Presentation 2: Documentary Form / Categories
The documentary…
• The Scot John Grierson (1898-1972) is regarded as the
founder of the documentary movement in Britain.
• Grierson's principles of documentary were that cinema's
potential for observing life could be exploited in a new art
form; that the "original" actor and "original" scene are
better guides than their fiction counterparts to
interpreting the modern world; and that materials "thus
taken from the raw" can be more real than the acted
article
• Grierson defined documentary as “the creative treatment
of actuality”.
• Q. What is meant by actuality?
• Q. Think of the phrase ‘creative treatment’. List ways in
which documentary makers can treat real events in a
creative manner.
• Q. Is it possible to capture the ‘real’ world on film?
• Q. Do you think it is ethical to stage real events in a
documentary?
Documentary Theories (1)
According to Michael Rabiger in his book ‘Directing the
Documentary’ (published by Focal Press, 1992) there
are three types of documentary.
1. Those produced to give a definite message to the
audience and therefore only give a one-sided view of the
subject. These programmes are usually produced by an
advertiser or a political group.
2. Both sides of a story are given equal coverage in the
telling of a story to an audience that needs to be
educated and entertained.
3. Programmes made to show the complexities of human
life whereby the audience is engaged in making difficult
judgements about the programme-makers’ quest for truth
in portraying a real life situation.
Which of the above definitions is the most accurate in
describing “Supersize Me?”
Documentary Theories (2)
Bill Nichols (2001) suggests 4 aspects to
documentary definitions:
• Institutions/organisations which define
programme/film as documentary
• Communities of filmmakers who choose to
represent the historical world
• Body of texts with its own conventions
• Constituency of viewers who want to know about
the real world and who recognise the
reality/representation duality
Documentary Theories (3)
Nichols (2001) 6 documentary modes:
• Poetic: associational
• Expository: ‘voice-of-God’
• Observational: ‘fly-on-the-wall’
• Interactive/Participative
• Reflexive mode: questions its own ‘truth’
• Performative: emphasises subjective feelings
Which of the above definitions is the most accurate in
describing “Supersize Me?”
Categorising Documentary
How do we categorise documentaries?
• Purpose: propaganda, social activism,
education, observation, analysis, insight,
aesthetics, drama, reflexivity,
entertainment, profit, …
• Subject: war, concert, nature, …
• Style: compilation, cinema verité (direct or
observational cinema), …
• Authored: e.g. Nick Broomfield, Michael
Moore, Morgan Spurlock
Discuss:
What is the purpose of Supersize Me?
Documentary conventions/style
Documentary uses a set of conventions
which signify ‘realism’ (the documentary
‘look’):
• Archive footage and photographs
• ‘Talking heads’
• Jiggly camera
• Location shooting and sound
• Voiceover narration (‘voice-of-God’)
• Real people (may use actors in reenactments)
• Documentary editing which makes an
argument
Form and Genre
Form of “Supersize Me”: Documentary
feature film
Genre of “Supersize Me”:
Documentary? What kind of
documentary?
Discuss!
Tone
What is the tone of Supersize Me?
Objective or subjective?
Serious or Comic/satirical/mocking?
Formal or informal?
Etc...
Discuss!