Documentary Styles

Bill Nichols distinguishes 6 different types of documentaries: poetic, expository, observational, participatory, reflexive, and performative.

Poetic Mode-‘Resembling fragments of the world’-Poetic Mode tends towards subjective interpretations of the subject. -It explores the complex editing within a documentary; juxtaposing and linking images, video clips and music etc. together to effectively attract the audience. -Poetic editing explores “associations and patterns that involve temporal rhythms and spatial juxtapositions.” (Nichols 2001)-Opens up possibility of alternative forms of knowledge to straightforward transfer of knowledge

Joris Ivens is an example of documentary film with follows the poetic mode. This production made in 1929 uses a composition of unrelated shots to illustrate a rain shower in Amsterdam. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPD2C0K38jY

Koyannisqatsi 1982 is an example of a poetic mode documentary which illustrates such subjective impressions with little or no rhetorical content (known as an avant-garde) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSTTOO5-xSI

Expositional Mode -John Grierson provides an explanation for the move away from poetic mode. He states that filmmakers got caught up in social propaganda and started focusing on the social problems of the world. -Expository mode explores documentaries which include factual information and figures, having interviews to back up the topic also. The documentaries aim to inform the audience by passing on information. -Narration is also used in these documentaries to support and explain the documentaries content. -Films, news and television programmes uses this mode to effectively transfer information.

An example of this is ‘America’s Most Wanted’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRlUpGijD2k In this short clip of the documentary we can see the use of narration, interviews and facts and figures which create the informative documentary.

Observational Mode -Observational mode introduces the mobility of the camera “new, light equipment made possible an intimacy of observation new to documentary, and this involved sound as well as image.” This means we are now able to capture a more intimate and personal filming. -Observational mode tends to just observe, allowing viewers to reach to their own conclusions of the documentary.-Pure observational documentarians proceeded under some bylaws: no music, no interviews, no scene arrangement of any kind, and no narration.

An example of this documentary mode could be ‘Big Brother’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a2tCsxDyi8&feature=related This documentary includes a fly on the wall camera shooting, allowing housemates to do as they wish whilst cameras are watching. The viewer is then able to judge the programme without any narration or arrangement to alter otherwise.

Participatory Mode-Participatory mode emphasises the interaction between the filmmaker and the topic of the documentary.-The filmmaker tends to become the subject of the documentary. -Actively engaging with the situation they are documenting asking questions and sharing experiences. -Not only is the filmmaker part of the film, we also get a sense of how situations in the film are affected or altered by her presence.

An example of this mode could be the Life of Michael Jackson by Bashir (2004) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl0uqobeVDM This documentary includes a subject, plus the filmmaker being the interviewer and presenter.

Another examples could be Sherman’s March by Ross McElwee http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzLXr2tShGE

Reflexive Mode-Reflexive mode exposes the awareness and construct of the documentary. -Conveys to people what they are seeing are not exactly the truth, but a reconstruction of the truth.The audience are made aware of the editing, sound and recording etc. -The goal in including these images was, “to aid the audience in their understanding of the process of construction in film so that they could develop a sophisticated and critical attitude.” (Ruby 2005)

An example could be A man with a movie camera http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00ZciIC4JPw

Performative Mode -Acknowledges the emotional and subjective aspects of a documentary and also addresses the audience emotionally. -Presents ideas as part of a context, having different meanings for different people, often autobiographical.-The emphasis of the filmmaker’s attitude or personal engagement with a subject to evoke the audience’s reaction. -Documentary is shaped into the narrative of an organisation, conclusion is unidentified.

An example of this mode could be Tongues Untied by Marlon Riggs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX9reaHLwhk

Another example could be An inconvenient truth by Davis Guggenheimhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZbsN8V7_ro