentaries. It provides the 6 core elements in a film which is lighting,
props, composition, facial expressions, location and costume. This literally
sets the scene for the program, gives the audience the visual imagery to
have a clear understanding of what is happening in the shot, which would
also relate to the overall topic of the program. Mise en scene is also
powerfully done in interviews, by using certain settings to reflect the
personality of the interviewee, i.e. if they interview a scientist, the
filmmaker will specifically ask them to wear a lab coat and record the
interview in a lab to re-enforce the characters job title and create the
verisimilitude in the scene. There are limitless possibilities that can be
created through the use of mise en scene.
Exposition
This is the part of the documentary that explores the argument/subject of
the program. It gives an arguable debate while display all the facts and
information in an unbiased form. To create this setting, its often done
through interviews or vox pops, providing the opinion of both sides to the
debate, and allows the audience to decide which one they believe is
correct. It's through exposition, that filmmakers can fairly present the
information about the subject, and provide an unbiased view to the topic.
Link to group work
Corners theories and research are very beneficial for our work. With the 5
core elements that he has produced, it gives us a guideline on how to
produce our documentary. The main topic that I believe Corner states is
the sense of realism in a documentary and its importance. He explains
that without that sense of actuality, it becomes increasing difficult for
viewers to believe the information that is being told to them, regardless if
its true or not. Its very important for us to separate the stereotypes of
media, to be able to provide information that can be immediately
portrayed as factual, for example using interviews with professionals, it
gives the viewers the reassurance that what they are being told is true
because it's coming from a professional in that field who has conducted
extensive research. This can also be done by re-enacting a certain part of

the information that the presenter/narrator is saying by using

dramatisation. Although with the technique it is again important that the
sense of actuality is still kept in the visual display, to ensure that again the
viewers believe what they are being told.
Steven Barnett
Steven Barnett is a professor of Communications at the University of
Westminster, who specialises in Media and arts and design. Barnett has
focused on a theory called Disneyfication which looks into the idea that
the media is dumbing down the information that they provide, to make it
more entertaining and enjoyable to view for the audience. The need for
televisions to broadcast things that are bright and sparkly to please
audiences instead of broadcasting facts and challenging ideas / exposing
the truth. This is dumbing down the TV to please the audience - Steve
Barnett, this process, in Barnetts eyes is destroying the core message of
program, and adapting them so that viewers are more easily entertained
to they obtain more views, this has also been reflected into
documentaries, in which they are adapting them or perhaps, changing to
topics from important subjects such as environmental erosion, history on
wars, wildlife etc. for less important, but more entertaining topics like the
life of a gypsy, supersize vs super skinny etc. by adding the
disneyfication to the documentaries its, in a way, removing the core
information that is needed in a documentary and providing more of an
entertainment side to it.
Barnett believes that for most documentaries (not all) that have gone
through the process of Disneyfication, have the following layout:

A traditional narrative - beginning, middle and end.

A focus on a strong conflict.

Music.

The beginning is important because:

It poses a central question.

Consists of interview cut into conflict.

The middle is important because:

The plot begins to get more complicated.

Begins to examine the issue, focusing on the people and their

opinions.

The conflicts begin to get stronger and, potentially,

another argument can be made.

The end is important because:

The exposition should be made fully apparent.

All complications should be resolved, leaving the audience in no

doubt.

Link to Group Work

Steven Barnett's of Disneyfication is a subject that we should be aware of
during the creation of our documentary. The idea that documentaries are
turning into a more entertaining and comical to attract a larger audience
is not necessarily a bad thing, we just have to ensure that the document
doesnt lose its core element of providing the information of the main
subject in a proper and memorable manner. We believe that the subject of
Disneyfication should not be used on topics that are sensitive or upsetting
as this projects the image that the sensitive topic is comical which could
offend viewers.