Types of Documentaries: Categories and Styles

In contrast to movies, documentaries are films that explore events and stories as they happened in real life. Although they are largely educational in nature, the various types of documentaries have the potential to elicit an emotional reaction in the audience. If you aspire to become a filmmaker, you might consider whether making documentary films could be the right niche for you.

In This Article: 

• What Is a Documentary Film? 
• What Is the Difference Between Documentary Modes, Categories and Styles? 
• Styles of Documentaries 
• How To Make Various Types of Documentaries 
• Explore Filmmaking and Documentary Creation at GCU

What Is a Documentary Film? 

Films that strive for a factual and balanced presentation are documentaries. Their name acknowledges the fact that they document an aspect of life.

As a type of film, documentaries are a way to explore factual experiences and events through visually artistic storytelling and narrative techniques. Fictional movies also embrace visual artistry, and some of them may be based on true events, but may not offer a strict presentation of facts.

Documentaries may follow certain people, explain certain events or share the history of something that might not be common knowledge. Part of the popularity of documentaries is that people come away knowing a lot more about a topic than they did before they watched it, which could trigger an emotional response to the material and artistry of the film.

If you’re passionate about films, especially documentaries, you’ll be excited to know that documentary filmmaking is now more accessible than ever. With advancements in video technology, many filmmakers can even shoot their first film on a mobile phone with high-quality picture and audio capabilities.

What Is the Difference Between Documentary Modes, Categories and Styles? 

Just like fiction films, documentary films come in different types and categories. However, the process and approach of making a documentary is quite different than that of a fictional movie. Documentary filmmakers need to ensure that they put forth the facts as they are generally accepted by experts in the field, and that any potential biases are balanced by a broad range of opinions.

Documentary Modes 

Documentary filmmakers have a variety of styles and categories to choose from, each offering different approaches and modes of storytelling. What is a documentary mode? It refers to a specific type of documentary with six main modes explained below.

Documentary Styles 

Documentary styles and modes are essentially the same, with "styles" and "modes" both referring to the various types of documentary films.

Documentary Categories 

First, take a moment to reflect upon the categories of fictional movies. There is a wide range — from drama to action to horror and beyond.

Similarly, there are many categories for documentaries. 

These include: 

• True crime 
• Nature and wildlife 
• Historical 
• Environmental 
• Social and cultural 
• Biography 
• Sports 
• Anthropological 
• Politics

Styles of Documentaries 

There are six primary types (including modes or styles) of documentaries:

1. Expository Documentary 

This is the most well-known. An expository documentary involves extensive research. It aims to educate and explain things. It includes interviews, visuals and narration that support the argument.

2. Observational Documentary 

The observational documentary is known as the fly-on-the-wall documentary. It is shot without intervention by the filmmaker. There are no questions, commentary or narration, and the viewer is left to interpret things on their own.

3. Participatory Documentary 

The participatory documentary is one where the filmmaker and subject are on screen together and participating in the activity. For example, the filmmaker interviews the subject and captures their reactions.

4. Reflexive Mode Documentary 

A reflexive mode documentary is fairly complex. It centers on the relationship between the audience and the filmmaker and the process of documentary-making itself. Unlike other documentaries, which present facts, reflexive documentaries are uncertain about the truth. It offers questions for reflection and challenges the audience’s and the filmmaker’s preconceived ideas.

5. Poetic Mode Documentary 

A documentary in poetic mode focuses on expression and feeling. It values cinematography over heavy content. These documentaries strive to trigger an emotional response or to strike a specific mood or tone. They aim to allow the audience to explore the world from another point of view.

6. Performative Mode Documentary 

A documentary in performative mode shows the filmmaker’s involvement with the subject. They share their views through their own experiences. The performative mode gives viewers the perspective of what it is like to be there.

How To Make Various Types of Documentaries 

If making a documentary is something you are interested in, get started by watching a lot of documentaries to figure out what genre and type of documentary you would like to make. Then, follow these steps:

1. Choose the Right Topic 

When you create a documentary, make sure you are sharing a story that you are passionate about. If you do not care about the topic, that will come through in the movie. When you are passionate about a subject and you make a documentary about it, people may be more likely to react positively to the film and get invested in what you are sharing.

2. Do Your Research 

Preparing to create a documentary means that you need a lot of information from all sides of the topic. You will need multiple storylines and points of view. You will have to do a lot of digging and follow a lot of leads.

These may require you to interview people, read a lot of texts and watch other films. As you are doing your research, you are likely to come across people who you want to interview for your film.

3. Write and Storyboard 

Start creating an outline from your research and decide how to tell your story. Make lists of the people that you want to include and start reaching out to make sure they are willing to be involved in your project. Storyboard different shots and decide how to put the information together in a narrative format.

4. Script and Shoot 

The next step is scripting. While documentaries often feature unscripted (spontaneous) commentary, such as interviews, you may have scripted (pre-written) voice-over narration. You should also write out at least some of your interview questions in advance.

You will need to gather the necessary equipment, such as cameras, memory cards, tripods, audio equipment (recorder and microphone) and lighting kits, and you will need to choose the location for each scene.

Start filming the parts of your documentary that you can. Complete your interviews and handle any needed cinematic and outdoor shots. Once you have your footage, you may need to tweak the narration script before recording it and consider how you will edit the film.

5. Edit and Release 

Edit your film using film editing software and get the narration recorded. Check to make sure that you have not included any copyrighted or trademarked items in your film or get clearance for them. Add music and other production elements.

Then, get your documentary out into the world. Unless you’re under contract to produce the documentary for a film company, you’ll need to self-distribute and market it. Some strategies include: 

• Submit your film to documentary film festivals 
• Network with small art theaters in your area and see if they are interested in hosting a screening 
• Connect with a distributor or agent to explore selling your film to streaming services and/or broadcast television

Explore Filmmaking and Documentary Creation at GCU

If you are an aspiring documentary filmmaker, you can explore the creative and technical process of production at Grand Canyon University. The Bachelor of Arts in Digital Film with an Emphasis in Production degree program explores modern cinematography in various categories and styles.