Documentary cinema

Question 1

classification and audience facilitation

Answer 1

films are classified for and by audiences to streamline distribution and exhibition.

Question 2

three major categories of films

Answer 2

fiction, documentary and experimental/ avant-garde films

Question 3

variations in film modes

Answer 3

formal/textual qualities, audience expectations, social and cultural attitudes and institutions for promotion, exhibition and consumption.

Question 4

documentary

Answer 4

first coined in 1936 by a Scottish filmmaker John Grierson, who described it as creative treatment of actuality.

Question 5

documentary film types/ modes

Answer 5

expository, participatory, performative, reflexive, observational (cinema verité, direct cinema), poetic documentary

Question 6

expository documentary

Answer 6

uses a spoken narrative to inform the audience on a specific subject matter.
Key features- authoritative voiceover, informative and educational and often includes archival footage and interviews.

Question 7

Participatory documentary

Answer 7

the filmmaker actively engages with the subjects and become part of the narrative.
Key features- filmmakers presence is evident, interactive and collaborative and subjects often influence the narrative.

Question 8

performative documentary

Answer 8

blends reality with personal stories or experiences, often involving the filmmaker’s own narrative.
Key features- filmmaker’s personal engagement, emotional and subjective and use of reenactments and monologues.

Question 9

Reflexive documentary

Answer 9

focuses on the process of making the documentary itself, highlighting its construction.
Key features- self-aware and meta-commentary, challenges the convections of documentary filmmaking and often includes behind- the- scenes footage.

Question 10

Observational documentary- cinema verité

Answer 10

captures real life events with minimal interference, allowing the subjects to interact naturally.
Key features- filmmakers presence is more noticeable, subjects may acknowledge the camera and emphasis on the interaction between filmmaker and subject.

Question 11

observational documentary- direct cinema

Answer 11

a style of observational documentary that aims to capture/ portray reality as it happens, with no interference from the filmmaker.
Key features- filmmaker remains invisible, no narration, interviews or (appearance of) staged scenes and focus on capturing events as they naturally unfold.

Question 12

poetic documentary

Answer 12

focuses on visual and acoustic rhythms, creating a mood or tone rather than a straightforward narrative.
key features- emphasis on aesthetics and form, abstract and experimental and often lacks a clear narrative structure.