Expository Mode

Expository Documentaries seem to me a lot like the typical documentary that I would watch.  It is a story with a voice trying to prove something using rational facts or data.  In many cases we can see this type of documentary being used for propaganda or for the use of persuasion. 

Basically expository Documentaries have a voice and that voice speaks out in a couple different ways that help convince the audience to believe what the credible facts reveal.  The first way of voicing out the facts is more direct.  This is done with say an actual person/actor who exposes the data which reveals the opinion of the documentary.  Another way is by narration in which we do not see an actual being, but simply hear a human voice giving us the facts while reveal the image that confirms the data presented.  The second way is more indirect in the sense that we have to analyze the situation present and observe the subtext behind the portrayed image.  For example, in class we watched a documentary about vampire bats which when analyzed in a certain way we can see the subtext within the story.  The documentary is delivered much like a simple animal documentary much like we see on the Discovery channel.  However, the filmmakers put random shots of old vampire movies to portray some kind of message which could be interpreted in many ways.  Personally I understood the reasoning behind such randomness was to put fear into the minds of the audience concerning the dangers of vampire bats; at least according to their opinion. 

One example of an expository documentary that I watched was one of the church’s “I am a Mormon” ads.  It was about a woman and that facts of life she faced being a Mormon in New York City where the environment is not as friendly to moral people.  It has a voice that tells people that one can still live a moral life and enjoy working in this big city.  It has a more direct effect in telling people what it’s like to be a comedian in New York City, but it also has a indirect effect in telling people the happiness that the gospel can bring.