Component 2b — Documentary Film (Filmmakers’ Theories)

“To what extent can it be said that your chosen documentary is shaped by the filmmaker’s approach? Refer to at least one filmmaker’s theory you have studied.”

The term ‘documentary’ film is a very broad genre and could be argued that every film is a documentary. Bill Nichols explains his theory that “all films are documentaries” as they either fit into the “wish fulfillment” or “social representation” category, identifying how fiction films seek to portray something the audience desires whereas a documentary film focuses on the reality of the subject matter without manipulation to appease the desires of the audience. Nichols defines the multiple styles of documentary filmmaking as the “six modes of documentary”, reflecting how each individual filmmaker approaches the film.

argued that every film is a documentary, bill Nichols, broad genre

Kim Longinotto is a documentary filmmaker who is well known for featuring themes of female oppression and discrimination throughout her films, with a style of filmmaking that allows her to focus on the lives of those who have been exploited and without any rights, constructing an argument based on the harsh personal experiences of others that she shares on screen. Longinotto uses aspect of cinema verite in her films, choosing this style of filmmaking as she believes that we make films based on the types of people we are and so the style of filmmaking she adopted came automatically to her as she feels uncomfortable asking people to do things for the camera, preferring to make films as if she is making it with them whilst they carry on with their normal daily lives whilst she continues her own. She adopts this approach so that people in her film feel that’s its their film as well as hers so that they have complete control of their own stories without manipulation, having the effect of giving her films a unique style, with a editing that appears natural and not forced whilst showing a realistic depiction of the people she is filming through their performances. Her main focus in her films is suffering and defiance, portraying women and girls who she describes as ‘rebels’ who fight for their rights, recognising that while she isn’t able to change the law, her objective is to create a different mentality in all cultures about the mindset towards different groups of people, aiming to make the audience take something away from the film that they will do with their own life.

Longinotto’s style is evident across all her films, especially in ‘Sisters in Law’, where two women in Cameroon work together in a small courthouse to help women in their village who have been perpetrated and feel as though they don’t have a voice. The presence of cinema verite is present throughout the film but is most notable in the courthouse trial scenes. Lum Rose, auntie of Manka, a young girl who had been beaten by her that left her permanently scarred is put on trial for which she is jailed for a combined 4 years with hard labour on 3 counts. The scene requires a multi-cam setup that focuses on each of the key people, the lawyer, judge, Manka, Lum and the people who are witnessing the trial. Longinotto’s favoured style of remaining behind the camera without directly interacting with the people she is focusing on allows for the events depicted on screen to transpire in a more realistic way as if the audience are present at the hearing, allowing us to sympathise more with certain characters and feel resentful towards others. Furthermore, it shows the audience the discrimination against women, showing real conversation without interrupting the people in the scene to achieve a realistic depiction of what they are feeling.

The observational mode of documentary that best fits with Longinotto’s style of filmmaking is often referred to as ‘fly on the wall’ documentary as the filmmaker just sits and observes the events; however, Longinotto doesn’t feel the expression truly reflect the filmmakers process, believing it to sound as though the filmmaker is a non-feeling person that coldly observes. She challenges this as she prefers when people acknowledge her presence as then it a appears like a play within a play as people are speaking to her but they are also directly speaking to the audience too in order to trigger a greater reaction from the audience. A divorce proceeding undertaken by Amina against her brutal husband after she had been beaten and abused demonstrates the characters’ awareness of the camera in the room. Several men sitting across from her in the divorce court are shown to have originally taunted her about what her husband might do to her if he should return, asking explicit details about their sexual relationship, however after Amina is successful in getting a divorce they say how happy they are for her in an attempt to appeal to the audience that they were never on the husband’s side, giving the impression that they were aware of the camera throughout and changed their persona to appear favourable and yet when looking closely, when they are engaged in an argument against the change that is being forced on them by Amina, they move in and out of awareness, revealing their true attitudes and a more realistic representation of themselves as they believe that no one is watching, which allows the audience to come to a reasonable conclusion on their willingness to support women based on Longinotto’s ability to capture the events whilst not intruding on them.

Due to her combination of observational style of documentary and the use of cinema verite, Longinotto creates a style unique to her films that position the audience as spectators of everyday life without feeling as though what is being presented has been manipulated to improve or decrease the perception of certain people. Should another well known documentary filmmaker attempt to recreate her film the same effect on the audience would not be present. For example. Michael Moore is notorious for his participatory style documentaries which involve engaging with the vents he is showing and having a direct impact on them, often becoming the most celebrated part about the film. Sisters in Law creates the effect that everything is occurring as they would naturally in every day life which by talking to and engaging with people, to encourage them to say or do something, the film loses an integral aspect of itself in that what the audience watches, can be taken away from the film and acted upon in our own lives.

Filmmakers “theories” – Kim Longinotto

Longinotto hates the expression ‘fly on the wall’ as it maker her feel as if a filmmaker is a non-feeling person that just observes coldly, preferring it when people in her films acknowledge her in scenes as then its like a play within a play as the people are speaking to her but also directly speaking to the audience too in order to cause a visible in take of breath on their part. People are sometimes aware of the cameras presence in her films and move in and out of this awareness such as when the woman is trying to get a divorce from her abusive husband, the men sitting across from her taunt her and ask explicit details about their sexual relationship, however after she gets a divorce, they state that they are happy for her, attempting to appeal to the audience when the camera is watching them as if they were on her side all along. This gives audiences the impression that these people must have been aware they were filming throughout the course of the film and yet when you look closely, when they are locked in an feisty argument of tradition vs change as the woman fights against social norms, their attitudes are a more realistic representation of themselves as they have forgotten about the camera.

Longinotto chooses not to use narration a lot in her films as observational filmmaking can be so much easier as all you need be is alert and receptive, working out what your filming and how to get a story with a beginning, middle and end. On occasion she will resort to using narration rather than observational as it can help to interpret scenarios differently, providing context for events passed that are being reflected upon. She believes that narration, instead of telling you what to think, gives you layers so that every person can give you their layer and the audience can form a reasonable conclusion from what the have heard.

Why does Longinotto make documentaries in the observational mode?

She believes that we make films based on the types of people we are and so the style she adopted came automatically to her as she feels uncomfortable asking people to do things so she likes to make films as if she making them with the people and they are carrying on with their normal routine whilst she is carrying on with her own life.

Her main approach to her style of filmmaking is to make the people in her film feel that its their film as well as hers so that they can feel that they have complete control of their own stories without manipulation.

Why are women the main focus of her films?

She describes women and girls who have stood up to society and some part of society that has all the power as ‘survivors’ and ‘rebels’, women fighting for their rights. Her objective is to create a different mentality in our culture and a lot of other cultures about mindset towards certain groups of people. She recognises that her films are not created to change the law but hopes that people that watch the pain inflicted on the lives of others will take something away from the film and do something for your own life, viewing the people in the film as similar to those that you know in your personal life, making the audience want to change it because of what has been presented to you, not to instruct the audience but instead to see the world differently and change as people.

She chooses not to think about the impact that a film will have on her audience whilst filming, thinking instead about the editing process so that she can get a scene where there can be a cut to something else and then a cut back to create a coherent structure. Her main concern is with the production and pre-production process as she admits that she can never really know what the impact of a film is, with her only desire being to allow the audience the possibility of change for the better, trying to unglamourize things that appeal to children and spread awareness about real life people and their stories and experiences.

She often focuses on communities from around the world that aren’t often as looked into, looking at the harsh ways in which people are exploited from child abuse to rape.

Kim Longinotto is a documentary filmmaker who is well known for featuring themes of female oppression and discrimination, with a style of filmmaking that allows her to focus on the lives of those who have have been exploited and without rights, constructing an argument based on the harsh personal experiences shared on screen. Following Bill Nichols’ six modes of documentary, Longinottos style of filmmaking fits into the observational mode, where everyday life is shown on screen without seeing the director.

Longinotto uses aspects of cinema verite in sisters in law such as the several court scenes that depict the trials of men and women for abusing someone elses rights, for example physical and sexual abuse. This is done in order to show the audience the oppression and discrimination against women and combines this technique with linginootos favoured style of observational filmmaking to show real conversations without interrupting the people in the scene to get a realistic depiction of peoples lives.

Longinotto’s filmmaking style also could be shown as Observational Documentary filmmaking if using the six modes of documentary defined by Bill Nichols. Observational Documentaries aim to show everyday life without the interference of the director.

Component 2b – Documentary Film (The Significance of Digital Technology)

“Portable, digital cameras, digital sound recording equipment and non-linear digital editing have had a very significant impact on documentary film.” How far has digital technology had an impact on your chosen documentary film? [20]

Essay Plan

Intro

The impact that digital technology has had on film since the 1990’s can be widely interpreted based on several different viewpoints. Whilst some filmmakers argue that the introduction of digital is a negative aspect of film such as the cinematographer Ellen Kuras who describes the pursuit of digitalising an image as giving the filmmaker “less control because we give away our product that anybody can manipulate”. Other filmmakers regard digital as something to be embraced such as George Lucas who prefers to edit and shoot digitally so he has the option to alter the look of the scene more quickly.

Main Headings

Introduce The film and themes kim Longinotto presents – Sisters in Law is a documentary film By Kim Longinotto, the critically acclaimed documentary filmmaker who is known for her works such as Pink Saris (2010) and Rough Aunties (2008) that focus on female oppression and giving women a voice in a patriarchal society. Sisters in Law focuses on a small courthouse in Cameroon where a State Prosecutor and Court President work together to help women in their village who feel as though they don’t have a voice.

Shooting- easier on digital than film stock, portable, transferable, on and off, left on for long time, cheaper means multi cam

Editing- cost, damage, travel home

Pre-production – cheaper camera and storage – low budget for the film and no editing table in africa

– production – smaller means less obtrusive and portable – not a lot of space in the village, Amina divorce trial against her husband for which he was fined 6 months imprisonment or 20,000 francs

– long takes causes less disruption and left on for a long time and turn on and off on demand – court trial of lum rose against manka for beating her for which she was jailed for a combined 4 years with hard labour on 3 counts

– cheaper camera means multi cam is available – sonita rape trial for which the accused was charged with 9 years imprisonment with hard labour

Post-production – less chance of being damaged and can be reviewed immediately so they don’t have to bring all the way back to uk – editing table too large for their residence

– the cost of copying is far less than film stock for small budget film – film had a budget less than $500,000 dollars but was screened at over 120 different film festivals

Conclusion

My personal belief is that the heavy influence of digital technology on Longinotto’s Sisters in Law has had a beneficial effect on the overall production on the film, causing it to have a more impactful effect on the audience due to its more crisper and sharper colours that aids Longinotto’s aims of empowering women and girls to stand up for their rights in a patriarchal society.

Essay

The impact that digital technology has had on film since the 1990’s can be widely interpreted based on several different viewpoints. Whilst some filmmakers argue that the introduction of digital is a negative aspect of film such as the cinematographer Ellen Kuras who describes the pursuit of digitalising an image as giving the filmmaker “less control because we give away our product that anybody can manipulate”. Other filmmakers regard digital as something to be embraced such as George Lucas who prefers to edit and shoot digitally so he has the option to alter the look of the scene more quickly.

Sisters in Law is a documentary film By Kim Longinotto, focusing on female oppression and giving women a voice in a patriarchal society. Sisters in Law focuses on a small courthouse in Cameroon where a State Prosecutor and Court President work together to help women in their village who feel as though they don’t have a voice. Longinotto positions the audience as a spectator at the court trial of four different women who have experienced suffering such as rape and domestic violence.

The pre-production of a film is crucial to get right as it ensures that further stages of production run as smoothly as possible without increased costs or lack of necessary equipment that aid the overall aesthetics of the film. The introduction of digital technology has meant that securing a camera with enough storage has become far easier as digital cameras are cheaper to purchase than film cameras whilst storage is practically free and a resource that easier to attain than film stock and undemanding in its ability to be loaded into the camera. Sisters in Law had a budget of under $500,000 for all stages of production including travel and gear, meaning that the availability of digital cameras allowed her to gain access to equipment that otherwise would have been out of Longinotto’s budget.

There are several noticeable advantages to the films production due to the use of digital technology. The smaller and more compact size of the digital cameras in comparison to the large film cameras means that the film crew would have been less obtrusive and therefore the people around them would have been encouraged to behave more naturally which helped to depict the feelings of various real people in the film in order to engage with the audience more constructively. In the small town in Cameroon, it is clear that there is not a lot of space in the village which would have meant positioning cameras would have been difficult such as in Amina’s divorce trial against her husband who has pleaded guilty to beating her for which he was fined 20,000 francs or 6 month imprisonment. Filming this seen using digital cameras meant the people present wouldn’t have felt out of place and are were more likely to behave in a natural way. Portability of the cameras has also improved what the audience is able to see. Unlike film cameras, due to their small size, digital cameras are more portable as they are lightweight which means that following certain people or events is possible as the filmmaker is capable of freely moving with their subjects without interfering. This advantage is present in the scene in which Manka and her uncle walk towards the man who originally found Manka beaten. The camera follows them from behind as they walk to give the impression we are walking with them so as to immerse us; a technique made easier with digital technology as the camera doesn’t have to remain still.

Long takes are utilised due to the digital technology available. Whilst film cameras are capable of shooting for at least 15 minutes before the film stock has to be swapped out, certain events can take longer to film and therefore it is necessary to swap out the film stock which can be disruptive to natural events and actions that are being focused on. Furthermore, a digital camera has the ability to be turned on and off immediately which means that the filmmaker can choose when to start filmmaking with a greater ease so as to not miss anything important that otherwise might have been missed if using a film camera. In the court trial of Lum Rose, accused of beating her niece with a hanger repeatedly which caused permanent scarring across her body, the trial would have spanned over a long period of time and therefore if using a film camera, multiple changes would have had to be made; however, because of the digital camera, Longinotto can follow the events in her trial as Rose is jailed for a combined 4 years with hard labour without disrupting court proceedings.

The introduction of digital technology has meant that cameras often start at the same prices as film cameras before decreasing in price over time which has meant that the possibility of a multi-cam setup is more realistic for low budget films. During the Sonita rape trial for which the accused was charged with 9 years imprisonment, several cameras are used to focus on specific people and how they react to the events. Two focus on each of the sisters in law whilst several other focus on Sonita, the accused and those witnessing the proceedings. This gives Longinotto the flexibility to choose who she wants to show the actions of to gain a response from the audience and to create a better understanding for what is happening.

Post-production with film stock is risky business as it can become corroded and irretrievable, forcing the filmmaker to ditch the scene or re-film a scene which isn’t possible in this observatory documentary as events are being shown as the occur in real time. Images with digital on the other hand are far less likely to be damaged and can be backed up easily, also giving the filmmaker the opportunity to review the images at the time of filming. An editing table would have been far too large and costly to transport to Cameroon, meaning that Longinotto would have been forced to return from Africa with her film stock in the hope that it had survived with the potential risk that she might have lost several key parts of the film that couldn’t be replaced. Digital removes this risk, ensuring that the filmmaker can be confident that the editing process can be smooth and painless.

Lastly, the cost of copying film stock differs greatly from digital, working out at roughly $1500 for film stock to be reproduced in comparison to $150 for digital film. The films small budget would have struggled to keep up with the high demand from theatres and film festivals, screening at over 120 different festivals would have been costly on their budget, but with digital proving cheaper, that money can be better spent of more essential gear.

My personal belief is that the heavy influence of digital technology on Longinotto’s Sisters in Law has had a beneficial effect on the overall production on the film, causing it to have a more impactful effect on the audience due to its more crisper and sharper colours that aids Longinotto’s aims of empowering women and girls to stand up for their rights in a patriarchal society.

Essay – Second Attempt

The impact that digital technology has had on film since the 1990’s can be widely interpreted based on several different viewpoints. Whilst some filmmakers argue that the introduction of digital is a negative aspect of film such as the cinematographer Ellen Kuras who describes the pursuit of digitalising an image as giving the filmmaker “less control because we give away our product that anybody can manipulate”. Other filmmakers regard digital as something to be embraced such as George Lucas who prefers to edit and shoot digitally so he has the option to alter the look of the scene more quickly.

Sisters in Law is a documentary film By Kim Longinotto, focusing on female oppression and giving women a voice in a patriarchal society. Sisters in Law focuses on a small courthouse in Cameroon where a State Prosecutor and Court President work together to help women in their village who feel as though they don’t have a voice. Longinotto positions the audience as a spectator at the court trial of four different women who have experienced suffering such as rape and domestic violence.

Pre-production when is an important aspect of filmmaking as it ensures that further stages of production run as smoothly as possible without increased costs or a lack of necessary equipment that will aid the overall aesthetics of the film. The introduction of digital technology has meant that securing a camera with enough storage for long shoots has become far easier as digital cameras are cheaper to purchase than typical film cameras whilst storage is practically free and is a resource that’s much easier to attain than film stock and undemanding in its ability to be loaded into the camera. Sisters in Law had a budget of under $500,000 for all stages of its production including travel and gear, meaning that the availability of digital cameras allowed Longinotto to access equipment that otherwise would have been out of budget and make certain the film was completed according to the parameters of the established budget.

Digital technology has allowed for many advantages when working on set, such as the far smaller and more compact size of a digital camera in comparison to larger film cameras. This means that the film crew would have been less obtrusive when shooting and therefore the people around them would have been encouraged to behave more naturally, helping to depict the feelings and emotions of various real people in the film in order to engage with the audience more constructively as they would forget that the camera was present, allowing for a more realistic depiction of the participants’ lives as it would encourage more honest and less guarded responses that help to build an accurate representation of a persons character. Located in a small town in Cameroon, space in the village would have been limited due to the tightly-packed housing and dense population which would have meant that positioning large film cameras would have been difficult, especially during scenes such as Amina’s divorce trial against her husband who pleaded guilty to beating her and was fined and imprisoned as filming this scene using digital cameras would have resulted in the people present acting naturally and not feeling out of place which would have been the came is more imposing camera setups were utilised, promoting behaviour that is realistic and innate.

Camera portability has also contributed towards what the audience are able to view on screen. Unlike large and heavy film cameras, digital cameras are much more portable as they are lightweight and small which gives the opportunity for following certain people or events as the filmmaker is capable of freely moving with their subjects without interfering which wouldn’t have been possible when using a stationary film camera. This advantage is present in the scene in which Manka, a young girl who was beaten, and her uncle walk towards the man who had originally found Manka after she was beaten. The camera follows them from behind as they walk, giving the audience the impression that they are walking with them so as to make the scene immersive which would evoke stronger emotions as they react to the visual imagery. This filmmaking technique was made easier with digital technology as the camera doesn’t have to remain still as would have been the case with a film camera.

Long takes are used in the film due to the digital technology that was available to them. Film cameras are capable of shooting for at least 15 minutes before the film stock has to be swapped out for another and due to the nature of documentary filmmaking, longer takes are typically necessary compared with feature films as certain events can take longer and swapping out the film stock in the middle of the event would be disruptive to natural events taking place and for the audience watching. Furthermore, a digital camera has the ability to be turned on and off immediately, meaning that the filmmaker can choose when to start filming with greater ease so as not to miss anything important that otherwise might have been missed when using a film camera. In the court trial of Lum Rose, accused of beating her niece and causing permanent scarring across her body, the trial would have spanned over a long period of time and therefore if a film camera was utilised, multiple changes would have been forced upon the filmmaker, however, because of the use of a digital camera, Longinotto has the ability to follow the events in her trial and show the process of the victim getting justice, as Rose is jailed for 4 years with hard labour, without disrupting the court proceedings.

The introduction of digital technology has meant that cameras often start at the same prices as film cameras before decreasing in price over time, resulting in the possibility of a multi-cam setup becoming a more realistic option for low budget films. During the Sonita rape trial, several cameras are used to focus on specific people and how they react to the events unfolding. Two cameras focus on each of the sisters in law whilst several others focus on Sonita, the accused and those witnessing the proceedings, giving Longinotto the flexibility to choose who she wants to show at specific moments of time when it comes to post-production which allows for a greater response from the audience and helps to create a better understanding of what is happening in the proceedings.

Post-production with film stock is very risky as it can become corroded and irretrievable, forcing the filmmaker to ditch the scene or re-film a scene which isn’t possible in this observatory documentary as events are being shown as they occur in real time. Images produced digitally on the other hand are far less likely to be damaged and can be backed up easily and without great expense while also giving the filmmaker the opportunity to review the images at the time of filming. An editing table would have been far too large and costly to transport to Cameroon, meaning that Longinotto would have been forced to return from Africa with her film stock in the hope that it had survived with the potential risk that she might have lost several key parts of the film that couldn’t be replaced. Digital removes this risk, ensuring that the filmmaker can be confident that the editing process can be smooth and painless.

Lastly, the cost of copying film stock differs greatly from digital, working out at roughly $1500 for film stock to be reproduced in comparison to $150 for digital film. The films small budget would have struggled to keep up with the high demand from theatres and film festivals as the film was screened at over 120 different festivals, but with digital proving cheaper than film, that money can saved and spent in areas that will improve the filmmaking process rather than distribution such as essential filmmaking equipment.

The large influence of digital technology on Longinotto’s Sisters in Law has had a hugely beneficial effect on the overall production of the film, resulting in it having a more impactful effect on the audience due to its crisper and sharper colours that aids Longinotto’s aims of empowering women and girls to stand up for their rights in a patriarchal society.

Sisters In Law (Kim Longinotto, 2007)

Sisters in Law is a documentary film By Kim Longinotto, the critically acclaimed documentary filmmaker who is known for her works such as Pink Saris (2010) and Rough Aunties (2008) that focus on female oppression and giving women a voice in a patriarchal society. Sisters in Law focuses on a small courthouse in Cameroon where a State Prosecutor and Court President work together to help women in their village who feel as though they don’t have a voice.

Stories of female empowerment are present throughout the film; one woman wishes to divorce her brutal husband whilst other stories of young children such as Manka who had been beaten by her Aunt, causing permanent scarring down her body and Grace, a young girl who had been raped and left bleeding in the streets.

The film ends with the prosecution and conviction of all the wrongdoers, sending them to jail with hard labour or the eventual divorce of a married couple with the purpose of appealing to women and girls in the audience and inspiring them to stand up to injustices.

Sisters in Law fits into the Observational Mode of documentary filming due to its attempts to capture objective reality, placing the filmmaker as just an observer hidden behind the camera, whilst the camera rushes around to follow the naturally occurring events which results in rough footage.

The War Game (Peter Watkins, 1965)

The documentary mode that best suits this documentary would be the performative category. Watkins presents a documentary that is designed to have an emotional impact on the audience and provoke a variety of emotions regarding the subject matter.

The documentary takes a hypothetical look at our world if there was ever a nuclear war, focusing on the effect that the use of a missile strike would have on the United kingdom, using Kent as the epicentre of the strike and showing what the reality of such an event occurring would look like.

‘The War Game’ takes a genuinely frightening look at our world during a nuclear war, raising key issues that at the time of filming as to the knowledge of the general public should they ever be faced with such a horror and the social, cultural and economic impact that it would have.

Lack of knowledge

In the documentary, there is a focus on the lack of awareness pre-strike regarding what to do in the event of a nuclear attack and how to best protect yourself from its effects. Watkins makes clear the hypocrisy of the Home Offices statement in 1959 that “” as he contradicts this by showing a multitude of people who are unaware of what course of action to take. The retrieval of material to protect your home such as sandbags and wooden planks is mostly unknown as is the location of these materials whilst a copy of what to do if a missile strikes published years prior to the setting of the documentary cost 9 pence, causing it to not sell well and therefore no one understood what to do. Watkins appears to be calling on better communication concerning serious matters such as this during ‘the Cold War’ when risk was at its peak.

Social, cultural and economic impact

Scenes depicting riots and chaos after the explosion show the country’s turmoil caused by the missile that has caused fear and panic into those affected by it, fearing for their lives and the complex states of shock and fear of those who will suffer mentally rather than physically from the stress. The decision to show the impacts mainly on children evokes the audience to feel even more sympathetic and enraged by the subject, pushing them to actively do something about it. The long term impact is also made evident as 4 months later, severe burns still mark those involved and there is a clear focus on how the young will be affected in the future of the country rather than just in the short term. Radiation from the explosion causes a young boy to be bed ridden for 7 years and then die due to a lack f requisite number of red blood compusles whilst a young woman has no idea whether her baby will be born alive and a large group of newly-made orphans have no desire to achieve anything in their lives due to what they have experience. Concerning the cultural impact, regardless of a war or not, the necessary evacuation of 10 million people would mean that the economy wouldn’t recover for at least one and a half years, going up to 4 years which would mean that rationing would still be required and looting would be commonplace which would see a rise in violence.

Fahrenheit 11/9 (Micheal Moore, 2018)

I believe this documentary to best fit into the category of participatory documentary as there is a direct engagement between the filmmaker (Moore) and the subject/s. Moore also has an impact on the events as he engages with the people he is interviewing whilst often on screen and is the most celebrated aspect of the film and there are certain scenes dedicated to his actions as he floods the governor of Flint’s house.

Some of the most recognisable and engaging issues raised in the documentary are as follows:

Why don’t the people of America hold a single seat of power?

One of the most widely criticised issues in the documentary revolved around the lack of power that the majority of people in America have and how its only those with connections and wealth who are able to attain high positions of power within government; “If America is us, and we are the majority, why is it that we don’t hold a single seat of power”. This point is a very relevant issue raised as Moore questions whether the fact that people from working class backgrounds who best understand their local areas are denied positions in the Supreme Court, Senate, and The White House.

The flase-front of the American Dream

Another issue raised is the idea of the American Dream, popularised by James Truslow Adams in 1931 that highlights the ambitions of American to start from the bottom and to achieve great things by working hard. Moore describes this ideal as a lie showing the poverty and murder across America that takes the idea away from them being ‘the best country in the world’.

The treatment of teachers and students

Lastly and possibly most importantly, the treatment of teachers in schools that caused mass strikes across the country and the students who now take it into their own hands to make a change after the realisation that the people representing and leading their country aren’t as capable as they might have once believed. The fact that teachers had to live off food stamps because they were below the poverty line really put a spotlight on the injustices of the government against ordinary people who work hard to help others, with one of the most audacious aspects of his argument being the doubling in healthcare insurance cost and the ridiculous ‘Go365’ campaign that would monitor the users physical activity through the forced wearing of a Fitbit that would require them to meet a specific amount of steps for them to even qualify for basic healthcare, and if they didn’t reach this set amount, well then they would have to pay a $500 penalty at the end of the year, a truly ludicrous system that eventually put all staff on strike, spreading across the country until change was made.

Moreover, the representation of the students’ concerns regarding the treatment of themselves is presented in a manner that horrifies the audience and makes them question the morality of their own government and media response. After showing explicit videos of a school shooting, Moore presents their trauma first hand, allowing the audience to get a feel for what they must have gone through, cleverly putting into perspective the ignorance of those not directly involved with the ‘thoughts and prayers’ comments that seemed to represent a major issue that Moore is raising that people are unaware of the reality that others face and don’t question those who should protect them, briefly making an innocuous tweet and then moving on. One specific part grabbed my attention which was when Moore made a comment that perhaps the only good thing that adults were doing for the world was raising these children who were taking responsibility, receiving response from a teenage girl that on the contrary “social media raised us”. Whilst I don’t agree with the comment Moore made in its entirety, the fact that students are in agreement that what they see on their phone is having a more cultural impact on them than what they hear from teachers, parents and government officials makes clear a change that Moore is trying to encourage in order to progress as a nation.

Side By Side (Chris Keneally, 2013)

Chris Keneally’s documentary ‘Side By Side’ raised some interesting concerns from people working in the film industry regarding the decline in the amount of movies shot on film in comparison to the ever growing digital world of film that has become the standard medium for most filmmakers in the 21st century.

There were several key issues that I took away from watching Keneally’s documentary such as:

Is digital better than film?

There were clear arguments made throughout the documentary either supporting the introduction of the digital age of film and those who find it to be a negative thing. One such person who finds the introduction of digital filmmaking to be worse than film is the cinematographer Ellen Kuras (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) who describes this transition as not being in favour of the filmmaker; “seeking more control over the image and being able to manipulate the image more is that now we have less control because we give away our product that anybody can take and manipulate”. George Lucas on the other hand is fully in favour of the digital process of creating films, preferring to edit and shoot digitally so he has the option to alter the look of the scene more quickly. Both digital and film have their flaws and both possess attributes that makes them more attractive than the other when comparing the sharper and more stable look of digital but the richer look in texture of film. One of the main debates that latches on to these ideas is whether digital takes away the humanity of storytelling by simplifying the creative process.

Will film disappear entirely in the future?

The question of whether film will ever disappear in its entirety as digital becomes more popular is a matter up to self interpretation. Film cameras can last for decades without malfunction but all major manufacturers such as Sony have cased devolving them as they aren’t ideal for a sustainable business model whilst since the dawn of television in the early 1950’s, 80 forms of video have been produced but most cant be played anymore as the technology to display them no longer exists. There is an argument that films will never become redundant due to format obstinance as people need only shine a light through a film strip to view the pictures and there will always be discoveries of new ways to preserve them so that they never become superfluous.

I believe this documentary to best fit into the category of participatory documentary as there is a direct engagement between the filmmaker and the subject. They also have an impact on the events as they directly question them as an interviewer which can often be seen on screen, highlighting their reaction to a response or sharing their own experiences regarding the subject matter.

Modes of Documentary

Bill Nichols identifies that there are 6 different types of documentary that he defines as the “Six Modes of Documentary”.

Performative Documentary (Filmmaker as participant)

– There is an emphasis on the subjective nature of the documentarian whilst acknowledging the subjective reading of the audience simultaneously

– A focus on the social and emotional impact on the audience

Poetic Documentary (Subjective, artistic expression)

– Grasps at an inner truth by moving away from looking at the reality of a situation that conveys this message in a way that only poetic manipulation can make it understood

– There is a clear emphasis on descriptive passages, visual associations and tonal or rhythmic qualities

– This mode focuses on mood and tone

Reflexive Documentary (Awareness of process)

– There is an awareness of the constructive nature of documentary which is flaunted, conveying to the audience that its not necessarily the truth but a reconstruction of it

– The audience is made aware of the different elements of the filmmaking process such as the editing and the sound recording which exposes the artifice of the documentary

Participatory Documentary

– The filmmaker has an impact on the events which is acknowledged and they can often be the most celebrated part of the documentary

– Direct engagement between the filmmaker and the subject/s

Expository Documentary (Voice of God)

– The most commonly referred to mode of documentary

– This mode prominently uses verbal commentary through the use of a narrator that presents an argument using relevant and logical information through direct address that results in a right answer conveyed to the audience whilst offering a preferred meaning

– Most associated with nature documentaries and the news presented on TV

Observational Documentary

– Most appropriately seen in Cinema Verite (direct cinema) which emerged towards the late 50s/early 60s, attempting to capture objective reality which places the filmmaker as just an observer

– The filmmaker will remain hidden behind the camera whilst being ignored by their surrounding environment

– The camera often rushes about to keep up with the natural actions occurring which results in rough and amateur-like footage

– Referred to as ‘fly on the wall’ documentary

Documentaries Defined

A ‘Documentary’ is defined as being “a film or television or radio programme that gives facts and information about a subject”.

Bill Nichols explains his theory that “All films are documentaries”, falling into either the category of “Wish fulfillment” (fiction films) or “Social representation” (traditional documentaries). He identifies how fiction films seek to portray something that the audience desires to see whereas a documentary film focuses on the reality of a subject matter without manipulation to appease any desires of the audience.

Whilst in a fiction film, mise-en-scene can be either real or fake, it always remains real in a documentary film, much like the characters who are otherwise played by actors in a fiction film, often using stars which gives less of a realistic depiction of the people they might be representing but has the effect of making the film more appealing for an audience. Filmmaking equipment is often more visible is documentary films, creating no illusion that fiction films create as they are already based on real events or information which is why the cameras are unseen in fiction films. In a fiction film, the filmmakers are off camera whilst adding a creative presence to the film and the dialogue is created by screenwriters to create engaging scenes. This differs from the documentary style of filmmaking where the filmmaker often appears in the film and can be the star such as in Michael Moore’s documentary films. The story also unfolds with logic rather than a set structure where dialogue is created through natural speech. One of the most striking differences between the two styles of filmmaking is the effect on the audience. Fiction films are accepted as an illusion of reality, not real and often created for entertainment purposes only rather than identifying key subjects, whereas the audience of a documentary film expects transparency and relevant information about the context of the subject.

There is a definite grey area regarding the concept of a scale that identifies whether a film is fiction or documentary. The difficulty in differentiating between fiction films and documentaries is caused by their subjective natures; “Even the most fantastical fiction film provides information about the culture that produces it, as well as the actors and any physical location used” (Nichols). Nichols also states that “Documentaries are often as exciting and dramatic as narrative films, and generally less predictable, because they draw their subject matter from real life”.

Critical Debates: The Significance of Technology

At the beginning of the 21st century, the rapid transition from film to digital has caused a large gap between those who have fully converted to the new format and those who are reluctant to switch whilst film remains to be used. Below is a mind map outlining some of the key impacts that film and digital has on the creative and viewing process for those involved with films.