Modes of Documentaries

 Poetic Documentaries
Conventions

• The poetic mode of documentary film tends toward personal interpretations of its subject. 
•  Individual characters and events remain undeveloped, in favor of creating a particular mood or tone.
• Unrelated shots linked together to create a more artistic effect

Examples.....

• Joris Ivens’ Rain (1928),
• Francis Thompson’s N.Y., N.Y. (1957)
• Chris Marker’s Sans Soleil (1982).

Expository Documentaries

• Voiceover- addresses the audience directly
• The voiceover will either be the "voice of god" (heard but not seen) or a "voice of authority" (seen and heard- usually an expert)
• Images are used to illistrate (or sometimes counterpart) the voiceover
• Editing is used for continuity, to link images that support the arguement
• Assembles a variety of footage, interviews, stills and archive footage to support the argument.
• Attempts to persuade the audience of a particular point.

Examples.....

• Ken Burns’ The Civil War (1990
• Robert Hughes’ The Shock of the New (1980)
• John Berger’s Ways Of Seeing (1974)

Observational Documentaries

• Location shooting- handheld cameras
• Long takes dominate
• synchronous sound recording
• No voiceover
• No interviews
• Film makers presence is hidden from sight- does not influence the subject matter
• Subjects pretend they are not being filmed

Examples....

• Albert & David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin’s Gimme Shelter (1970)
• D.A. Pennebaker’s Don’t Look Back (1967)

Participatory Documentaries

• Documenatry maker and crew interact with subject
• Interviews dominate, tend to be very formal (on the run questioning)
• Use of archive materials- stills, news, footage, newspaper headlines, letters etc...
• Location shots- handheld camera
• Long takes dominate
• Sychronous sound recording
• Voiceover

Examples....

• Supersize Me
• Louis Theroux 
• Michael Moore 

Reflexive documentary 

• Borrows techniques from fiction film to produce an emotive response in the audience 
• Uses expressive lighting, expressive music etc...
• Voiceover is likely to be questioning and uncertain 
• Relies on suggestion rather than fact 

Examples...

• Cathy Come Home 

performative documentary 

• Documentary maker and crew interact with subjects 
• Documentary maker comments on the process of making the documentary 
• The narrative is usually an investigation or search 
• Adresses the audience in a direct way 
• The subject matter is usually to do with identity (gender, sexuality) rather than factual subjects