Blog post reflecting on representing the real world as part of a nonfiction media practice

In terms of Bill Nichols’ modes of documentary, I believe ours was a mix of observational and participatory. The observational mode refers to filming the participant doing whatever they are doing, having your presence as a filmmaker unacknowledged, but observing the participant (Nichols, 1991). Most of our b-roll was shot as observational; we set up our camera and recorded Rib skating and doing her tricks. We had no voice-over from us as the filmmakers, rather it was Rib’s story to tell.

The participatory mode refers to the filmmakers being involved in some way and having their presence acknowledged (Nichols,1991). These are a few instances of our presence being involved in the documentary. For example, there is a moment when Rib asks if she’s allowed to swear. It is assumed that we are behind the camera, otherwise it would look strange as if she is asking herself a question. Here she directly interacts with us, and whilst our voices aren’t heard, the audience knows we are there. Also, in the b-roll, there are a few shots of Rib holding the camera as she skates. This isn’t exactly participatory on our behalf, but it is understood that Rib has taken some responsibility with the filming as she skates, so we as the filmmakers aren’t simply observing her, she is interacting with our equipment. Furthermore, there is also a series of shots when she repeatedly falls over (my team members and I know that we were very close to her when filming, hence why she kept falling over because she didn’t want to hit us). In the last clip, she places her hand out to apologise for nearly hitting us, looking directly at the camera. From this shot, it is understood that we were close by and she is talking to us, the interaction being very noticeable.

I believe the mix of observational and participatory modes in our documentary enhanced its authenticity. We’ve portrayed Rib as not merely someone being watched and recorded, but a human with a personality. Including clips of her interacting with us as filmmakers also made her appear more human, as opposed to a fictional character in a movie. Furthermore, there are several clips of her giggling, smiling, and having fun which enhanced the authenticity of her personality; it persuades the audience to believe she’s not an actor playing a part, she’s a real person who’s having fun while being filmed.

Nichols, Bill. (1991) Representing Reality: Issues and Concepts in Documentary. Bloomington, Indiana University Press, Print.