Codes and Conventions of TV Documentary



'the creative treatment of actuality' (Grierson)

Bill Nichols: Documentary Modes

1. Poetic
    no explicit narrative, associative, exploratory:
   Listen to Britain (42)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h8pHumy7NE

2. Expository
   explicit narrative, voice of god, argument:
 London Can Take It (40), TV news 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLgfSDtHFt8

3. Observational
    direct observation, 'fly on the wall':
  Don't Look Back (1967), Big Brother
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sqAhF6i9H4

4. Participatory
   explicit interaction between filmmaker and subject:
   Supersize Me (2004)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sgcc_ZZnAgM

5. Reflexive
   meta-documentary questioning doc form, film about film:
   Grizzly Man(2005)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tFWOje0Pc0

6. Performative
    subjective, stylised, filmmakers own 'journey', questioning of identity:
    Paris is Burning (1990)
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVueHRtpBbg



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