Styles of Documentary

There are several different styles of documentaries.

'Fly on the wall'
'Fly on the wall' documentaries observe real life situations supposedly without disturbing any of the participants. The latest 'fly on the wall' documentary is called, 'Educating Essex' and follows the teachers and students of Passmore Academy.
These types of documentaries tend to follow teams of people in their working/learning environment and can expose the truth behind a company/institution. This means they have a high level of realism.

Current Affairs
There are current affairs documentaries which discuss current issues within the modern world. Documentaries created by 'Dispatches' are all examples of current affairs documentaries as they focus on modern issues people are interested in. These documentaries aim to make people think about the world they live in and consider other peoples opinions and views. A BBC official defines current affairs programs as;

"A program which contains explanation and analysis of current events and issues, including material dealing with political or industrial controversy or with public policy. Also included are investigative programs with contemporary significance." http://news.bbc.co.uk/newswatch/ifs/hi/newsid_3970000/newsid_3975600/3975649.stm

Reality TV
Reality TV is a type of documentary which allows viewers to observe the supposedly natural behaviour of people in a certain situation. The most famous example of a reality TV program is, 'Big Brother.' Reality TV is often the most controversial type of documentary and can cause outrage within the public. It can also become quite addictive as the audience enjoys watching the people featured in it. There are some arguments that say reality TV programs do not resemble reality as the people know they are being watched. This then alters their behaviour and the audience is lead to believe a false sense of realism.





Docudrama 
Another type of documentary is a docudrama. These focus on real life events but dramatize them in non-fiction way (Wise Geek.) One of the most famous docudramas is called, 'Cathy Come Home' and is about a homeless girl. Although it is non-fiction it's based on real issues and is what actually happened in deprived communities. The purpose of it was to raise awareness of homelessness as part of a charity campaign (BBC, 2009.) However, docudramas receive lots of criticism as they can sometimes cross the line between fact and fiction. This is due to the writers and directors need to create an entertaining story; something which can't always be done with the bare facts of the story. (The Guardian, 2010)






References:

1. Wise Geek What is a docudrama? Website S.E. Smith http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-docudrama.htm 23/9/11
2. BBC Cathy Come Home Website 12/09 http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/cinema/features/cathy-come-home.shtml 23/9/11
3. Phrases Fly on the wall Website http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/139600.html 23/9/11
4. Writing, Directing, and Producing Documentaty Films and Videos Book Alan Rosenthal 2002
5. BBC Current Affairs Website 6/1/11 http://news.bbc.co.uk/newswatch/ifs/hi/newsid_3970000/newsid_3975600/3975649.stm 26/9/11
6. The Guardian The Social Network and docudrama dishonesty Website Andrew Clark 24/9/10 http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/andrew-clark-on-america/2010/sep/23/facebook-mark-zuckerberg 26/9/11