Documentary Film Features

This feature occurs at the beginning of a film, establishes the theme, and gets the viewer invested in the topic.

• Exposition

• Archival Footage

• Interviews

• Acuality

This term refers to the real-life footage that a filmmaker can include in their documentary (instead of scripted footage)

• Archival Footage

• Actuality

• Reenactment

• Montage

This is recorded footage that can be taken from film library and used in a film to show historical events.

• Actuality

• Archival Footage

• Reenactment

• Interviews

This feature uses reconstructed scenes that show historical events in a realistic way. This can be done if historical footage is not available.

• Actuality

• Archival Fotoage

• Reeanctment

• Wallpaper Technique

This feature is a very common documentary technique that involves filmmakers speaking to people directly about an event. This can add a sense of realism to the film.

• Interviews

• Exposition

• Reenactment

• Voice-over

This feature involves the use of sound effects and music that did not come directly from the film footage.

• Voice-over

• Reeanctment

• Non-diegetic sound

• Archival Footage

This feature is the use of a narrator who speaks during filming or whose narration is added after filming is complete.

• Voice-over

• Non-diegetic Sound

• Montage

• Actuality

This feature uses a sequence of images to show either how the images or related or to show how something has changed over time.

• Montage

• Non-diegetic Sound

• Wallpaper Technique

• Archival Footage

This feature uses images to illustrate abstract ideas that cannot be filmed.

• Wallpaper Technique

• Actuality

• Montage

• Archival Footage