The first is Expository, this is the most traditional mode and it focuses on the voice over. The 'voice of God', you hear him or her but you never see them. There would be a lot of footage and archive material etc. to help back up the voice over and support the argument. Images are often used to illustrate or even counterpoint the voiceover.
The second mode is the observational mode. This mode consists of no interviews, no voiceover, but with lots of handheld footage and long takes. The sound is caught on location rather than added in during editing. The subjects also pretend that they are not being filmed.
The third mode is participatory. This mode could be described as having a mix of observational mode and expository mode in it. There is a voiceover of the documentary maker talking, but there are also synchronous sound recordings. The documentary maker interacts with the subject. There are interviews and a lot of footage and archival material as well as newspaper heading and letters. The documentary maker is visible to the audience.
The fourth mode is reflexive documentary. This mode tries to capture an emotional response from the audience by borrowing techniques from fiction films. They like dramatic lighting and dramatic music. The voiceover isn’t telling you things, they are questioning things so that the audience can come to their own conclusions but with suggestive factors.
The last mode is the performative mode. This mode is when the documentary maker interacts with the audience and will comment on the process of making the documentary. The documentary will address the audience in an emotional and direct way. The documentary may be focused towards an investigation or a search, but this may not lead to any satisfactory conclusion.
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