fnished version of ducumentary modes with examples in each mode

1. Bill Nicholas

2. Bill Nicholas’ modes of documentary are significant as the different
modes allow for us to recognize the different types of documentaries,
making it much easier to identify all of the different codes and
conventions. This research would be essential when it comes to making
our documentaries. The importance of this research will be seen later on
when shooting the documentary as we are the able to refer back to the
mode we are creating and check if we have the same codes and
conventions present in our final product.

3. Poetic Mode
Conventions
Lyrical and Emotional
Filmic conventions
Artistic
Continuous editing
Audience is shows abstract subjective representations of reality this is usually achieved through the use of continuous
editing throughout the documentary.
Documentary Evidence
“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. – Nicholas
Regen | Rain (1929) | Joris Ivens
Slow paced editing but very quick transitions
Text on screen at the very beginning with documentary name
and background
Non-diegetic music
Random collection of videos not necessarily connected
Birds eye view shots, close ups , medium shots
Leni Riefenstahl’s Olympia (1938) - low camera
angles and slow pace editing.
Transitions included a lot of also fading and
merging between the images – glorifying the
Aryan athlete's
Camera Shots – Extreme close –ups , long shots
close-ups and lot of low angle shots.

4. Expository Mode
Conventions
Voice Of God Narration
Archive footage
Verbal commentary
Interviews
Evidentiary editing
Documentary Evidence
Taxi To The Dark Side:
Archive footage,
evidentiary editing to show George W Bush hypocrisy
archive footage from newspapers and news reports.
Interviews with the prison guards at the camps.
Voice of God Narration throughout the documentary
Frequent use of diegetic music

5. Participatory Mode
CONVENTIONS
These films usually take the form of a series of interviews or other
forms of even more direct involvement from conversations to
provocations.
∆ Archival footage to examine historical issues
∆ Range of different interviews with different subjects
∆ Narration by subject
DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE
Man on Wire
Small reconstruction scenes
Narration by subject of documentary explaining the historic event/
answers to interview without audience hearing the questions.
Range of different subjects speaking of own perspective of events
Close up of subjects
Range of archive footage
Subtitles
Text on screen showing names of subjects and relationship to main
subject

6. Observational Mode
Conventions
Observe historical events as they happen and can also use the observations of
an unobtrusive camera to create direct engagement with the everyday life of
subjects.
∆ No voice overs
∆ No interviews
∆ No supplementary music
∆ Social actors behave as if the camera is not there
DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE
Vladimir in Titicut Follies
Extreme close ups when subjects are interacting with each
other.
Followed By Zoom Outs.
Very Little amounts of cuts between scenes there is more
zooming in and out.
No non-diegetic music
No voice overs
Fly on the wall kind of vibe, social actors do not acknowledge
the cameras presence

7. Reflexive Mode
CONVENTIONS
This mode, which includes the mockumentary format,
calls attention to the assumptions and conventions that
govern documentary filmmaking to increase our
awareness of how films construct representations of
reality
Documentary Evidence
Land Without Bread
Transitions – majority is Fade to black
Slow paced transitions/editing
Introduction – text on screen at the beginning
Archive footage used (pictures) – at the beginning
Voice of God narration throughout the whole documentary
Non diegetic music throughout the whole documentary

8. Perfomative Mode
CONVENTIONS
Highlights the subjective or expressive aspect of the filmmaker’s own
involvement with a subject.
∆ Reject Objectivity, Favour Emotion
∆ Non-diegetic music
∆ No Narration
∆ Voice- overs
∆ Archive footage
DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE
Tongues Untied
Subject was Marlon Riggs who was also the filmmaker
Favours emotion through the use of archive footage
showing gay males getting attacked
Voice-over of poetry/ spoken word written by Marlon
Riggs
A lot of close -ups and medium shots
Non-diegetic music