Thursday 29 June 2017
Sunday 25 June 2017
Research - Documentary Theorists
Bill Nichols - 6 Modes of Documentary
He identified six sub-genres of documentary in his book 'Introduction to Documentary'. These were poetic, expository, participatory, observational, reflexive and performative.
He identified six sub-genres of documentary in his book 'Introduction to Documentary'. These were poetic, expository, participatory, observational, reflexive and performative.
- Expository (voice of god) is the most used form of documentary, often seen in nature documentaries and John Grierson documentaries.
- Poetic (subjective, artistic expression). This emphasises the visuals and often includes long, descriptive passages.
- Observational (objective). This tries to capture objective reality with the filmmaker as a neutral observer.
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- Participatory. Includes direct engagement between the filmmaker and the subject. The filmmaker is apart of the events.
- Reflexive (awareness of the process). This realises the constructed nature of documentaries and flaunts it.
- Performative (filmmaker as participant). This emphasises the emotional impact on the audience and the subjectivity of the filmmaker.
John Corner
Believes that there are 5 elements to documentaries.
- Observation. A sense of observation is needed and can be used as evidence.
- Interview. Documentaries rely on interviews to create an balanced argument and give a wider view.
- Dramatization. Used to create a sense of conflict and build up an argument.
- Mis en scene. This is important for constructing reality.
- Exposition. This is when the documentary reveals what argument is being explored, which can be done through narrative, descriptions or commentary.
Sunday 18 June 2017
Research - Initial Thoughts
Initial Thoughts for Coursework
Research - The Night Mail
The Night Mail analysis
What similarities/differences does it have with contemporary documentaries?
The Night Mail is similar to contemporary documentaries because it had a lot of voiceovers throughout giving information to the audience. The voiceovers often included factual information, such as how much mail is delivered in the UK a year, which is similar to contemporary documentaries. There was also many long and wide shots that anchored what the voiceovers were saying.
However, there were also many differences to contemporary documentaries. There were many long and wide shots of the train tracks and workers with no voiceover or sound that anchored the shots, which would be less likely in contemporary documentaries. There was also not many common documentary features, such as interviews with employees/professionals, which would be much more likely seen in contemporary documentaries
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