2. The 6 Modes
Bill Nichols studied a variety of different documentaries, specifically
looking at their individual styles and construction.
He noticed that several documentaries had similar styles and
created 6 different categories, or modes that he felt these
documentaries fell into.
These modes are:
Poetic Mode
Expository Mode
Observational Mode
Participatory Mode
Reflexive Mode
Performative Mode
3. Research!
You need to research your assigned mode and
create a blog post on it explaining its:
Background
Key features
Important examples
Two examples of blog posts can be seen here:
http://heathenmedia.co.uk/a2filmstudies/2013/10/
05/modes-of-documentary-poetic-mode/
http://heathenmedia.co.uk/a2filmstudies/2013/10/
05/modes-of-documentary-expository-mode/
4. Hints and Tips
You should find a sheet with all the information you’ll need
on it on Macshared with some key points about your
documentary mode.
You should also be able to use these websites for some
more information.
http://thefilmbuff.com/6-forms-of-the-documentary-form
http://girishshambu.blogspot.co.uk/2006/12/six-types-of-
documentary.html
http://www.meridianstories.com/storytellers/tool-kit/six-principal-
modes-of-documentary-filmmaking/
Be creative with the way you present your information, you
can find lots of creative ways to present on
www.heathenmedia.co.uk
