Introduction to Documentary PDF
Preview Introduction to Documentary
INTRODUCTION TO DOCUMENTARY This page intentionally left blank INTRODUCTION TO DOCUMENTARY Third Edition Bill Nichols Indiana University Press This book is a publication of Indiana University Press Office of Scholarly Publishing Herman B Wells Library 350 1320 East 10th Street Bloomington, Indiana 47405 USA iupress.indiana.edu © 2017 by Bill Nichols All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses’ Resolu- tion on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Perma- nence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48–1992. Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Nichols, Bill, 1942- author. Title: Introduction to documentary / Bill Nichols. Description: Third edition. | Bloomington : Indiana University Press, 2017. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2016045756 (print) | LCCN 2016057720 (ebook) | ISBN 9780253026347 (cloth : alk. paper) | ISBN 9780253026859 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN 9780253026903 (e-book) Subjects: LCSH: Documentary films--History and criticism. Classification: LCC PN1995.9.D6 N539 2017 (print) | LCC PN1995.9.D6 (ebook) | DDC 070.1/8—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016045756 1 2 3 4 5 22 21 20 19 18 17 To all the students, filmmakers, and colleagues who have taught me over the years. This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS IX INTRODUCTION XI 1 How Can We Define Documentary Film? 1 2 Why Are Ethical Issues Central to Documentary Filmmaking? 29 3 What Gives Documentaries a Voice of Their Own? 48 4 What Makes Documentaries Engaging and Persuasive? 69 5 How Did Documentary Filmmaking Get Started? 89 6 How Can We Differentiate among Documentary Models and Modes? What Are the Poetic, Expository, and Reflexive Modes? 104 7 How Can We Describe the Observational, Participatory, and Performative Modes of Documentary Film? 132 8 How Have Documentaries Addressed Social and Political Issues? 159 9 How Can We Write Effectively about Documentary? 194 10 I Want to Make a Documentary. Where Do I Start? 209 APPENDIX: SAMPLE FILM PROJECT PROPOSAL 223 NOTES ON SOURCE MATERIAL 233 INDEX 245 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My greatest debt of gratitude goes to the students who have studied docu- mentary film with me over the years. Their curiosity and questions have provided the motivation for this book. I am also greatly indebted to those who have gathered at the Visible Evidence conferences since their incep- tion in 1993 to exchange ideas and pursue debates about documentary film. These conferences, initiated by Jane Gaines and Michael Renov, have proven invaluable to the promotion of a lively dialogue about docu- mentary film in the broadest possible terms. Without the assistance of the filmmakers who so generously provided still images of their work, this book would be greatly impoverished. I thank them for their willingness to provide superb illustrations, often on short notice. Michael Wilson, Victoria Gamburg, Tori Palmatier, David Gray, and Jed Miner provided invaluable help on various editions and myriad tasks. ix
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