Notes

A poetic documentary is a documentary that focuses on feeling and atmosphere than truth. I saw Koyaanisqatsi which is a poetic documentary. The narration was not vocal. Instead, it was atonal chanting. The music was very eerie and gave off a cosmic feeling, being composed of several synths (and maybe brass?). The camera was documenting clps (mostly timelapses) of modern city life, like people taking the train ,walking on the sidewalk, and other acts. The POV seems to be third person as the camera portrays these acts with no bias or filter. I think the message is supposed to be a commentary on modern life. With the eerie music, the film seems to present the horror of the monotonous routine, like a rat race.

Expository documentaries try to convey information or persuade people of a POV. "Deep Sea Creatures" had David Attenborough describing the behavior of an angler fish on screen. The music is low and ominous. The camera was documenting how an anglerfish lights up and uses its vision in the ocean. The point of view of the filmmaker is also third person. The message is to inform the audience about deep sea ecosystems.

An observational documentary just observes all sides of an issue and gives voices to all parts of a certain world. "Don't Look Back" has no typical narration. The only audio is the conversation between Bob Dylan and his friends. There isn't any music. The camera is documenting Bob Dylan's private life, specifically, in his limo. The point of view of the filmmaker is third person. The intention/message is to give the viewer a look into a secretive figure, Bob Dylan's life.

A participatory doc involves the director/filmmaker in the doc itself. I watched the "Chronicle of Summer". Narration was done by the filmmakers themselves in interviews of themselves. There was no music. The camera was documenting their efforts to film Parisians' lives naturally and the point of view of the filmmakers was to try to see if humans were happy. The message is that people naturally act different in front of a camera and that subjects in those films do have their own little stories and aren't just objects for a screenplay.

Reflexive documentaries are about the filmmaker and their attempt at making a film. It's kind of self-referential and meta. I watched "Sur Name Viet" as the clip. The narration is from audio of interviews with Vietnamese people. The music is percussive and very rhythmic, like it's suited for dance. The camera is documenting the daily life of Vietnamese people. The point of view and the message is that the socialist culture in Vietnam oppresses people through fear and suspicion. The interviewee also talks about how they have culture of censorship and hows it's hard to break out of the bubble.

Performative documentaries are very subjective. They often use personal and emotional accounts to stress a social truth. I watched "Bowling for Columbine." The narration is of a trailer voice making fun of American gun control. There is also news footage, animation, interviews, and Michael Moore speaking. The music is composed of generic rock music and American marches. The camera is documenting Michael Moore's efforts to expose how badly gun control is needed, using news footage, archives, and his own interviews to do so. His point of view and message is that gun control is badly needed in the wake of the Columbine massacre.