The Conventions of a Documentary

After researching the history of Documentaries, I thought that it would make sense to research the typical conventions to get a basic grip on the guidelines for what I should include in my documentary and whether there is any room to be original and different. I discovered that there are a fair few conventions but below are the most prominent and, I think, important:

Archival Footage and Photographs
Archival materials include old photographs and videos, newsreel footage, and even shots from fiction films. For example, 'The Atomic Cafe' makes exclusive use of archival footage from the 1940s and 1950s to spoof Americans’ Cold War fear of an atomic bomb, and Feed culls footage from the 1992 primaries coverage and outtakes to show presidential hopefuls being anything but presidential. This convention is something that I really hope to include in my documentary as I believe that it will add more realism to the story.

Talking Heads
Talking heads are people interviewed to explain or comment on the text’s subject. These people usually are shown in their offices (sometimes with a wall of books behind them) or in their homes. For example, 'Hearts and Mind's includes interviews with both American and Vietnamese people to offer their perspectives on the war. This is a convention I definitely want to include in my documentary but I will have to think about how I am going to make the interviews interesting to watch.

Jiggly Camera
A wobbly camera is often attributed to documentary. As cameras became more portable and more affordable, filmmakers did more on-location shooting, and keeping the camera steady was somewhat difficult when it came to following the action. Steadicam, a camera stabilizing system, aids in correcting what some perceive as a problem. The fiction film 'The Blair Witch Project' makes use of the jiggly camera as a means of reinforcing its documentary-like style. I will more likely than not include this convention in my documentary.

Voiceover Narration
Voiceover narration occurs when a voice is heard on the soundtrack without a matching source in the image. In other words we hear the voice speak but we cannot see the speaker utter the words. The voice often explains or comments on the visuals. Early documentary made extensive use of this convention, including Pare Lorentz’s 'When the Plow Broke the Plains' and 'The River'. I'm not sure whether to include this in my documentary but it could make it more interesting to watch.

Re-enactments
A re-enactment stages real events that already have occurred. Sometimes they include the people who experienced the events orginally, but more often they incorporate actors playing parts. 'The Thin Blue Line' makes extensive use of this convention to assist in making its argument. However, most documentary makers prefer shoot events when and where they actually occur. I would like to include some re-enactment footage in my documentary but I'm not really sure how to go about it.

Real People
For the most part, the people we see in a documentary are real people. We can assume that if we went to Flint, Michigan, we may meet the “Pets or Meat” lady from 'Roger & Me'. Or if we went to Texas, we may meet the people participating in the content to win a new truck in 'Hands on a Hard Body'. While my documentary won't be completely real, I aim to use a real family who have real connections and chemistry on screen.