Introduction to Documentary

This reading focused heavily identifying what makes a documentary so different than other aspects of filmmaking. As such, it sets out clearly defined examples of describing the voice of documentaries and why these voices are important. This is because the voice of a documentary is what makes a documentary so much different than other aspects of filmmaking. Not only is the general idea of the voice of documentary important, but also the fact that there are different types of voices of documentaries. The reading points to six of these: poetic, expository, participatory, observational, reflexive, and performative. Each of these types of voices is important because, as the reading stated, “It attests to the individuality of the filmmaker or director, or, sometimes, to the determining power of a sponsor or controlling organization”. Within each of these different voices, each filmmaker will have a different perspective or twist on the voice of the documentary. The reading also points out that a documentary does not have to be held to one distinct voice, but rather, a documentary can utilize multiple voices to deliver the message.

The poetic mode of documentary focuses on the representation of the history of what has happened and uses this history to deliver its message. The expository mode brings this history into an argumentative form that will address the viewer directly so that the viewer becomes more involved with the message. The observational mode is pretty straightforward; the filmmaker is “on the scene” but is not involved with the scene. The participatory mode is similar to the observational mode with the difference being that the documentary will show the effects of the filmmaker being on the scene. The reflexive mode fully engages the viewer with the filmmaker in that the filmmaker challenges the viewer to think about the problems and issues that the documentary brings up about its subject. Finally, the performative mode seeks to show the viewer a better understanding of general processes that occur in society.

The Kony 2012 film, produced by the organization Invisible Children, uses a combination of these voices to bring about their message. They use the poetic mode to provide history of the issue. They use the expository mode to address the viewer that they need to take action against the issue. They use the participatory mode to question those affected by the issue so that they can gain more evidence to help draw the viewer to the issue. They use the reflexive mode to further encourage viewer participation against the issue. They use the observational mode to show examples of the issue of which they have not altered or affected. Finally, they use the  performative mode to show these social issues and spark a social movement to combat the issue.