The 6 Types Of Documenaries

A Documentary Is An Non-Fictional Film, Which Targets A Realistic Aspect Of Reality. The Main Purpose Of A Documentary Is To Educate, And To Keep A Historical Record.

Expository Documentaries: An Expository Documentary Is A Documentary Where Someone Is Speaking Directly Too The Audience That Is Watching. These Will Also Include Voice-Overs, Titles, And Strong Points Of View. They Aim To Persuade The Viewers.
An Example Of An Expository Documentary Is ''Frozen Planet'' Which Is Shown By The National Geographic Channel. This Specific Documentary Discusses Antarctica And Other Frozen Areas Of The World. The Documentary Also Discusses The Animals Which Live In These Specific Locations.

Observational Documentaries. An Observational Documentary Is A Documentary Is Where The Documentor Directs His Information To The Viewer, Just Like An Expository Documentary. These Types Of Documentaries Will Include Voice-Overs And Different Titles.
An Example Of An Observational Documentary Is ''Nuckle''. This Documentary Is About The Life That A Professional Fighter Has To Live, And What He Has To Do So That He Can Successfully Make It To The Top.

Participatory Documentaries:  A Participatory Documentary Is A Documentary That Shares Many Features With An Observational Documentary. A Main Difference Is That A Participatory Documentary Includes The Documentary Host, Interacting With The Subject Of The Documentary (Example: The Documentary Host Interviewing People). These Types Of Documentary Also Include A Large Amount Of Interviews, As They Aim To Give You The Most Information Possible For The Topic. An Example Of A Participatory Documentary Is ''Supersize Me''. This Documentary Is About A Man Named Morgan Spurlock, Who Creates a Social Experiment Where He Eats Nothing But Supersized McDonald's For One Whole Month. The Main Aim Of The Documentary Is Too Show The Viewers How Unhealthy McDonald's Really Is, And How Much Effect It Can Have To Your Body.

Reflective Documentaries:  A Reflective Documentary Is A Documentary Where The Host Uses A Voice Over To Explain And Discuss His Information To The Viewers. Reflective Documentaries Are Also Highly Interview Based, And Although There Are Many Voice Overs, The Main Host Of The Documentary Plays A Big Part In front Of The Camera. An Example Of A Reflective Documentary Is All Of The Documentaries By Louis Theroux. Although His Documentaries May Be Interactive, They Can Also Spec Under The Reflective Documentary Category.

Interactive Documentaries:  An Interactive Documentary Is A Type Of Documentary Which Relates Alot To A Reflective Documentary, Except There Is More Interaction With The Subject Of The Topic. An Example Of  An Interactive Documentary Is ''Westmin Baptist Church'' Which Is Produced By Louis Theroux. In This Documentary He Finds Out As Much About This Church As He can, By Following The members Around Through Their Daily Lives, So That He Can Show The Viewers How They Live, And Why They Protest Etc.

Performative Documentaries:  A Performative Documentary Is A Type Of Doumentary That Includes Aims To Teach And Entertain The Viewers From The Use Of Reinactments, And Strong Camera Positions That Can Help To Make These Reinactments Seem More Serious. This Type Of Documentary Also Includes Alot Of Voice-Overs. An Example Of A Performative Documentary Is ''Cosmos''. Cosmos Is A Documentary Series That Teaches The Viewers About Space And Time. Their Documentaries Include Alot Of Information, And Also Many Reenactments So That The Viewers Can Get Idea Of What Happens In Space. The Reenactments And Voice-Overs Are The Main Reason Cosmos Documenaries Are Classed As Performative. As-well As Showing People Stuff That Happened In History Through Reenactments, Reenactments Can Also Be Used To Help Entertain The Viewers, And To Keep Them Hooked And Entertained The Whole Way Through.
(Since Everyone Likes To See Reenactments Of Events They're Not Able To Watch Anymore).

In My Opinion, I Believe That As Film Maker, You Don't Have To Be Completely Factual, As Many Popular Films And Documentaries Give Biast Opinions. However, More Accurate Films Have More Chance Of Being Enjoyed By People, As Many People Enjoy Stories More If They Know They're Real (Or Based On A True Event).