Definition

When faced with the word “documentary”, many of us will conjure up images of the spectacular nature documentaries often found on the BBC or National Geographic. However, documentary is actually an extremely wide genre of filmmaking, and it is also ever-growing and changing with the times.

A documentary is generally described as a media production that passes on information to its viewer. Cambridge dictionary defines the word as “A film or television or radio programme that gives facts and information about a subject.” This, arguably, is a very cut and dry description of the word- it certainly doesn’t make the genre sound very enjoyable! Documentaries are still there to entertain and interest the viewer, otherwise they would be unsuccessful in passing the information on, which is their main purpose.

Principle Modes

bill-nichols(image source: americanfilmshowcase.com)

Bill Nichols, a pioneering documentary theorist, compiled 6 Principal Modes of Documentary, which each have their own purposes and characteristics. These modes enable us to see just what a varied genre documentary is.

Expository mode: This mode tends to centre around providing arguments backed up by facts that will be shown on screen in the form of visual evidence such as footage or photographs. This will be combined with a narrative voiceover that tells the audience what they’re seeing and why, rather than leaving it to their own assumptions. A nature documentary would be an example of this mode.

Observational mode: The footage for this mode would be predominantly provided by unobtrusive, fly-on-the-wall cameras that record events as they happen, capturing documentary in its rawest form and with minimal intrusion from the filmmaker(s).

Poetic mode: This is a more subjective mode that relies heavily on abstract qualities in order to explore different takes on the facts at hand. Documentaries with this mode are produced with a more creative angle in mind, and may use visuals such as colours and tones to portray their information.

Participatory mode: This mode includes more involvement from the filmmaker than the other modes, putting emphasis on the interaction between them and the subject. This may include a collection of interviews, or will even just show the filmmaker becoming directly involved with the subject- for example following an individual- onscreen.

Performative mode: This mode is highly subjective to the filmmakers personal experience making the documentary. This film is more likely to follow the filmmaker in their journey, though it also emphasises the emotional impact on the audience.

Reflexive: This mode acknowledges the conventions and imperfections of documentary and, rather than trying to hide these, it emphasises them to help explain how films can create their own realities.

Why Documentary?

So why are documentaries so important? Firstly, they can cover a number of different uses and purposes that can greatly benefit the world. They may be used to promote good causes, for example to show the impact of climate change and encourage people to adapt accordingly. They are able to show us incredible sights we may not have seen otherwise- such as unique footage from distant parts of the globe. They can help promote unsolved cases such as murders, and double as an appeal for new witnesses. The list is almost endless. Documentaries can be created about anything, and for anyone, whether this is on a wider scale on national channels or even quirky ‘human interest’ stories for very specific groups.

Since their purposes are so general, they can create informative and entertaining pieces of film for any issue the filmmaker desires. Documentaries display their information through a composition of video, photographs, audio, soundtracks, voiceovers, captions and graphics in order to keep the audience both mentally and visually interested. It is simple enough for them to be differentiated by the tone to fit the purpose- a crime documentary would have completely different aesthetics and atmosphere to one about an amusing character.

Criticisms 

Documentaries can sometimes face backlash from the general public. A lot of people will perceive documentaries as being completely factual, so when they feel “cheated” by the filmmakers it can severely damage reputations.

This can happen when filmmakers don’t make it clear that certain parts of their documentaries have been exacerbated or manipulated for entertainment purposes. This may be video or audio clips, facts, or acted out scenes. Usually, these clips are not used to deliberately deceive, and instead they are there to improve the overall viewing experience of the show, for example, by filming animals in a zoo during a documentary about animals in their natural habitat. This wouldn’t be done to deliberately mislead viewers, it would just provide an easier and more feasible way of shooting footage of the animals in a precise setting, with the safety of the zoo enclosure and guaranteed footage. Shooting in the wild would perhaps be very risky and could yield footage that wasn’t as enjoyable to the viewer.

Why is this research important for my project?

This research is extremely useful for my project, as it can provide information as to how a documentary is formed, and codes and conventions that I should be following to help my documentary fit its purpose. By researching certain criticisms, this can help me avoid anything that may cause my video to be poorly received. Researching documentary in general has given me a better understanding of the elements involved and where it came from, and has reminded me why it is such an important subject that I am most passionate about, and am therefore using as the base for my most important project to date.

References

Bushnell, H. (2013). Documentary : Bill Nichols – 6 Modes of Documentary. [online] Hannahbushnelldoc.blogspot.co.uk. Available at: http://hannahbushnelldoc.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/bill-nichols-6-modes-of-documentary.html [Accessed 13 Mar. 2015].

Collaborative Documentary Workshop Porto ’09. (2009). 6 Types of Documentary. [online] Available at: https://collaborativedocumentary.wordpress.com/6-types-of-documentary/ [Accessed 12 Apr. 2016].

Desktop-Documentaries.com. (2013). What is the purpose of a documentary?. [online] Available at: http://www.desktop-documentaries.com/what-is-the-purpose-of-a-documentary.html [Accessed 24 Feb. 2015].

Desktop-Documentaries.com. (2015). Documentary Storytelling Techniques. [online] Available at: http://www.desktop-documentaries.com/storytelling-techniques.html [Accessed 24 Feb. 2015].

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Life Story Video. (2011). Personal Documentaries Explained & Simplified. [online] Available at: https://lifestoryvideo.wordpress.com/2011/02/26/personal-documentaries-explained-simplified/ [Accessed 13 Mar. 2015].

Mail Online. (2013). Mermaid ‘mockumentary’ which gave Animal Planet its biggest audience ever and caused online frenzy is revealed as a hoax. [online] Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333515/Mermaid-hoax-How-mockumentary-gave-Animal-Planet-biggest-audience-EVER.html [Accessed 25 Feb. 2015].

Meridianstories.com. (2015). Six Principal Modes of Documentary Filmmaking | Meridian Stories. [online] Available at: http://www.meridianstories.com/storytellers/tool-kit/six-principal-modes-of-documentary-filmmaking/ [Accessed 22 Feb. 2015].

Nytimes.com. (2015). How Real Is a Documentary, Really?. [online] Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/12/magazine/12Reality-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 [Accessed 8 Mar. 2015].

Singh, A. (2011). Frozen Planet: BBC ‘faked’ polar bear birth. [online] Telegraph.co.uk. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/8950070/Frozen-Planet-BBC-faked-polar-bear-birth.html [Accessed 14 Mar. 2015].

Thinkmap, I. (2015). documentary – Dictionary Definition. [online] Vocabulary.com. Available at: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/documentary [Accessed 23 Feb. 2015].

Writersstore.com. (2015). Documentary Storytelling: The Drama of Real Life. [online] Available at: http://www.writersstore.com/documentary-storytelling-the-drama-of-real-life/ [Accessed 8 Mar. 2015].