WEEK 6Non-Fiction Film

Documentary Conventions• What is the last documentary that

you saw and why did you have to watch it?

• What are some of the conventions that documentary film frequently uses?• Why do you think these conventions

developed?

• What is the goal of a documentary film?

What defines a documentary film?• There is a fine line between the realm of documentary and

narrative film, but traditionally we define documentaries as:• Existing in the same historical world that we live in

• We believe that the events in the film happened within the same historical world that we occupy

• Not fully re-enacted• There is an especially a blurry line between Biopics (Narrative films

about historical figures) and Documentaries

• Discussion: What is the last biography film that you watched? Would you define this as a documentary?

• A film like American Splendor straddles this line as it mostly contains re-enacted scenes from the life of Harvey Pekar, however, it includes voice over narration from Pekar as well as appearances from Pekar alongside Paul Giametti, the actor who portrays him

What are some common Misconceptions about Documentaries?• Documentaries are boring

• There is a documentary for any subject of interest

• The storytelling of a documentary can be more compelling than a narrative film

• Documentaries are or should be objective• This is a common criticism of filmmaker

Michael Moore• In truth, every film is made from a particular

point of view and contains biases

• Documentaries are easy/cheap to make• While documentaries often do not require

as much pre-production and manpower as a fiction film, they can take a while to shoot and edit

A little bit of doc history

1900 – 1920:

Early Muybridge Experiments

Lumiere Brother’s films (travelogues)

Expeditions and Adventure – South (1919)

1920s – 1940s:

Nature films – Nanook of the North (1922)

Poetic Reality – Berlin: Symphony of a City, Man with a Movie Camera

Propaganda films

1950s to 1970s:

Cinema Verite

Maysles Brothers: Salesman, Grey Gardens

Political films: Primary, Harlan County, USA

Where are documentaries now?

Objectivity vs. Subjectivity• One of the best ways that we can analyze documentary films is by looking at

the relationship between the filmmaker and the subject.• Typically documentary films are categorized by the measurement of this relationship

More Objective• Less intrusion on the part of the

filmmaker in the filmmaking process

• Audience is left to make judgment on the meaning, argument, and characters

More Subjectivity• More intrusion on part of the filmmaker,

maybe even going as far as creating everything themselves

• Filmmaker presents a very specific argument, or tries to evoke a specific emotion

Modes of documentary filmmaking

PerformativePoeticReflexiveExpositoryObservational Participatory

Global and Cultural Awareness• One of the great uses of documentary filmmaking is that it

can foster awareness of cultures in us as both an audience and as filmmakers

Modes of documentary films• Because documentaries cover such a wide variety of

topics, it is difficult to develop a classification system for all of them

• Nichols (2001) devised modes by which we may organize the conventions and expectations of documentary films:• Poetic Mode• Expository Mode• Observational Mode• Participatory Mode• Reflexive Mode• Performative Mode

• Documentary films can borrow elements from each of these modes

Poetic Mode• Films in the poetic mode have a heavy concentration on

the power of the image and editing• There is not an emphasis on the transfer of information

about the historical world, but rather the filmmakers seek to evoke emotion in the audience in reference to a subject

• Often relies Heavily on music to create emotion• We can see influence now in many music videos• Style would be considered more subjective as filmmaker

is manipulating the way that we see the historical world in order to present a particular viewpoint of it

• Cons:• Films are incredibly abstract and audiences may find it difficult to

watch as there is no traditional storyline

• Examples (Click links to watch)• Berlin: Symphony of a Great City• Koyaanisqatsi : Music by Philip Glass• Baraka• Chemical Brothers: Star Guitar

Expository Mode• Films in the Expository Mode rely on voice-over

narration as the presentational mode• The images serve a supporting role to the narration –

Evidentiary Editing

• This voice over narration is often referred to as the Voice-of-God, it is an attempt to be authoritative and objective on the given subject

• A common example of this mode is the History Channel: They make documentaries on subjects and use a top-down approach to history (i.e. “These were the people that were involved”, “this is what happened”)

• An objective approach to history

• Often used for propagandistic purposes; To give the illusion of authority and truth

• Is closer to the objective end of the spectrum, but this can be manipulated by the filmmaker

• Cons: Can be overly didactic, not account for all perspectives on events

• Examples:• Why We Fight Series (1944): A series of war propaganda

films made by Frank Capra to support WWII

Observational Mode• The observational mode is defined by the fly

on the wall approach to a subject; the filmmaker’s role is simply to observe actions as they take place

• Mode allows audience to make judgments on the nature of the characters as well as overall themes of the film

• Purely observational films have little narration or editing

• Cons:• Can be quite boring; no storyline• Lack of history; cannot give historical context of

the events

• Examples:• Don’t Look Back: Film following Bob Dylan on Tour

of England• Salesman

Participatory Mode• The film relies heavily upon the

interaction between the filmmaker and the subject

• Use of interviews to get a view of history from people who participated in it

• Filmmaker often has influence over the outcome of the story because of their interaction with the subject

• Cons:• Excessive faith in witnesses• May be seen as too obtrusive on the part of the

filmmaker

• Examples:• Roger and Me• Ross McElwee: Sherman’s March

Reflexive Mode• Questions the very nature of representation in documentary

film. Uses multiple methods of representation to draw attention to the fact that the film itself is a representation.

• Often uses actors to represent historical events• The filmmakers use of different techniques of

representation move it away from subjectivity to objectivity.• Cons:

• Can be too abstract, may lose sight of the actual issues that need to be addressed

• Examples:• American Splendor: Uses many of these techniques even though it

would be classified as a narrative film• Thin Blue Line: Uses recreations of a crime to show subjective

viewpoint

Performative Mode• Films in the performative mode are

often auto-biographical, based on the experiences of the filmmaker.

• Films in this mode try to tackle larger issues through the lens of the subjects life

• Often bridges on the Poetic or Avant Garde

• A more personal approach to societal topics/problems

• Examples• Tarnation

Assignments for this Week• Final Project Proposal• Screening• Quiz• Blog Post