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.

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Essay Plan-

• Introduction – It could be argued that every film is a documentary – Wish fulfilment – Social representation
• Introduction – Bill Nichols suggested six “modes” or categories- Even within these categories, some filmmakers have very clear ideas about what a documentary should be.
• First bit- Who is Kim Longinotto? – What is Kim Longinotto’s “theory”? What has she said about documentary filmmaking – What makes a Kim Longinotto film different from those of other documentary filmmakers?
• Second bit – How, specifically, can an audience observe Kim Longinotto’s distinctive style in Sisters In Law? – Describe specific examples and refer to participants by name or title. – Discuss the effect of various filmmaking techniques on the audience.
• Conclusion – Knowledge of a filmmaker’s “theory” does help audience understanding! – Explain how Sisters In Law would be a very different film if made by one of the other listed documentary filmmakers.

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Essay-

Documentary is a very broad genre. The distinction between the ‘two types’ of documentary filmmaking is ‘wish fulfilment’ and ‘social representation’. ‘Wish fulfilment’ is what he has labelled fictional films; ‘social representation’ is what he has labelled traditional documentaries. Nichols wanted to overturn the notion that only fiction films tell stories. It is a thought that documentaries are not as exciting or dramatic as narrative films, but is incorrect. They are generally less predictable as they draw their subject from real life.

Documentary film theorist Bill Nichols stated that “All films are documentaries”. He pushed the idea that the distinction between fictional films and documentary film is arbitrary, that “even the most fantastical fiction film provides information about the culture that produces it, as well as representing the actors and any physical location used.” Bill Nichols separates documentaries into six modes; expository, observational, participatory, performative, poetic and reflexive. Even within these categories, some filmmakers have very clear ideas about what a documentary should be; however, they generally fall under at least one of these modes.

Kim Longinotto is a British documentary filmmaker and has produced other films, such as Rough Aunties (2008) and The Day I Will Never Forget (2002). Her films feature the oppression and discrimination of women and girls in a patriarchal environment who seek power or get justice. Longinotto is known for her extremely objective and observational style of documentary filmmaking. She never shows herself in her films, or shows herself interacting with the subjects of the film. Her documentaries fit into the observational mode of documentary filmmaking, as she doesn’t interfere with the events seen on screen, she merely acts as a neutral observer.

Her ideal of documentary filmmaking is very different to other documentary filmmakers; for example, Michael Moore creates very performative documentaries, in which he acts as a narrator, and almost a main character or ‘protagonist’. Whereas, Longinotto maintains an invisible presence in her films. Longinotto believes it is unnatural for a documentary filmmaker to appear in the feature; as a documentary filmmaker, Longinotto believes it is immoral to ask people to do something again as it would feel artificial. She only captures the peoples’ stories without any interference, resulting in a very raw and very real style. This completely opposes other documentary filmmakers’ views on how to make a documentary film; such as Peter Watkin’s The War Game (1965), in which entire events are created. 

Longinotto’s directorial style can be seen in her 2005 film, Sisters in Law. The rape trial, the first court case in Sisters in Law, uses a multi-camera set up to document the event. The scene covers both court president Beatrice Ntuba and Jeff Takka in parallel to show the conviction. A handheld shot is used to show Ntuba reading the charge, while simultaneously using two handheld reaction shots of Takka. Longinotto doesn’t interfere or even speak to any of the subjects of the film, she just records what is happening as if she were not there. Longinotto even goes as far as practically removing herself from the situation; she shoots everything on a long lens from the opposite side of the room, so the subjects can act as naturally as possible. This creates an experience for the audience that is not apparent in other documentaries like Michael Moore’s or Peter Watkin’s work. She does not narrate the trial and distract the viewer, she forces all of the viewers’ attention to be on the trial.

Towards the end of the film, when Manka, who has been abused by her guardian, is now with her uncle Eric. It looks as if the scene is covered with two cameras, both of which are handheld tracking the people throughout the location. The movement is erratic and quick as everyone is moving, and different things are occurring, but feels natural, not distracting. Instead of layering emotional music and clever editing techniques, Longinotto just lets the moment play out in silence. She allows the audience to just watch the moment as it is; which perhaps evokes an even more emotional response from the viewer as it is a true emotion we are feeling, not something that we have been manipulated into feeling. 

The knowledge of a filmmaker’s ‘theory’ is beneficial to the viewer of the film. As it allows the viewer to distinguish Longinotto’s more natural documentary auteurship compared to Moore’s more constructed ideal. Had Sisters In Law been made by Moore or Watkins, it would have featured interviews and narration; and in just Moore’s case, it would have most likely featured interference from him. Longinotto’s presence is so invisible, yet so prominent, to the creation and interpretation of the film.

Filmmakers’ “theories” – Kim Longinotto

Kim Longinotto is a British documentary filmmaker and has produced other films, such as Rough Aunties (2008) and The Day I Will Never Forget (2002). Her films feature the oppression and discrimination of women and girls in a patriarchal environment who seek power or get justice.

“I want to make films which create a situation where the audience gets close to another individual, often from a completely different background, and feel a shock of understanding. I want the whole experience to be a strong and emotional one.”

Kim Longinotto

Longinotto is known for her extremely objective and observational style of documentary filmmaking. She never shows herself in her films, or shows herself interacting with the subjects of the film. Her documentaries fit into the Observational mode of documentary filmmaking, as she doesn’t interfere with the events seen on screen, she merely acts as a neutral observer.

Longinotto believes it is unnatural for a documentary filmmaker to appear in the feature, as she says “I’ve always wanted to try and get the audience to feel like where I am… the people in the film are the film”.

As a documentary filmmaker, Longinotto believes it is immoral to ask people to do something again as it would feel artificial. She states “I would never ever, ever recreate anything… Once you ask someone to do something again, you change your relationship with them for ever.”

“things that had happened to me in my life were so much more amazing than anything I’d seen in fiction. I thought about the things that really mattered to me – the extraordinary people I’d met and the things I’d seen – and I realised I couldn’t dream them up.”

Kim Longinotto – Why did you settle on the medium of documentary?

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? 

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Essay Plan-

• The significance of the move from analogue to digital.
• Introduce Longinotto and her film.
• the preproduction process for documentary film and sisters in law
• more compact and lightwieght cameras
• long takes
• low light
• the rape trial mulit-cam setup
• similar setup in domestic abuse trial
• Manka’s emotional part of the film (portability of the cameras)
• transportation of filmstock
• editing process
• (conclusion) Focus on the positive impact the move to digital has had on documentary films and sisters in law.

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Essay-

The introduction of digital capture in the production process allows filmmakers to have a degree of freedom that was not available to them before. This is most apparent in documentary filmmaking, as they can now create films more efficiently and effectively. Less time can be spent setting up the camera for shooting, and the cameras are cheaper overall. A film that shows this freedom and uses it to its advantage is Longinotto’s Sisters in Law (2005).

Sisters in Law is a documentary film released in 2005 and shows the lives and the judicial system for women in Cameroon, West Africa. The film centres around four cases of violence against women in Cameroon. The cases follow women who have experienced rape and domestic violence and deal mainly with the inequality of women and children, and how these cases are managed under Islamic law (Sharia law). Kim Longinotto, The producer and photographer of the film, is a British documentary filmmaker and has produced other films, such as Rough Aunties (2008) and The Day I Will Never Forget (2002). Her films feature themes of oppression and discrimination, usually trying to inspire women and girls.

An advantage of the emergence of digital technology is in the pre-production process. There is no longer a need to buy film stock to shoot on, only the camera. This makes the budget of the production significantly lower, as there is no need to buy excessive amounts of reels of film stock and because of this, there is no need to find a place to store the film. This means that storage is practically unlimited, which is good for documentary filmmaking, as there is not a set plan for what you will be shooting on the day. In addition to this, less specialist knowledge is required to run analogue cameras, which allows crews to be smaller, cheaper and easier to put together. This is beneficial to a production like Sisters in Law as it is a low budget film.

The lack of film stock means that cameras are significantly smaller and more compact, making the camera operator less obtrusive, encouraging more natural behaviour. This is helpful for Sisters in Law as it is an Observational documentary, meaning that the filmmakers are unobtrusive.

The increased portability and ability to leave the camera running for long periods is most helpful for this kind of documentary project. For example, this can be seen in the opening of the film. The film opens with a handheld shot out of a car window, which helps to introduce the viewer into this world. It is a long take of the land passing by that has been cut up into smaller sections. This wouldn’t have been possible for Longinotto if the documentary were being shot on filmstock, as it would have been considered a waste of film because there were parts that were edited out and the camera would have run out of film stock as it was recording for a long time.

Another advantage of digital technology used in Sisters in Law is that digital cameras are better able to work in low light conditions, reducing the need for huge lights or any lights at all. A lot of the film is shot indoors, which often doesn’t provide enough light to be captured on film; especially if only window light is being used, which is only being used in the film.

The rape trial, the first court case in Sisters in Law, uses a multi-camera set up to document the event. Without the advancements in digital technology, a multi-camera setup wouldn’t have been possible as film cameras are too expensive. The scene covers both court president Beatrice Ntuba and Jeff Takka in parallel to show the conviction. A handheld shot is used to show Ntuba reading the charge, while simultaneously using two handheld reaction shots of Takka. Longinotto gets a wide coverage of the scene because of the low-cost digital multi-camera setup.

Shortly after this, during the second trial, a similar set up is used. Reverend Cole, who is accused of domestic violence, is shot using a long lens in conjunction with similar shots of his wife Laddi and prosecutor Vera Ngassa. This multi-camera setup gives the viewer as much coverage as possible while allowing the production budget to remain low and very affordable. In addition to this, the fact that all cameras are digital means that the crew can just be the camera operators, rather than having an obtrusive number of crew members; which would perhaps change the attitude of the people in court more than the cameras already do.

Towards the end of the film, when Manka, who has been abused by her guardian, is now with her uncle Eric. It looks as if the scene is covered with two cameras, both of which are handheld tracking the people throughout the location. The movement is erratic and quick as everyone is moving, and different things are occurring, but feels natural, not distracting. As there is so much that is not planned, because it is a documentary, the digital capture allows there to be as little obstacles for the camera operators as possible. Film cameras can get jammed, etc… which would mean the entire take is ruined and would take a while to reload the film and get the camera operational again; by the time this has happened the event would have finished. Digital cameras allow for easy usage and less risk when shooting, so there is no chance of missing the most emotional part of the film.

The post-production process of the film would have been much easier due to the development of digital technology. As everything is shot on digital, there isn’t the need to get film stock developed. There wouldn’t have been a place to develop film in such a rural part of Africa, so Longinotto wouldn’t know if the film stock was even usable until her return to where the film would have been edited. So the transportation of undeveloped film stock would have been very risky, as they could have lost everything.

When editing, it would have been easier and faster, as trials are quite long, to find and review particular takes without physically spooling through the film. Also, digital editing is non-destructive, which is good as there wasn’t a chance that they could lose something that was only ever going to happen once.

I believe digital technology has had an incredibly positive effect on documentary filmmaking, which can be seen in Sisters in Law, as Longinotto’s use of digital capture allows the viewer to experience much more raw footage, making it all the more captivating.

Sisters In Law (Kim Longinotto, 2005)

Sisters in Law is a documentary film released in 2005 and shows the lives and the judicial system for women in Cameroon, West Africa. The film centres around four cases of violence against women in Cameroon. The cases follow women who have experienced rape and domestic violence and deal mainly with the inequality of women and children, and how these cases are managed under Islamic law (Sharia law).

An empowering story is shown of a woman wanting to divorce her husband after he has abused her on multiple occasions; at one point she talks about how as soon as young women have their first period they are given away by their parents to be married. Another story follows a young girl who has been beaten by her aunt and has resulted in multiple scars on her body and near-death experiences due to this. The third case shows a girl who has been raped and is seeking legal justification after being found covered in blood.

The film ends with the legal justification for all of the women, as a result of the work of Verra Ngassa and Beatrice Ntuba.

Kim Longinotto, The producer and photographer of the film, is a British documentary filmmaker and has produced other films, such as Rough Aunties (2008) and The Day I Will Never Forget (2002). Her films feature themes of oppression and discrimination, usually trying to inspire women and girls.

Sisters in Law fits into the Observational mode of documentary filmmaking, as the filmmaker doesn’t interfere with the events seen on screen, they merely act as a neutral observer.

The War Game (Peter Watkins, 1965)

The War Game is a pseudo-documentary made in 1965. It explores a possible future that Britain could face due to the growing use of nuclear warfare, mainly soviet. It depicts the lives of thousands in Britain to be evacuated to the countryside, in which people would have to share their homes with eight evacuees.

The pseudo-documentary style is most apparent when interviews with members of the public are shown. It adds an eery layer of reality over the top of the disturbingly graphic images of bloodied victims. Narration is set over the top of the documentary, to serve as exposition, but adds a rather factual tone to the film.

This is a very strange documentary, as it is all hypothetical, I believe it fits into Bill Nichol’s ‘performative mode’ as its main objective is to evoke an emotional response from the viewer.

Fahrenheit 11/9 (Micheal Moore, 2018)

Fahrenheit 11/9 is a documentary film made by Micheal Moore and acts as a sequel to his 2004 documentary film Fahrenheit 9/11, which also exposed secrets about the American government. Moore puts forward a mainly ‘anti-Trump’ view, rightly so, as he exposes his sexually scandalous past and at points compares him to Hitler. This is perhaps best shown when he puts a voiceover of one of Trump’s speeches over the top of a clip of a Hitler at a Nazi rally. He also discusses the extremely lenient gun laws in America and shows heartbreaking clips of real school shootings, as well as bringing the Flint, Michigan water scandal to light. However, he does not just pose anti-republican views; at one point he attacks Obama’s attitude towards the Flint water scandal.

This documentary film fits into Bill Nichol’s ‘expository mode’, as it uses an observational mode and emphasises verbal commentary and argumentative logic, by using a narrator, Michael Moore.

Side By Side (Chris Keneally, 2013)

The documentary film Side By Side explores the development of digital technology in the film industry, mostly focusing on the rise of digital capture of films and the fall of celluloid capture of films. They discuss the death of cinema is the fall of films shot on film stock. Tarantino says, in an interview, that the rise of digital cameras is the ‘death of cinema’. Whereas others, like David Lynch and Martin Scorsese, think that the rise of digital capture is beneficial to cinema.

George Lucas is brought up a lot in the documentary, as he made the first fully digital high definition film. A mix of perspectives is presented on the subject, from a variety of directors, showing a variety of views. Things you lose with digital capture is the film grain and the way light is captured, as it is a chemical reaction, as opposed to a digital sensor. For example, La La Land (2016) was shot on 35mm film stock to evoke the classical Hollywood aesthetic, and wouldn’t have worked half as well if it were shot on digital. Things you gain with digital capture is the ability to shoot in very low light, and its affordability. A lot of independent films wouldn’t have been funded if it weren’t for digital cameras, as film stock is just too expensive. For example, Frances Ha (2012) is a black and white independent film and was difficult to fund the creation of it, even though it is shot on digital. So, digital capture did not exist, this film would probably not have been funded. Frances Ha was even shot on a Canon 5D, which is a camera which is discussed at one point in the documentary as being a camera that shouldn’t have films shot on it but is brilliantly showcased that it is possible in Baumbach’s film. See the difference between film and digital elow.

The documentary is, as Bill Nichols would put it, a ‘Participartory’ documentary. This is because presenter of the documentary, in this case Keanu Reeves, becomes an active part of the events being recorded. He conducts interviews with film directors on the topic and acts as a guide for the viewer through the subject of the documentary.

Critical Debates: The Significance Of Digital Technology

Modes Of Documentary

documentary

/dɒkjʊˈmɛnt(ə)ri/

noun

noun: documentary; plural noun: documentaries

1. a film or television or radio programme that provides a factual report on a particular subject.

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Bill Nichols seperates documentaries into six modes:

Expository mode (voice of God)

Expository documentaries emphasise verbal commentary and argumentative logic, often using a narrator. This mode assumes logical argument and a ‘light’ and ‘proper’ answer, using direct adress and offering a preferred meaning. It is most associated with television news and nature documentaries, as it uses an observational mode.

Observational mode

It is an attempt to capture, as accurately as possible, objective reality, with the filmmaker as a neutral observer. The filmmaker often remains hidden behind the camera, ignored by the surrounding environment, they never change the actions or events being captured. Since nothing is staged for the camera, the camera often rushes about to keep up with the action, resulting in rough, shaky, sometimes amateur-looking footage. It’s often referred to as ‘fly-on-the-wall documentary’

Participatory mode

Unlike the observational mode, the participatory mode welcomes participation between the filmmaker and subjects. The filmmaker becomes an active part of the events being recorded. The filmmaker’s impact on the events being recorded are acknowledged, indeed, it is often celebrated.

Performative mode (the filmmaker as a participant)

Performative documentary emphasises the subjective nature of the documentation, as well as acknowledging the subjective reading of the audience. It emphasises the emotional impact on the audience.

Poetic mode (subjective, artistic expression)

moves away from the ‘objective’ reality of a given situation or people, to grasp at an inner truth, that can only be understood by poetic manipulation. It emphasises the visual association, tonal or rhythmic qualities, descriptive passages and formal organisation. It favours mood and tone, over truthful feel.

Reflexive mode (awareness of proccess)

Acknowledges the constructed nature of documentary, and conveys to the audience that this is not necessarily the truth, but a reconstruction of it. ‘A truth, not the truth’. The artifice of the documentary is exposed, and the audience is made aware of the editing, sound recording, etc…

Documentaries Defined

There are two main focuses when discussing documentary film; filmmakers’ theories and their style of creating documentaries; and digital technology and how it’s easier to create documentaries now than in the past.

Documentary film theorist Bill Nichols stated that:

“All films are documentaries”

He pushed the idea that the distinction between fictional films and documentary film is arbitrary. He also said that:

“Even the most fantastical fiction film provides information about the culture that produces it, as well as representing the actors and any physical location used.”

The distinction between the ‘two types’ of documentary is ‘wish fulfillment’ and ‘social representation’. ‘Wish fulfilment’ is what he has labelled fictional films; ‘social representation’ is what he has labelled traditional documentaries. Nichols wanted to overturn the notion that only fiction films tell stories. It is a thought that documentaries are not as exciting or dramatic as narrative films, but is in fact incorrect. They are generally less predictable as they draw teir subject from real life.

Since the beginning of cinema, there has always been documentary films. However, they tend to compete more with television than they do with narrative cinema. It is thought that they feel more natural in television.

The most well known, or successful, documentary films are as follows:

• March Of The Penguins (2005)
• An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
• Supersize Me (2002)
• Man On Wire (2008)
• Farenhiet 9/11 (2004)

As audiences become more cineliterate, and filmmakers become more sophisticated, the line between fiction and documentary blurrs. This can be seen for example with television shows such as The Office, which uses a documentary style to appear more real.

“Of course, the boundaries between the two forms are notoriously flexible, with many documentaries using techniques from fiction films to recreate events – and fiction borrowing from documentary for its enhanced truth value.”

Bill Nichols

The differences between the two types of filmmaking are listed below.

Mise-en-scène in fiction filmmaking can either be used to appear real or artificial, whereas in documentary filmmaking the term is practically meaningless, as everything used is real.

Characters in fiction films are played by actors, often celebrities, to be a more appealing version of the person. In documentary film, the characters are real people, all being themsleves.

In fiction films, filmmaking equipment such as microphones and lights and other cameras are all hidden from the viewer. In documentary filmmaking, lighting can often be seen, as well as mics and other cameras that are being used.

The filmmaker of a fiction film has an off-camera creative presence; whereas, in documentary filmmaking they often appear in the film and sometimes narrate it.

The narrative structure and dialogue of a fiction film is created by a screenwriter; whereas, documentary films’ narrative structure and dialogue depends on the true story they are following, and the peoiple’s natural dialogue that feature in the film.

Audiences accept the illusion of reality according to codes and conventions in fiction films; whereas, in documentary film the audiences expect a certain degree of truthfulness and transparency.