JOHN GRIERSON
John Grierson was a Scottish documentary maker. He was considered
as a pioneer within the film industry and often considered to be the “father of
British and Canadian documentary film”
As a director he was very much influenced by the Soviet cinema and
Robert Flaherty’s poetical style.
In a 1926
review of one of Flaherty's films he coined the term "documentary" to
describe the dramatization of the everyday life of ordinary people.
Grierson used
non-professional actors instead of actors in order to create a more 'authentic'
reality and also made use of extensive location shooting. He was always keen to
make a film with distinctively 'British' characteristics, which he saw as
moderation and a sense of human importance, which is seen in his pioneering documentary
Drifters.
Grierson did
not believe that documentary film was just a public report of the activities of
daily life but as “something more magical.” “It is a visual art which can
convey a sense of beauty about the ordinary world."
BILL NICHOLS
Bill Nichols
is an American film critic who was best known for his pioneering work as
founder of the contemporary study of documentary film.
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Poetic mode
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Expository mode
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Observational mode
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Participatory mode
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Reflexive mode
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Performative mode
Structure of a documentary
A documentary structure usually depends on the subject matter of the film, but
in general, a documentary is made up of the "three-act structure."
Act One
The
beginning of the documentary needs to capture and engage the audience. In the
first act you establish and set the tone for the whole movie and create
curiosity in the viewer's mind to make them want to keep watching. Within
this section, you want to set up some kind of problem or unusual situation that
keeps the audience intrigued. The
beginning is more or less a teaser for the whole documentary. It sets up the
questions that the rest of the movie will answer.
Act Two
Act 2 is divided into numerous scenes that build on each
other to reveal your story. These segments do not necessarily go in
chronological order.
Act Three
The
last act brings some kind of resolution to the questions and conflict
established at the beginning of the film.
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