Documentary film

• Modalities of Desire / purposes

  Micheal Renov (1993)

  1. Record, reveal or preserve - 'image capture' - the drive to create an impression of a moment that is as authentic as possible
  2. Persuade or promote - to present an editorialised message that can achieve personal/social goals on behalf of the filmmaker or institution
  3. Analyse or interrogate - ask previously unacknowledged questions on its subject
  4. Express - to induce emotion or pleasure in the viewer
• Documentary modes - Bill Nichols

  • Identified six modes of documentary in order to organise documentaries due to their different conventions
  • The six modes set up expected conventions and provide specific expectations for the spectator
  • These modes are not exclusive and some documentaries may contain a combination of modes
  • Therefore, the characters of a give mode function as their dominant in any given film: they give structure to the overall film but do not dictate or determine every aspect of its organisation
• The six modes of documentary

  • Expository
  • Observational
  • Reflexive
  • Participatory
  • Performative
  • Poetic
• Expository mode

  • Expository documentaries use 'Voice of God' narration with the author providing a scripted commentary to accompany or illustrate visuals
  • Sometimes referred to as 'essay films' these documentaries aim to educate their audience and explain their subject
• Longinotto - Subject matter

  • Longinotto is interested in women's lives
  • Typically, Longinotto is drawn to outsiders and/or inspirational characters fighting for change
  • Longinotto's approach to documentary results in the subject becoming an 'equal partner' in the film
  • Longinotto's documentaries provide provide women with a 'voice'
• Longinotto - modes & styles

  • Longinotto favours what Bill Nichols labelled as the 'observational' mode
  • Inspired by cinema vertie (a 1960s French film which showed people in naturalistic everyday situations) Longinotto favours an unobtrusive style and is rarely ever present on screen
  • Longinotto's style encompasses handheld cinematography and she chooses to only capture the 'extraordinary' moments (being selective with what she decides to record)
• Observational mode

  • Nichols argued that observational documentaries appear to take a detached 'neutral' stance towards their subject matter.
  • Overtly 'interpretive' techniques such as voiceover or music (common in other modes of documentary) are avoided in favour of an apparent capturing of reality as it unfolds
  • The observational mode positions the spectator to be active and question what they are watching. Longinotto says she 'doesn't want (her) films to have conclusions but to raise questions'
• Nick Broomfield

  • Subject matter: elusive celebrities and their mediated identities
  • Narrative: Investigate documentarist. He is not afraid to change direction when filming to find his story
  • Style: Uses 'voice of god' like a diary to reveal his own subjective truth
• Reflexive mode

  • The most self-aware mode. It tears away the veil of the filmmaker's illusory absence and challenges how other modes claim to construct 'truth' through documentary practice
  • A reflexive documentary often uses many devices of other modes but is unique in the way it allows the spectator to observe the recording device as well as the effect
  • Therefore reflexive documentaries bring attention to the artificial process of filmmaking and offer a commentary on the means of representation.
• Participatory mode

  • The participatory documentary mode is far removed from the detached observation mode as it involves the filmmaker actively participating or interacting with their subject
  • This mode allows Broomfield to analyse and interrogate his subjects. Broomfield wants the audience to know what it is like to interact with these people and get the truth out of them
• Broomfield's interview style

  • He is an interventionist and positions himself as an interrogator and agitator. His distinctive interview technique is not necessarily looking for an 'objective' truth but instead aims to expose his subjects real views
  • Often adapts his interview technique in different situations to get the subject's real views.
• Performative mode

  • Often confused with participatory, the performative mode of documentary positions the performance of the documentary maker as central to the way the documentary is constructed
  • This mode emphasises the personal experience of the director and gives a strong perspective on 'what it's like to be there' that the audience would never otherwise know
• Kapadia's auteur

  • Relegates the talking head to the narration
  • Pack the screen with evocative, painstakingly researched often unseen archive footage
  • Edit for maximum cinematic impact
• Kapadia's approach


  The film uses a style which the director likes to label 'true fiction'. The entire narrative is constructed from a variety of archival footage sources and lacks a conventional voiceover. It uses a number of interviews from Amy's family, friends and people who worked for her, to develop an insight into her troubled life. Captions and the use of her music, alongside a specially developed score also work to position the spectator in a particular way