2. Documentary Theorists
John Grierson is a Scottish documentary maker. He quoted that: “documentaries
are the creative treatment of actuality” and they are portrayed as: “the real”. His
theory relates to how audiences are manipulated to agree/disagree with a certain
view point of which the documentary is trying to put across.
John Grierson Bill Nichols
Bill Nichols is an American film critic. He developed the “6 documentary modes”. He is
also known for his pioneering work and study to the documentary film.
“Every documentary is a film” – Bill Nichols
3. The Six Modes of Documentary
The Poetic Mode
“A transformation of historical material into a more abstract, lyrical form.”
Expository Mode
“Includes 'direct address', social issues assembled into an argumentative frame, talked through the voiceover
narration”
Observational Mode
“Documents life in a less intrusive manner, there is less control required over lighting (natural lighting) which is
dominantly used in documentaries for realism.”
Participatory (interactive) Mode
“The film-maker interacts with the documentary and is involved, as the film-maker actively engages with the
situation they are documenting, asking questions of their subjects, sharing experiences with them. Heavily reliant
on the honesty of witnesses”
Reflexive Mode
“Demonstrates consciousness of the process of reading documentary, and engages actively with the issues of
realism and representation, acknowledging the presence of the viewer and the modality judgements they arrive
at.”
Performative Mode
“Acknowledges the emotional and subjective aspects of documentary, and presents ideas as part of a
context, having different meanings for different people, often autobiographical in nature”
4. Our Documentary Mode
The ‘PARTICIPATORY’ mode conventions are the ones that are
mostly used in our documentary. These are:
Crew/documentary makers present in the film
Non-diegetic voiceover – documentary makers voices
A range of interviews shown in the documentary
Use of archive material – taken from YouTube and other sites (images and
video footage)
Location shooting with handheld cameras
A range of editing techniques, shots, long takes and cuts
Synchronous sound both non-diegetic and diegetic
5. Archive Footage/Images
•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfJqg15oRTo&feature=r
elated - MANCHESTER RIOT SHOCKING FOOTAGE
YOUTH SETS FIRE TO MISS SELFRIDGE STORE CAUGHT
ON
•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to80sWGiofM&feature=
related - Manchester looters caught on camera
•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXegiHGPqf4&feature=
relmfu - 'We will be coming for you' warn Manchester
Police
•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VebdFIAVT_4&feature=
relmfu - PM: 'We will end UK riots by any means necessary'
•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hIcvga-bZY Riot
Night - England Riots 2011 Documentary
•http://www.youtube.com/user/Cartier?v=nNhArtcwVkk&
feature=pyv&ad=15812695308&kw=songs – music for
opening scene
•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qEjDjtujaQ -
opening scene ideas
We will be using some archive material in our documentary, as
it is a typical documentary convention to create a sense of
realism and get a certain point of view across.
6. Interviews
This is an interview which I filmed when I was in Manchester City Centre. The interview is shot outside Miss Selfridge, the
shop that was set on fire during the riots. In the medium shot it is clear that this happened due to the shop still being
bordered. The interview gets a certain point across and is a technique used to manipulate the audience to have a view
point.
7. Location Shooting - Manchester
These images which are shots from our documentary, establish the
location (Manchester) and it’s main attractions. Location shooting
is essential in documentary making, as it informs the viewers that
we’re focusing on the riots specifically in Manchester.
The frequent medium long shots used to show these
attractions, show the conditions of Manchester well and also
dominates the frame which portrays the size of the city.
