The Structures Of Documentaries
Expository Documentary:
Expository
documentaries communicate directly to the audience in the form of a
convincing commentary using titles or narration, proposing a strong argument
and point of view. These films try to influence the watcher. The (voice-of-God)
commentary often sounds unbiased and wise. This is to indicate the claim. The
rhetoric insistently presses upon us to focus on the images in a certain way. Historic
documentaries in this mode convey a straightforward and ‘neutral’ explanation
of past.
This is commonly used in documentaries such as 'Hitler: Rise and Fall'. This documentary uses a range of reconstruction in a studio to give a realistic effect this and has multiple medium
Observational Documentary:
Observational
Documentaries trend so spontaneously watching lived life with a small
amount of intervention. Most filmmakers work in this particular sub-genre of
see other modes as too abstract. Technological development made this mode
possible like mobile cameras and portable microphones so they can synchronise
the sound and footage.
Often there is:
·
voice-over commentary
·
post-synchronized dialogue and music
·
re-enactments
The films aimed for juxtaposition, familiarity, and exposure of individuals
in ordinary life situations.
Participatory documentaries:
Participatory documentaries show that it can be difficult shooting and
producing films because it is hard not affect or change the sequence being
filmed. The film maker will tend to come out from using voice-over and be a
part of the footage and be a crucial part of the film itself.
‘Bowling for
Columbine’ would be a part of this due to the film maker being the protagonist
such as Moore creating a bond between him and the audience. This due to him
being in most of the scenes, this also enforces the audience to see the problem
with gun laws from his perspective. This
is also a very bias view and this is shown through the camerawork.
Reflective Documentary:
Reflective documentaries are mostly focusing on
their own constructiveness and tend to focus on facts that are representations.
Such as how events or topics are represented by films. This type of documentary
tends to be the most skeptical of being realistic. This sub-genre tends to
manipulate what is being show to de-familiarize us to the topic of the sequences like what is being
shown and how it is shown.
Performative Documentaries:
Performative documentaries are films that typically
make the audience feel certain emotions through subjective experiences. They
tend to be very personal based on true events that have a deep connection to
topics that would not be necessary to talk about in public. However they might
be very subjective when trying to express a point of view towards the
audience. They are produced to make the
audience see the film in a certain perspective
Bibliography and References:
Bill Nichols
books Introduction to Documentary (2001) and Representing Reality (1991)
Nichols, B.
(2011) Introduction to Documentary. Indiana University Press: Indiana
Nichols, B.
(1991) Representing Reality. Indiana University Press: Indiana
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