Chapter Seven

Question 7: How Can We Describe the Observational, Participatory, Reflexive, and Performative Modes of Documentary Film?

Continued from chapter six, Nichols goes deeper in to describe the last four modes of documentary film observational, participatory, reflexive, and performative.

           The observational mode was discussed in chapter one, “emphasizes a direct engagement with everyday life of subjects as observed by an unobtrusive camera” (Nichols 31). Unlike poetic and expository modes of documentary, the observational does not scarify direct engagement with specific individuals to construct formal patterns or compelling perspectives. Nichols brings up a good question, “What if the filmmaker were simply to observe what happens in front of the camera without overt intervention?” (172). That in a nutshell is basically what observational mode is. Some specific qualities of observational mode are:

•      It is an alternative to classic oration and poetic expression.  
•       It is limited by what occurs in front of the camera (hard to represent historical events).  
•       It treats knowledge as tacit sense of what we learn by watching, listening, observing, and making inferences about the conduct of others.
•       The sound is tied to the image by the indexical link of synchronous recording. Filmmaker gives up full control of sound to record what is said and heard in a given situation; refrains from voice over.
•      Time and space is continuous, with a strong sense of continuity that links the words and actions of subjects from shot to shot.
•      When it comes to ethical concerns, passive observation of dangerous, harmful, or illegal activity can lead to serious difficulties for subjects. Questions of responsibility toward subjects can become acute.
•      The voice characterized by patience, modesty, self-effacing. Willingness to let audience decide for itself about what it sees and hears. (Nichols 210-11)

            The participatory mode was discussed in chapter one, “emphasizes the interaction between filmmaker and subject” (Nichols 31). First appearing around 1960 due to the new technologies that allowed for sync sound recording on location. Unlike the observational mode the filmmaker does interact with his or her subjects rather than simply observe them. Some specific qualities of participatory mode are:

•        It is an alternative to passive observation and classic oration.
•         It is limited because it may cede control and point of view to others, lose independence of judgment.
•        It treats knowledge as what we learn from personal interactions; what people say and do when confronted or engaged by other; what can be conveyed by interviews and other forms of encounter.
•        The sound stresses the speech between the filmmaker and subject, especially in interviews. Heavy reliance on sync sound but may also utilize voice over; filmmaker retains only partial creative control of sound.
•       Time and space is continuous, it may interconnect a present tense time and space with a past tense (historical time and space).
•        When it comes to ethical concerns, manipulate or goad other into confessions or actions they may regret; a strong responsibility to respect the right and dignity of subjects. Questions of manipulation and distortion arise. 
•        The voice characterized by engagement, strong investment in the encounter with other or in presenting a historical perspective. (Nichols 210-11)

            The reflexive mode was discussed in chapter one, “calls attention to the assumptions and convention that govern documentary filmmaking” (Nichols 31). This intensified level of reflection on what representing the world involves distinguishes the reflection mode from the other modes.  Some specific qualities of reflexive mode are:

•        It is an alternative to realist representation that ignores that formal process of representing the world or social assumptions about the nature the world.
•       It is limited by increased sense of formal abstraction, detachment, loss of direct engagement with social issues.
•       It treats knowledge as contextual. Always framed by institutional constraints and personal assumptions that can be exposed and charged; ask what we learn when we ask how we learn.
•       The sound may metacommunicate about how communication takes place. Talk about talking about something as well as sync or nonsync sound.
•        Time and space is contextualized. Draws attention to how time and space may be manipulated by systems of continuity or discontinuity.
•       When it comes to ethical concerns, use or abuse subjects to pose questions that are those of the filmmaker and not the subjects.
•        The voice is characterized by self-quoting, a voice of doubt, even radical doubt about the certainty or fixity of knowledge. (Nichols 210-11)

                Lastly, the performative was also discussed in chapter one, “emphasizes the subjective or expressive aspect of the filmmaker’s own involvement with a subject; it strives to heighten the audience’s responsiveness to this involvement” (Nichols 32). Much like poetic mode of documentary representation, the performative mode raises questions about what knowledge actually amounts to. For example, what counts as understand or comprehension? Some specific qualities of performative mode are:

•         It is an alternative empirical, factual, or abstract forms of knowledge.
•        It is limited by personal POV or vision may become private or dissociated from more broadly social perceptions.
•        It treats knowledge as embodied, affective and situated. What we learn from direct, experiential encounter rather than second-hand from experts or book.
•        The sound often relies on filmmaker’s own voice organize the film; stress introspective, testimonial, essayistic forms of speech and dialogue. Mixer sync and nonsync; use music and sound expressively.
•        Time and space varies according to the expressive goals. May stylize time and space to emphasize its affective dimension.
•        When it comes to ethical concerns, degree of honesty and self-scrutiny vs. self-deception; misrepresentation or distortion of larger issues, lapses into wholly idiosyncratic.  
•          A strongly personal, engaged orator pursuing the truth of what it feels like to experience the world in a particular way characterizes the voice.  (Nichols 210-11)