Let's Participate

While doing my research I have found that there are six types of modes of documentiaries: expository, observational, participatory, reflexive, poetic and performative, I have decided that the mode/ style that I will do is participatory."The participatory mode as Nichols describes it is where the “filmmaker interacts with his or her social actors and participates in shaping what happens before the camera”. There is an interaction between the filmmaker/interviwer and the subject /interviwee. I felt this interaction necessary to move the story forward, but also, the documentary is about both sides of the gun control debate and interviews are a representation of that. I want my documentary to be as truthful as possible and this mode of documentary is not only a connection with the interviewee and essentially the audience but also it observes what is happening around the filmmaker and society as a whole. 

Get it? Participatory documentary?!

There are some documentary conventions that I will embrace and others that I will challenge. 

Conventions that Might be Utilized: 

~ hand-held camera to create a sense of realism as well as facilitate my integration with the people during the marches. 

~Interviews will be utilized in order to tell and progress the story. (indirect interviews will most likely be utilized as to take away my perspective and make it seem less biased/manipulative)

~Music in order to create a tone and develop the point of view presented. 

~Close ups and Extreme-close ups in order to capture reactions of the people. 

~selective editing and maybe parallel editing (depending on the footage) to establish POV and tone.

~ Montage/B-roll while there is an interview occuring or footage that is relevant as someone is speaking.

~tripods are usually not utilized in documentaries and this might be one of the things that I will be challenging. 

Biesterfeld, Peter. “Six Primary Styles of Documentary Production.” Videomaker.com, 13 Nov. 2015, 9:08 A.M., www.videomaker.com/article/c06/18423-six-primary-styles-of-documentary-production.

Henderson, Julia. “Julia Henderson's Document History and Theory Site.” Network, 6 Nov. 2013, sites.stedwards.edu/comm4399fa2013-jhender4/2013/11/06/participatory-and-reflexive-modes-of-documentary-response-4/. 

Miller, Rob. “Documentary Codes & Conventions.” FilmEdu, 10 Nov. 2011, film.edusites.co.uk/article/documentary-codes-conventions/.