Documentary Idea: To delve into the world of the squatters. People who live inside unused houses. Who live off the grid with no fingerprint. Who sap the energy from a community. Legally. Until now.
The idea was to follow a young man called Alex Haigh. He is the first person to be arrested since squatting was made illegal, and we'd like to know his story and to expose and highlight it's positive areas.
Research:
Bill Nichols: in "Introduction to Documentary", notes six main modes of documentary. There are other subcategories such as Political, but this is usually embedded within another form.
Expository , Poetic, Observational , Participatory, Performative , Reflective.
Stella Bruzzi: 2000 Criticised Nichols for suggesting that documentary filmmakers have aimed for the 'perfect representation of the real’ and would fail in this impossible aim, thus undermining the documentary form of trying to achieve absolute reality.
She sees documentary as contributing to meaning about real world events. Authentic or not, they provide a viewpoint created in order to comprehend the event.
--THE EXPOSITORY MODE - (voice of god)
This mode is what we most identify with the documentary - it emphasises verbal commentary and argumentative logic often using a narrator. (Home) – Docufact about the Humans’ negative effect on the planet Earth. Assumes a logical argument and a "right" and "proper" answer using direct address to audience, offering preferred meaning, most associated with Television News.
Key Examples of Expository form in documentaries include:
- John Grierson's work.
- Many nature documentaries.
--THE POETIC MODE – subjective, artistic expression
The poetic mode of documentary moves away from the "objective" reality of a given situation or people to grasp at an inner "truth" that can only be grasped by poetical manipulation. Codes emphasises visual associations, tonal or rhythmic qualities, descriptive passages, and formal organisation favours mood, tone and texture.
Key Examples of Poetic tradition in documentary include:
- Robert Flaherty – “Man of Aran” (1934) - dramatic framing of material presents mythic image of
- man in harmony with nature.
- Leni Riefenstahl – “Olympia” (1938) presents a glorified view of (Aryan) athletes during the 1936
- Olympic Games, celebrating power and beauty of the (Aryan) human form, “Triumph of the
- Will” (1935), “Baraka” (1981) and “Powaqqatsi” (2003)
--THE OBSERVATIONAL MODE – window on the world
Observational (objective) mode is best exemplified by the Cinema Verite or Direct Cinema movement which emerged in the late 1950s/early 1960s - it attempted to capture (as accurately as possibly) objective reality with filmmaker as neutral observer, for example “Fly on the Wall.”
Codes/conventions:
The filmmaker remains hidden behind the camera, ignored by the surrounding environment he/she neither changes nor influences the actions/events being captured, simply documents them. Since nothing is staged for the camera, the camera rushes about to keep up with the action resulting in rough, shaky, often amateur-looking footage.
Key Examples of the Cinema Verite/Direct cinema Movement:
- Frederick Wiseman – “Hospital” (1970)
- Richard Pennebacker – “Don't Look Back” (1967) - records Bob Dylan's 1965 tour of Britain,
- “Also Soho Stories” (1996), “Geri” (1999)
--THE PARTICIPATORY MODE - director as a character
Unlike the observational mode, the participatory mode welcomes direct engagement between film maker and subject(s) - the filmmaker becomes part of the events being recorded. The film makers impact on the events being recorded is acknowledged, indeed, it is often celebrated.
Key Examples of the Participatory Mode include:
- The films of Michael Moore - here the filmmaker directly engages with the material being addressed; he becomes a character in the documentary, a “TV Personality” - an essential part of the subject. If he is IN the documentary and part of the event being documented, how can the viewpoint be objective? But one could also say that he is impacting on the event, therefore making it biased.
- Nick Broomfield - “Kurt and Courtney” (1998)
- Living with Michael Jackson (2004)
--THE REFLECTIVE MODE – awareness of the process
The Reflective Mode acknowledges the constructed nature of documentary and flaunts it - conveying to people that this is not necessarily "truth" but a reconstruction of it - "a" truth, not "the" truth.
Codes / Conventions: The artifice of the documentary is exposed - the audience are made aware of the editing, sound recording, etc.
Key Examples of the Reflective Mode include:
- Dziga Vertov - “Man with a Movie Camera” (1929) - documents the mechanisation of Soviet life in the late twenties - the mechanical camera and cameraman become part of the subject. The art of making pictures is part of this "new" mechanical work and it too, is part of the film - we literally at points in the film see the film being constructed. Representing a construction of truth.
--THE PERFORMATIVE MODE – filmmaker as participant
This mode of documentary emphasises the subjective nature of the film maker as well as acknowledging the subjective reading of the audience - notions of objectivity are replaced by "evocation and affect."
Codes / Conventions: This mode emphasises the emotional and social impact on the audience.
Key Examples of the Performative Mode include:
- “Supersize Me” - Morgan Spurlock 2004
- Arguably, films by Michael Moore: “Bowling For Columbine.”
