lesson one

six different modes of documentary

Poetic mode

Eschews linear continuity in favor of mood, tone, or the juxtaposition of imagery. 

Since poetic documentaries often have little or no narrative content, the director of photography is often asked to capture highly composed, visually striking images that can tell a story without additional verbal context.

Olympia (1938, Leni Riefenstahl

Expository mode: 

Set up a specific point of view or argument about a subject and often feature “voice of God” style voice-over. 

Includes stock footage, archival footage, b-roll, or re-enactments of historical events.

Participatory documentaries 

Defined by the interaction between the documentary filmmakers and their subject. Participatory documentaries, often focuses on direct engagement with subjects and capturing real emotional responses and interactions. 

Observational mode:

 A style of documentary embraced by the cinema verité movement, observational documentaries attempt to discover the ultimate truth of their subject by acting as a fly-on-the-wall—in other words, observing the subject’s real-life without interrupting.

Reflexive mode: 

Focuses on the relationship between the filmmaker and the audience. Since the subject matter is often the process of documentary filmmaking itself, a cinematographer will shoot behind-the-scenes style footage of the entire film production process, including editing, interviewing, and post-production.

Performative mode: 

Performative documentaries focus on the filmmaker’s involvement with their subject, using his or her personal experience or relationship with the subject as a jumping-off point for exploring larger, subjective truths about politics, history, or groups of people.