https://ourpastimes.

com/how-camera-angles-
affect-a-viewers-emotions-12255415.html
 ACTIVITY 1: CONVENTIONS (5mins)

1. Imagine that you are surfing TV channels to find a

newscast.
2. Recognize a newscast and stop on that channel.
3. Sketch quickly on a piece of scrap paper what is on the
screen where you stopped
4. The activity should be done without talking
5. You have 30 to 60 seconds to complete the sketches. The
idea here is to record their initial snapshots, not to create
artistic masterpieces.
Which media genres
besides the news
provide information
about social issues?
Word Web

documentary
What is a documentary?

A documentary is a broad term

to describe a non-fiction movie
that in some way “documents” or
captures reality.
 A documentary film is a non-
fictional, motion picture
intended to "document reality,
primarily for the purposes of
instruction, education, or
maintaining a historical record".
Film Note

▫ What have you noticed with the

documentary film?
▫ Can you cite some elements of
present in a documentary?
Elements of a Documentary Film
NARRATION
Narration is the verbal description of what is
happening in a documentary film and is
performed by a narrator. The narration can be
delivered through a voice over, by a narrator
visible on-screen or some combination of both.
Good documentary film narration has a clear,
logical structure that helps the viewer better
understand the subject of the documentary.
INTERVIEWS
Interviews are used to provide context, eyewitness
statements and expert knowledge to the
documentary. In documentary films, they usually
consist of the interviewee visible on-screen
answering questions delivered by an off-screen
interviewer, who may also be the narrator of the
documentary. Interviewees are often depicted sitting
in their offices or homes, looking into negative space
and not directly at the camera.
Rule of Thirds

negative space
LOCATION SHOTS
Location shots are used in
documentary films when discussing a
particular place. Location shots are
often used at the beginning of a
documentary film to provide a
context for the start of the narrative.
MUSIC & SOUND
Music can be used to add drama and
emotional tone to documentary films.
Sound is an integral part of many sections
of a documentary film. It is important that
the narrator's and interviewee's voice
levels are at an appropriate level and
quality.
ARCHIVE FOOTAGE
Archive or stock footage is film shot
for purposes other than the particular
documentary film in which it is shown.
Archive footage is often cheaper for
the documentary maker to procure
than original film and interviews.
GRAPHICS
Graphics consist of anything that
appears on the screen that was not
actually filmed. They are widely used in
documentary films. The opening titles
and credits will make use of graphics,
as will subtitles and translated text.
 A great documentary may inspire
powerful emotion or a change in
behavior, shock or surprise the audience,
present information and challenge the
viewer to form an opinion about it,
espouse a deeply held belief and capture
a clear, sometimes controversial point of
view.
Group Activity (Documentary Film)
As an output, the students will film a documentary on their
chosen topic/issue.

▫ Brainstorm for a topic that you want to

document.
▫ Present it to the class
▫ Discuss how you will accomplish a particular
documentary
“I’ve always thought that the domain of the authored
documentary lies somewhere between the
documentary and the essay. That’s been my definition
for most of my life. We take something from
journalism and something from the essay. But our
work isn’t scientific, it’s a form of artistic work, so it’s
subjective, a matter of ideas, intuitions, comparisons
and the juxtaposition of interesting things.”
- Patricio Guzmán