#documentary modes

Expository

News story in documentary form

Explanatory and argumentative

Voiceover narration, often “voice of God”

Poetic

Experimental and creative

Emotional and experiential

Meant to emphasize unexpected elements

Typically nonnarrative or unconventionally narrative

Observational

“Fly on the wall” approach

Little obvious filmmaker intervention

Voiceover usually comes from participants

Participatory

Filmmaker involvement in project: May not be subject but presence is known

Attempt to use camera to disrupt--not just capture--reality

Performative

Performance and/or reenactment within documentary 

Reflexive

Examination of documentary/filmmaking process

Due to a family emergency, I am writing this blog late and have a very strong doubt that it will be received well; so I shall keep it as short and succinct as possible, as to not waste my teachers time any more than I already have.  My documentary has been labelled self-reflexive, which means that it is a documentary wherein the documentarian is a crucial part of the documentary. However, my argument to you is that this little documentary does not wish to be defined by one label; but rather is a fractured version of all 5 of Bill Nichols’ modes. The documentary seeks to explore the creative process and it’s relationship with structure, in a expositionary mode fashion, ask the question: Can you be creative in the 21st century and subjectively successful without adhering to structure? Does the creative process need structure in order to survive?  I’m seeking to show the “making of/behind the scenes” side of the documentary within the documentary, thus showing the structure of a documentary as part of it. Über meta, ja? 

I shall be doing this by interviewing three people, one a third year artist Lish Barraud who struggles with the idea of structure imposed on a creative person by hegemonic “art world” ideals, so much so that she feels as though she might not be able to finish her final year. As part of the contained creativity inside the documentary, Lish will be recorded painting my body which will be documented as an art piece for her university. This scene will be very much done in an observational documentary style, where we see observe the artist in her natural habitat (the studio) paint brush in hand without exterior influences affecting her at this time. 

I will also be interviewing Adi Del Medico, a senior gallery assistant at the Anna Schwartz Gallery in Melbourne, who has made her career in the art world but from the side of structure. This interview will be styled, in a tongue-in-cheek fashion, as stereotypically “art world” as possible. Including the subject smoking a vogue cigarette in doors, wearing all black and sitting in front of an art piece by the artist Lish Barruad. Adi Del Medico’s interview therefore is the participatory mode. Due to her interaction with me, the film maker. However, after the final shot, the camera will continue to roll as I thank the subject and pack down the set; and because I am showing the behind the scenes of this construction, I therefore adhere to the code of performative mode. 

POETIC

subjective, artistic expression

The poetic mode of documentary moves away from the "objective" reality of a given situation or people to grasp at an inner "truth" that can only be grasped by poetical manipulation. There are no characters 

EXPOSITORY

voice of god

Expository documentaries speak directly to the viewer, often in the form of an authoritative commentary employing voiceover or titles, proposing a strong argument and point of view. These films are rhetorical, and try to persuade the viewer. The commentary, also knowns as voice of God, often sounds ‘objective’. Images are used to advance the argument.

OBSERVATIONAL

window on the world

Observational documentaries attempt to simply and spontaneously observe lived life with a minimum of intervention. The filmmaker remains hidden behind the camera, ignored by the surrounding environment he/she neither changes nor influences the actions/events being captured. Since nothing is staged for the camera, the camera rushes about to keep up with the action resulting in rough, shaky, often amateur-looking footage. There are usually no interviews in this mode.

PARTICIPATORY

Participatory documentaries believe that it is impossible for the act of filmmaking to not influence or alter the events being filmed. The filmmaker's impact on the events being recorded is acknowledged, indeed, it is often celebrated. 

REFLEXIVE

Those kind of documentaries are representations. The Reflexive Mode acknowledges the constructed nature of documentary and flaunts it - conveying to people that this is not necessarily "truth" but a reconstruction of it - "a" truth, not "the" truth. The artifice of the documentary is exposed - the audience are made aware of the editing, sound recording, etc. 

  PERFORMATIVE

filmmaker as a participant