Documentary Film Blog

Question:
Nichols writes, "The fact that there is more than one mode of documentary film strongly suggests the the representation of reality is not an objective, cut-and-dried affair. Although there may be only one historical world, and even if certain facts about it can be agreed upon as objectively true, the ways of seeing and representing that world, like the ways of interpreting it, vary considerably."
Based on this statement, blog about what exactly you think this means and how the 6 modes of documentary film factor into this idea.

I think Nichols statement is very true. I think he is saying that even though different historic event may be agreed on by all, that that does not mean that everyone has the same opinion of that event. A example of this would be The way the German people viewed Adolf Hitler during World War 2. The German people loved Hitler, and the most of the rest of the world wanted him dead. Now the world knows exactly what Hitler did and the Germans try to hide that part of History. But At one point we didn't like him and they did, yet both sides knew what was happening.
I think the six modes factor into this because of what certain modes represent. Expository, Observational, and Participatory are the main modes that factor this. The reason being is because these all have to do with showing something, whether it be an interview or watching a riot go on, that can be agreed on about what is happening but still have two different opinions of what is going on. I also think they affect this idea, because of how documentary film is portrayed differently by each. In poetic film is portrayed in more of an avant-garde feel. In participatory film is showed as first had accounts by common people and is portrayed in a first hand unedited look.