Citation:# Nichols, Bill. Introduction to Documentary Film. Bloomington & Indianapolis, Indiana University Press, 2010, pp.179-194 [extract: The Participatory Mode, which Nichols original called the Interactive Mode]

1. Key/significant points or ideas:
-This reading introduces to us to participatory mode of documentary.

-Around 1960, new technology allowed sync sound recording on location is called participatory mode.

-This mode requires interaction with subjects and what happens in front of the camera becomes a collaborative effort between filmmaker subject.

-Interview is a common form of encounter between filmmaker and subject in participatory mood.

-The filmmakers presence in this mode of documentary takes on aggravated importance from physical act of ‘getting the shot’ to the political act of joining forces with one’s subject, and in some bitter cases its presence takes on a highly personal and sometimes touching quality.

-Filmmakers of this mode are differentiated into two large components, essayists and historians. this gives participatory mode documentary filmmaking considerable appeal as it roams a wide variety of subjects.

2. Ideas that help me to understand documentary:
– I understand that this mode provides an immersive experience in digging out stories of the subjects in depth.

3. Questions/ Comments
I feel that incase a proper research is not done by a filmmaker then the subject may manipulate their version of stories and can provide a false narrative into the production of the documentary.

This mode seems intrusive as filmmaker actually gets involved into the lives of the subjects and that can lead to certain power and co

Citation:  # Nichols, Bill. Introduction to Documentary Film. Bloomington & Indianapolis, Indiana University Press, 2010, pp 194-199 [Extract: The Reflexive Mode.]

1. Key/significant points or ideas:

-This reading focuses on the process of negotiation between filmmaker and viewers.

-Reflexive documentary asks viewers to see documentary for what it is; a construct or representation.

-This mode in general depends on the viewers neglect of his or her actual situation, in front of a movie screen, interpreting a film, in favor of imaginary access to the events shown on the screen as it is only these events that require interpretation, not the film.

-Reflexive documentaries challenge techniques and conventions of realism such as continuity editing, character development and narrative structure.

-Reflexive documentary pokes the viewers to a higher form of consciousness about his or her relation to and what documentary represents.

-Reflexive documentary can be both formal and political perspective. In formal perspective, reflexivity draws our attention to our assumptions and expectation about documentary form itself. In political perspective, reflexivity points towards our assumptions and expectation about the historical world mote than about the film form.

-Both perspectives induce an “aha” effect where we grasp a principle of world that helps  account for how we understand and represent the world. This term was coined by Bertolt Brecht as ‘alienation effect’

2. Ideas that help me to understand documentary: 

– This mode is the most questioning mode of representation, the representation of facts, ideas and evidence come under suspicion.

3. Comments

– This mode seems abstract and the audience may loose sight of actual issues.

Today was the last workshop for Media 1. I’m feeling kind of sad that I may not see my intellectual peers often. The collaboration that Brian talked about in this course really hit me, my problem is that I feel attached to my surroundings too soon, but then I get along with other things quickly as well, lol! Rachel was sweet enough to bring cookies for us.

Now about the business that happened in class, each of us showed almost finished drafts of our project briefs, Rachel gave us the feedback that it is good but needs an addition of text of the name of the game, quotations of  scholars in this genre and correct sounds issues in the video, which will be fixed soon. Besides that I think Jack’s group really nailed it with their news style report on classification board. I’m jealous as their work is really awesome, I just hope that we all get good marks for our hard work.

Thanks Rachel and my mates for a great semester. I hope I get more collaborative work in near future and make a name in this game.

So glad that my Media one’s Project Brief 4 is coming along great. I just finished editing our finished product, just the background sounds are remaining. Our group has been really awesome working together. There were ifs and buts in our whole production period but I’m happy that everyone provided their individual effort into this project and results are in front of us. This is a picture of me setting up the camera and lighting for project brief 4.