2. AboutTheroux
Born in 1970 on May 20th, Louis SebastianTheroux is a 43 year old documentarian –
formally, a journalist and broadcaster.Theroux is best known for his work on the BBC
television series, LouisTheroux’sWeirdWeekends, which was born out of a deal struck
with the BBC following his work as a correspondent on Michael Moore’s series TV
Nation. Preceding this,Theroux worked as a journalist for Metro SiliconValley in
California, before being hired as a writer for Spy magazine.
Theroux is also popular for the series When Louis Met… series, in which he
accompanies a British celebrity as they go about their daily lives, as well as his BBC 2
specials, which includes episodes such as Louis and the Nazis and The Most Hated
Family in America.
3. LouisTheroux’sWeirdWeekends
This series followedTheroux as he closely followed or even lived with the subjects of his documentary.These
subjects were often parts of American subcultures, and included white supremacists, survivalists and porn
stars.These are small sections of society with a great deal of interest, and even mystery, around them. By
following an uncommon part of society and documenting their lives,Theroux creates an exciting and
interesting subject matter for his series.
Arguably, the attraction of the series comes from its reflexive mode, which flaunts the series nature as a
documentary show, often revealing crew and boom microphones in shots. Both the audience and the
participants are acutely aware that the programme is a documentary, and the show uses this to full effect. It
knows that it is not seeking ‘the’ truth, but instead a constructed version of it.To this effect,Theroux has stated
“… it's almost a privilege to be welcomed into these communities and to shine a light on them and, maybe, through
my enthusiasm, to get people to reveal more of themselves than they may haveintended.”, thereby admitting to
the partially constructed, or forced, nature of the ‘truth’ show in his shows.
4. What to learn from Louis
Theroux’s programmes are an excellent example of how audiences can be drawn in and
further immersed in their viewing experience by being shown the documentary crew and
acknowledging the genre of television they are watching.While this would break immersion in
another media, perhaps film, the use of the reflexive mode in documentaries serves to
welcome the audience into the world of the subject matter, thereby further engrossing them
in the programme.
It is also important to learnt that documentaries do not need to be formally constructed, and
that these casual interview techniques can often serve to bring out more intimate, and
intriguing, conversations.Theroux is often occasionally shown to be at odds with
‘interviewees’ during conversations, which creates a sense of drama and tension that might
not come through in formal interviews.
