Bill Nichols' 6 modes of documentary theory

When producing or filming a documentary, many factors must be considered. One main one is the style a documentary follows. Initially, a documentary is created to provide information through both facts, visuals, and audio whilst being made to entertain. However, there are many ways and techniques to achieve a successful documentary. Whilst a documentary is a broad term for a variety of sub-genres and styles which all differ from each other, there is a theory which explores each of these styles and was created by documentary theorist, Bill Nichols, who created the 6 modes of documentary theory in 1991. The theory itself was a feature in Nichols’ book ‘Introduction to documentary’ which outlines each of these various 6 modes and identifies the specific traits and characteristics of each one. Throughout his book, Nichols makes it clear that a documentary can feature one or more of the documentary modes and that each of these modes can be used not only for a filmmaker creating their own product, but also for analysing a documentary and its features that led to its success.

Poetic mode:

The poetic mode is the first of the 6 documentary modes in Bill Nichols’ theory. The poetic mode itself covers the ideas that a documentary using the mode can ‘move away’ from the subject to capture hidden meanings and ideas portrayed by the filmmaker through various aspects. These aspects include things such as the colour, sound, tones, and mood. All of which are used within the product to provide the audience with an emphasis on the visuals, which are organised against the linear continuity and instead arranged through the associations, tone, and rhythm. The style itself is typically seen as innovative within the documentary industry.

A strong example of a documentary that uses the poetic documentary mode would be David Attenborough’s ‘Blue Planet’, which is a product well-known for its incredible and breath-taking visuals. The documentary takes on this specific style very well, and manages to take the viewer's attention away from the standard information, and provides them with a way to take this information in through the visuals on screen which manage to set the tone perfectly for the scene, through experimented camera angles and shots, providing viewers with an innovative viewing experience.

 

Expository mode:

The expository mode is one of the most common types of documentary that we are exposed to, with the style itself most being used in nature and TV documentaries. A large majority of these products tend to follow a similar theme and use the ‘Voice of God’, which is where the presenter's voice narrates over the top of B-Roll throughout the documentary. The main objective of this type of product is to provide an experience that educates its audience by informing them of what is on screen. The creation of an expository documentary relies heavily on the research conducted. The reason for this is that the expository mode follows the theme that presenters and filmmakers are to base the product on facts and research, rather than opinions and emotion. Despite some products covering controversial topics, the entire idea is to inform objectively without providing their own opinion and to supply evidence whilst doing so.

An example of this mode in practice is in the 2005 documentary, ‘March of the Penguins’, which follows the theme throughout. The documentary, which was produced by National Geographic, has narrators such as Morgan Freeman providing an informative script over the top of visuals. This allows for the viewer to understand what they are seeing on screen and digest the information more easily.

 

Observational mode:

The observational mode, or sometimes referred to as the ‘fly on the wall’, refers to the naturalism of camera use and shots. The theory itself revolves around filmmakers being able to move freely with their cameras and experiment with various angles or shots, allowing for this more naturally jumpy and shaky style. The mode allows for filmmakers to film naturally, however, without being intrusive of the subject they are filming. The mode was first born in the 60s and 70s when filmmakers gained access to more manoeuvrability, which allowed them to experiment with camera angles more.

An example of a product that uses this mode greatly is David Attenborough’s ‘Our Planet’, which uses the basis of the observational mode to a great extent. This product, in particular, is a great example of the mode, as it is well-known for having some of the most experimental and up-close camera shots with the subject. The use of the observational mode in this product allows for the filmmaker to get up close and personal with its subject to provide its audience with a new understanding of things they may never have witnessed or noticed before.

 

Participatory mode:

The participatory mode refers to the practice of the filmmaker taking part in the subject that they wish to film. This technique is often adopted by well-known filmmakers such as Louis Theroux and Nick Broomfield and is something that makes the filmmaker well known within the industry, as it becomes unique to them when done correctly. Typically, these products involve a controversial topic in which the filmmaker can then show in depth the overall filmmaking process of the documentary. Usually, the filmmaker can make this mode effective by following their chosen subject around for the duration of the product, and posing a question, something that Louis Theroux has pulled off successfully many times, as he attempts to engage with the subject without influencing them, disregarding any personal beliefs.

Following on, Louis Theroux’s ‘Behind Bars’ demonstrates exactly what a participatory documentary is about, with him going and living a life behind bars to provide an insight into what life is actually like, without feeding his audience his own opinions or thoughts. This is a product that is widely regarded as a good example of a participatory documentary and is used by many to study the theory.

 

Reflexive mode:

The reflexive mode documentary is designed to make the viewer question what is authentic and what’s not. Whether this is done through the camera work or editing, there are decisions made throughout the filmmaking process that determine what changes within the story. This then makes the viewer question the authenticity of the entire documentary.

An example of this mode in process is Louis Theroux’s ‘Weird Weekends’, where Louis travels to various places and cultures to encounter interactions that don’t usually happen on a day-to-day basis, whether it be with swingers or religious extremist groups. This heightens the audience's distrust of the product’s authenticity, whereas Louis does this to help highlight these subjects to challenge the audience's perceptions of the individuals/ cultures to spread awareness of people’s cultural beliefs and acceptances.

 

Performative mode:

A documentary that follows the performative mode initially sets out to show a perspective of what it’s like to be within that situation, rather than show a truth; therefore, in some cases, it helps to raise awareness around a certain topic. Following on from this, the product is designed to be more emotionally driven and can sometimes have an influence from a political or historical motivation, which allows the filmmaker to become more immersed and emotionally open within their product, as the filmmaker may be passionately involved in one way or another. Hence, providing a complete 180 turn on the observational mode as the performative encourages the filmmaker’s direct involvement with the subject.

This is seen within the documentary ‘Supersize Me’ as the filmmaker provides an insight and perspective of what it is like to live on a diet purely of fast food, and the mental and also physical consequences he faced by putting himself through it. The product was made to purely raise awareness against fast food chains and the harm they can cause you by the filmmaker directly involving themselves and engaging directly with the subject.

 

For my documentary, I aim to follow the performative and participatory modes, as I aim to create a product that I take part in myself, by putting myself through the challenge of climbing Scafell Pike to show the overall progression in myself whilst still showing my audience the steps and insight to improving their own mental health. This will mainly be done through showing the overall process from start to end of the filmmaking process, following the theme of a participatory documentary. At the same time, I am following a subject that I am passionate about and is known to be a tough topic, particularly for men. With me being more attached to and open about the topic, it allows me to be more emotionally open and create that immersive product for my audience, similar to a performative documentary. This reasoning is a main reason why I feel researching into the theories has been a key part of the production process for me, as it has allowed me to broaden my understanding of what separates documentaries from each other, and how I should structure mine to make it as successful and engaging as possible.