Different Styles of Documentary

The According to American scholar Bill Nichols, documentaries can be divided into the following six types:

1.  Poetic Documentary
Poetic documentary appeared in the 1920s, and one of the most representative them is called Rain made by Joris Ivens. These type documentaries don’t emphasize the narrative, the time to create and coherent editing. It focuses on the rhythm of creation and the combined of different spatial。 It aims to convey emotion and mood.

2. Expository Documentary
Expository documentary appeared in the 1920s. These type documentaries’ publicity intention is clear and pay attention of the commentary to convince the audience to accept their point of view. The typical characteristics in form of "the Voice of God", the material edit and omniscient viewpoint.

3. Observational Documentary
Observational documentary appeared in the 1960s. The technology is based in the emergence of the portable cameras and tape cameras. This documentary has no commentary and specific actors. The documentary director like ‘fly on the wall’. These type documentary are mainly expressed the real world. So it is difficult to deal with the historical themes. Expression of the image can easily become boring in the absence of narration and subtitles.

4. Participatory Documentary
Participatory documentary appeared in the 1960s and one of the most representative them is called Chronicle of Summer made by Jean Rouch and Edgar Morin. These type documentaries not hide the director in the presence. On the contrary, deliberately stressed that interaction of director and subject.

5. Reflexive Documentary
Reflexive documentary appeared in the 1980s and one of the most representative them is called Surname Viet Given Name Nam. These type documentaries’ characteristic is presents the social and historical process itself reflection. It same like other documentaries, importance on the expression of the real things. The more importance is the reflection of the director to the documentary.

6. Performativity Documentary
Performativity documentary will be subjective to enlarge of a real event and departure from realism style. It emphasizes the subjective expression of the creators. One of the most representative them is called Tongues Untied made by Marlon Roggs. These type documentaries use like avant-garde.

In the documentary creation, the story’s choosing and editing is narrative techniques and structures’ process. Through my documentary to express my comprehending and feeling of life. I think the narrative structure is directed to the material so as to the meaning and interpretation the form. The attractiveness of documentary varies depending on the theme and edit. Good edit can make the material becomes more exciting. Narrative and structure for the significance of the work, in that the material itself.
With the director’s different accumulation of life, life feeling, artistic skill and artistic pursuit, they will have different narrative techniques and structure. Even from the same director of the documentary, the narrative style is not exactly the same. So I will choose story from my life, to research and practice to make a documentary about fisherman.


依照美国学者比尔·尼克尔斯的观点，纪录片可以分为如下六种类型：
一、诗意型纪录片（Poetic Documentary） 诗意纪录片出现于20世纪20年代。代表作是伊文思（Joris Ivens）的《雨》（Rain）。这种类型的纪录片不强调叙事，不注重特定时空的营造，不强调连贯剪辑。它着力于节奏的创造，不同空间的并置，目的在于情绪、情调的传达。
二、阐释型纪录片（Expository Documentary） 阐述型纪录片也出现于20世纪20年代。这种纪录片宣传意图明确，注重解说词的力量，说服观众接受自己的观点。形式上的典型特征是“上帝之声”（voice-of-God）、证据剪辑、全知视点。
三、观察型纪录片（Observational Documentary） 观察型纪录片出现于20世纪60年代，其技术基础在于便携式摄影机和磁带摄像机的出现。这种纪录片没有解说，没有扮演，纪录片导演成了“墙壁上的苍蝇”（fly on the wall）。这种纪录片主要表达现实世界，但对于历史题材却难以处理。由于没有解说、字幕，影像的表达很容易变得沉闷。
四、参与型纪录片（Participatory Documentary） 参与型纪录片出现于20世纪60年代。代表作品是让鲁什（Jean Rouch）和埃德加莫林(Edgar Morin)的《夏日纪事》（Chronicle of Summer）。这种类型的纪录片不掩盖导演的在场。相反，刻意强调导演与被拍摄对象的互动。
五、反射型纪录片（Reflexive Documentary） 反射型纪录片出现于 20世纪80年代。代表作是《姓越名南》（Surname Viet Given Name Nam）。这种类型的纪录片的特点在于对纪录片呈现社会历史过程本身的反思。和其他类型纪录片一样，反射型纪录片重视对现实世界的表达，但更为重要的是，导演在片中同时表达对纪录片创作本身的反思。这种影片往往显得更为抽象，难以理解。
六、表述行为型纪录片（Performative） 表述行为型纪录片把真实的事件进行主观的放大，背离现实主义的风格。强调创作者主观的表述。代表作如马龙里格斯（Marlon Roggs）的《舌头不打结》(Tongues Untied)。这种类型的纪录片往往与先锋电影（avant-garde）很接近。
在纪录片创作中，叙事的技巧和结构的方式不仅是对素材进行选择和处理的过程，更是创作者通过素材的挑选和组合，来表达自己对生活的认识和感受的过程。我认为叙事结构是创作者给素材以意义和解释的手段和形式。一部纪录片艺术质量的高低和思想意义的深浅，不仅取决于纪录片拍摄到的内容，也取决于对于这些内容的剪辑与组合。剪辑组合得体，原本好的内容可以变得更加精彩。某些一般的内容也能发挥得较为出色。相反，剪辑组合不当，就有可能糟蹋原本非常好的素材，使原本十分精彩的内容失去应有的效果。所以，叙事和结构对于作品的意义，在某种程度上要甚于素材本身。
由于生活积累、人生感受、艺术功力和艺术追求的不同，不同的创作者有不同的叙事技巧和结构方式。即使出自同一创作者的不同纪录片，其叙事风格也不会完全相同。所以这次，我从我的生活中，想去研究和实践做一个纪录片，一个关于渔民的纪录片。