Forms and Conventions of a Media Documentary

What is a TV Documentary?

What is a TV Documentary?

A TV documentary is a form of film. However its style differs from both feature film and short film with a series of conventions. A documentary follows a theme or subject, for example, Word War 2. A documentary on World War 2 would focus on this era and bring to light a matters related to this subject. It also aims to be either informative, educational, or simply reflective. Common conventions of documentaries include voice overs, graphic elements, incidental music and interviews with people related to the subject of the documentary, for example professors or people with an opinion. The story is generally told using a range of camera shots, including mid shots for interviews and long shots to set locations. Audiences that documentary’s are aimed at differ depending on what the subject matter is. However it is generally an older audience who are interested in gaining new information on a subject, rather than the younger generation who would see watching a documentary as too education for their free time. However, they can be made appealing to a younger audience by their ‘shock factor’, such as Channel 4’s Super Size Vs. Super Skinny.