Narrative voiceovers appear in many documentaries to guide the audience and has been used extensively in documentaries since the 1930s. The narrator is often shown on camera as well, giving the audience the impression of hearing their inner thoughts. Direct narration is when the narrator of the film speaks to the camera and audience instead of only being heard through a voiceover. If the narrator does not appear in the film it lends a more objective and less emotional tone to the documentary.
The direct cinema style is used to give the documentary more believability. Examples include movies like "The Blair Witch Project" and TV dramas, such as "Ghost Hunters." This style is unscripted and makes the documentary seem more objective. Direct cinema also includes the use of archived and stock footage and staged reenactments of past events. The only sound that accompanies direct cinema is the ambient noise or music that would naturally accompany the shot, like traffic or birdsong.
Interviews became the focal point and driving force of many documentaries in the 1960s. Sound equipment had been developed to be more precise and portable and TV journalism was producing a lot of interview-driven news pieces. Documentaries utilize direct and indirect interview techniques. Direct is when the audience can hear or see the interviewer asking questions and giving commentary. Indirect interview techniques consist of the interviewee speaking freely without responding to questions, which gives the impression that the audience is being addressed directly.
Cinematic essays are a mix of factual documentary and scripted drama and and reflect many of the traits of an academic essay. This style can be reflexive, self-critical and can cross narrative boundaries including autobiography, history and art. It mimics other literary traits by taking on a distinct tone and flexible storytelling. The theme of the literary essay is used in the film in place of a plot. Cinematic essays use a lot of medium shots and a variety of editing strategies to reflect the direct cinema, narrative and interview film techniques.