Documentary Glossary Terms

Question 1

archival footage

Answer 1

use of direct cinema, documentary footage or photographs from the past to review and/or provide some perspective on events from the past.

Question 2

captioning

Answer 2

written text on the screen to give additional information to the viewer e.g. name of interviewee, time and date etc.

Question 3

close-up, close shot

Answer 3

detailed view of a person or object, usually provided without much context

Question 4

commentary

Answer 4

expression of opinion or explanation about an event or situation, interchangeable with narration - a descriptive spoken account of event

Question 5

direct interview

Answer 5

we see subject talking on camera and we see and/or hear interviewer asking questions in the same shot

Question 6

diegetic sound

Answer 6

sound whose source is visible on screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film e.g. voices of characters, music coming from instruments

Question 7

high angle shot

Answer 7

the subject is photographed from above; the camera is up high and angled down
- suggesting vulnerability and lack of power

Question 8

indirect interview

Answer 8

we see the subject talking on camera but we don’t see/hear the interviewer asking questions in the same shot
- gives the impression of the character talking directly to the viewer

Question 9

long shot

Answer 9

wide shot showing setting

Question 10

low angle shot

Answer 10

the subject is photographed from below; the camera is below subject and angled up
- sense of power and authority

Question 11

montage

Answer 11

series of short shots edited in a sequence to condense space, time and information.
- sense of growth and time passing quickly

Question 12

music and sound effects

Answer 12

music creates mood or atmosphere, tells a story relevant to the topic, or has symbolic meaning. sound fx added post-production to enhance the effect of a particular scene.

Question 13

non diegetic sound

Answer 13

source of sound is represented outside the story space e.g. commentary, sound effects, mood music

Question 14

re-enactment

Answer 14

when real events cannot be filmed as they happen, film-makers recreate events.
- visual understanding of event and adds entertainment value

Question 14

sound effects

Answer 14

artificially produced sounds used to enhance mood or atmosphere, to create particular associations of character, object or place, or convey meaning.

Question 15

voiceover

Answer 15

unseen narrator comments on what is seen on screen