Different Modes of DocumentariesHarmony Willsher and Toby Allen

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.

Poetic

Conventions Lyrical and emotionalFilmic conventionsArtisticContinuous editingAudience is shown abstract, subjective representations of reality. This is usually achieved by through the use of continuous editing throughout the documentary.Documentary EvidenceLeni 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.

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.

‘moves away from the ‘objective’ reality of a given situation or people, to grasp at an inner ‘truth’ that can only be depicted by poetical manipulation’

Expository Mode

ConventionsVoice of God narrationArchive footageVerbal commentaryInterviewsEvidentiary editing

Documentary EvidenceTaxi 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.

Participatory Mode

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 evidenceMan on Wire Small reconstruction scenesNarration 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 eventsClose up of subjects Range of archive footage Subtitles Text on screen showing names of subjects and relationship to main subject

Observational ModeUsed to 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. Conventions• No voice overs• No interviews• No supplementary music• Social actors behave as if the camera is not thereDOCUMENTARY 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

Reflexive ModeConventionsThis 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 EvidenceLand Without Bread Transitions – majority is Fade to black Slow paced transitions/editing Introduction – text on screen at the beginningArchive footage used (pictures) – at the beginning Voice of God narration throughout the whole documentary Non diegetic music throughout the whole documentary

Performative modeHighlights the subjective or expressive aspect of the filmmaker’s own involvement with a subject.Conventions• Reject Objectivity, Favour Emotion• Non-diegetic music• No Narration• Voice- overs• Archive footageDOCUMENTARY 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