documentary modes

1. Documentary
Modes
Georgia Dodsworth

2. Poetic
• The poetic documentary modes were most used in the 1920s, a
poetic documentary is often an non- linear and lacks a clear
narrative throughout the story. They mostly rely on juxtaposition of
images and sound to create a specific mood or tone. The poetic
mode moves away from the ‘objective reality of a given situation or
people’. This allows the audience to grasp at a better truth that can
be grasped by the poetical manipulation. The audience are shown
an abstract, subjective, representation of reality achieved through
different techniques such as emphasized visuals and the narrative to
fit the atmosphere/ mood o the films/ series prior to this. The
distortions of reality that is created is intestinally been used to
present a biased and a subjective reality.
• An example of a poetic documentary is Coal Face, Coal face is a
1935 British documentary short film directed by Alberto Cavalcanti,
which is based off a poem written and narrated by W.H. Auden. The
film gives the audience an insight into the lives of the Yorkshire
mining community and the dangerous working conditions that the
minors faced daily. The footage used for the film is reused older
footage from Tour of a British Coal Mine.
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3. Expository
• The expository mode of documentary is also another popular
style of documentary from the 20s, as I shows a clear
narrative, these mostly include a voice-over. This style of
documentary usually has an educational aim behind it. It
has been argued that the preferred meaning is constructed
within the documentary. Expository documentaries are
probably the closest to what people think of documentaries.
Expository documentaries aim to inform and persuade -
often through omnipresent "Voice of God" narration and by
using stock footage, archival footage, b-roll, or re-
enactments. This is the most direct form of documentary
storytelling and is an excellent way to share a message or
information.
• An example of expository documentary type is March Of
The Penguins is a 2005 French documentary directed and
co- written by Luc Jacquet and co- produced by the National
Geographic Society. The documentary shows the yearly
journey that the emperor penguins have to take. Another
example of an expository documentary is any form of David
Attenbourgh documentary, as he is the main ‘ voice of god’.

4. Participatory
• The participatory mode has a clear relationship between both
the film maker and the subject. This style of documentaries are
defined by the interaction between the subject and the film
maker. The cinematographers main goal is to capture both the
subject and the interviewer as if he is the interviewee. These
interactions are often used to support the filmmakers point of
view or used to prove the intentions of the film. Participatory
documentaries often used to present the filmmakers version of
the truth by focusing on the direct engagement with the subject
with the subjects and capturing their specific reactions. This
means that the film-maker is frequently on screen, asking
questions and expressing their own opinion on the subject
matter.
• An example of a participatory documentary is Chronicle of a
Summer, Chronicle of a Summer is a 1961 French documentary
that was filmed in the summer of 1960 by sociologist Edgar
Morin. The film is Widley regarded as structurally innovative and
an example of direct cinema. In a poll by Sight & Sound in
2014, film critics voted Chronicle of a Summer the sixth- best
documentary film of all time.
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5. Observational
• This documentary type originates in the 1960s and in response
to the other documentary modes, this style of documentary
attempts to discover the ultimate truth of their subject by
observing the subjects real- life without interrupting. In this
mode of documentary, the cinematographer attempts to be as
unobtrusive as possible to catch their subjects in a raw,
ungraded and unscripted state. Observational documentaries
focus on observing the world and the surroundings without
interfering. This style of documentary mostly follows the
subjects every move and simply observes, allowing the viewers
to reach whatever conclusions they like, and allows the actors to
act naturally also known as a ‘social actor’. Overall, the
audience are neither conditioned or manipulated by visuals or a
guiding voice overs. However, they are able to produce their
own conclusions through images that are just observations that
have subtly been recorded. It has been argued that
observational documentaries portray a more accurate
representation of reality compared to other documentary modes.
This documentary style is often referred to as cinema verité,
direct cinema or most commonly ‘fly on the wall’, this is possibly the
most analyzed style of documentary.
• An example of observational documentary is Public Housing, Public
Housing is a 1997 American documentary film directed by Frederick
Wiseman, it follows the daily life in the Wells public housing
development in Chicago, Illinois.
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6. Reflective
• Reflective documentaries focus on the relationship between
the audience and the filmmaker, the subject matter is often the
process of the documentary filmmaking itself. Reflective
documentaries push the viewers to reflect on their perceptions
and re- analyse their notions of the truth. During the filming
process, the filmmaker will shoot behind-the-scenes style
footage of the entire film production process, including the
editing, interviewing, and post-production process. Unlike the
other documentary modes, this mode of documentary do not
seek to explore an outside subject but instead would rather
focus on themselves and the process of making the film. This
style of documentary does not attempt to provoke any intense
emotional responses from the audience but does encourage
them to take thoughtful consideration of the material. The
reflective documentary mode presents questions to the
audience and approaches topics with uncertainty, presenting
the truth within a non-fiction format.
• An example of a reflective documentary is ‘ Biggie & Tupac’,
this is a 2002 feature-length documentary film about the
murdered American rappers Notorious B.I.G and Tupac
Shakur by Nick Broomfield. This documentary follows the
theories and investigation behind the murders of the two
rappers.
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7. Performative
• Performative documentaries are focused on the filmmakers
involvement within the subject. They will usually start with the
filmmaker deciding to document their journey to explore a
specific topic. Filmmakers with use their personal experiences
or relationships to explore subjective topics about real world
problems like politics, history or groups of people. The
cinematographer is often tasked with capturing the
documentary production process and to capture intimate
footage that illustrates the personal and direct relationship
between the filmmaker and the subject matter. This mode of
documentary is a non- fictional style of film that is often used to
emphasize the filmmakers involvement throughout the process.
This allows the filmmakers to become the main centrepiece in
the film, driving the action, speaking with the subjects and
analysing information. The filmmakers use their own feelings
and experiences to gain an emotional response from the
audience and drive froward their films topic.
• An example of a performative documentary is ‘Supersize Me’.
Supersize Me is a 2004 American documentary filmed by and
starring Morgan Spurlock who is an American independent
filmmaker. Spurlock's film follows a 30- day period from
February 1 to March 2. Morgan Spurlock ate a McDonalds
restaurant three times a day. He decided to make this
documentary to show how fast food can affect you mental and
physical health.
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