Authentic Storytelling for Documentary Film
This case study is to uncover different documentary theory modes of desire, storytelling methods, storytelling voice and programs multi platform assets in relation to factual and documentary story-lines and to examine how these methods impacts the audience more effectively.
I am comparing and analysing SBS documentary, Crazy For Party Drugs and ABC: Hack documentary, Australians on Drugs. Both of these programs are based on the same subject matter, the issue of the youth and party drugs. ABC: Hack documentary, Australians on Drugs, is set in Australia compared to the English perspective of SBS documentary, Crazy For Party Drugs. These documentaries look into the criminal, social and health problems associated with this issue.
Following are some key terms and their definitions used in this case study;
Storytelling Methods: Documentary modes or storytelling methods are a system that Documentary Theorist Bill Nicols used to define styles of documentary films. “In documentary film and video, we can identify six modes of representation that function something like sub-genres of the documentary film genre itself: poetic, expository, participatory, observational, reflexive, performative” (Nicols, B. 2001. p, 99.). Story telling methods can also come from other approaches in contemporary documentaries such as “Metaphors, Third Person Storytelling, Personalisation and Embedded Journalism”(Livingstone, G. 2011.), as Geoff Livingstone explains from article Four Storytelling Methods in his personal Blog.
Documentary Modes of Desire: The Documentary Modes of Desire as defined by Michael Renov in Theorising Documentary “are based on fundamental trends or aesthetic/rhetorical functions that have continued to guide documentary productions for decades…..one or another of these characteristics has frequently been over- or under-favoured. I state the four tendencies in the active voice appropriate to their role in a poesis, an active making”
- To record, reveal or preserve
- To persuade or promote
- To analyse or interrogate
- To express
(Renov, M. 1993. p, 21.).
Storytelling Voice: Is considered the voice behind the Documentary, who’s voice or what view the storytelling is from. For example an Authentic Voice is non-biased, containing just the views and opinions of the characters with no manipulation or persuasion in a spontaneous, honest and authentic manner. Where as, a persuasive biased Storytelling Voice uses real world examples, footage and interviews, questions asked, music and stills from a narration perspective, a persuasive approach from the view of the Narrator, Director or Production Company.
Multi Platform Assets: Are the different media platforms the Documentary program presents its information. For example cinema, television broadcast, online, merchandise or book.
The storytelling methods used in SBS documentary, Crazy For Party Drugs, were expository, participatory, observational, reflexive and performative. The Documentary exposed and observed the social issues in relation to party drugs with the younger demographic, using participatory and performative methods with real world footage and interviews with the UK’s young party drug users. Crazy For Party Drugs also used reflexive storytelling methods as there was an ongoing communication about experience and contained real world footage, giving the Documentary a present or current feel rather than a view on the past. “To be reflexive is to have an ongoing conversation about experience while simultaneously living in the moment” (Etherington, K. N.d.). The SBS program used a variety of Personalisation, Journalism and Third Person storytelling to illustrate or narrate the information. In contrast the ABC: Hack documentary, Australians on Drugs, used fewer story telling methods such as expository, participatory and observational. As the Hack Documentary was in Discussion Panel Format and had mostly a Journalism approach to the storytelling, though with some Personalisation with the young Australian drug takers on the panel, showing some, yet minimal footage of real world examples. The ABC: Hack documentary, Australians on Drugs, Journalism based delivery, is shown below.
Both Documentaries had an Authentic Story-telling Voice when it came to the real world examples, interviews and factual perspectives of the young drug takers. Though they both also had a Persuasive view or the Narrators storytelling Voice as a whole. This was seen in the narration or story, questions asked and footage shown. The SBS Documentary, Crazy For Party Drugs, I felt had much more value as it contained more examples and perspectives, as seen in image below. By use of Personalisation, Third Person Storytelling, Factual Storytelling and Journalism in the the Storytelling approach. It was in a Documentary format, while ABC’s Hack program uses a direct Journalism approach. These different approaches made the SBS Documentary, Crazy For Party Drugs, more entertaining than the ABC Hack program, leading to a larger and wider audience, therefore creating more of an impact on society.
Both ABC: Hack documentary, Australians on Drugs, and SBS documentary, Crazy For Party Drugs, used the same Modes of Desire, to persuade and to analyse or interrogate. Though the SBS documentary, Crazy For Party Drugs, used the Modes of Desire much more effectively, with to the use of multiple storytelling methods, making it more entertaining. The SBS documentary, Crazy For Party Drugs, also used the final mode of desire, to express, by allowing the view of the young English drug takers an opportunity to express themselves, to be heard and seen in the environments from the characters real perspectives. The SBS program Crazy For Party Drugs, persuasive view had more of a caring approach with concerns for health and social issues of the youth. In comparison ABC’s Hack program, which disregarded the views of Australia’s young and presented them in a immature perspective, as seen in following image. The Political, narrative and older demographic characters were using a persuasive manner, by giving more of their perspective of the criminal issues of drug taking, disregarding the Australian youths views as well as shutting down Health Representatives that deal with the drug/health issues on a regular basis. The Political characters views are old, dated, arrogant and ignorant. They weren’t prepared to listen to the perspectives of Australian youth or Health Representatives, when it came to actually dealing with the social issues and health concerns related to drug taking. One example from Health Representatives and Australian youth on dealing with social/health issues of drug taking, was to have pill testing units at Festivals and Events, this was also shut down by the Political Representative. The solution to these issues lye with the drug takers and people in the medical field, not the Politicians. The SBS program Crazy For Party Drugs, considered all perspectives in the narration and persuasion methods used, making it more effective in relation to the social/health issues presented in both Documentaries.
Both National Broadcasters have Multi Platform Assets, as they are both online, digital television and radio station broadcasts. Bellow SBS documentary, Crazy For Party Drugs, multi platform assets were SBS-On Demand online and television. However, ABC program Hack is online on ABC Iview, broadcasted on digital TV and is a radio show on ABC radio, therefore contains more multi platform assets.
“Storytelling methods for social change are: multi-layered; they incorporate different creative forms of communication and expression, including drama, photography, film, drawing, design, creative writing, and music. Also narrative-led and story-based; motivated by action-research and a transformational agenda grounded in critical social learning. They emerge from a tradition of action-research that links ‘critical social learning’ to a transformational agenda in terms of social justice. Processes are driven by a desire to see social change or transformation, therefore are not solely about reflecting an aesthetic sensibility, but also about the embodied articulation of how changes can happen. Which can form the basis for citizen action and advocacy. These methods are about reflecting different social realities and projecting them into spaces where they are not often acknowledge or heard, and about creating opportunities within this process itself for dialogue” (Transformativestory.org. N.d.).
This desire of social change and transformation is seen in following image of a character and interviewee from SBS Documentary Crazy For Party Drugs. By the closure of the program, he had visually made a change in his presentation and a transformation in himself. This is possibly as he felt heard or acknowledged by being in the program and showing his perspective, leading to an opportunity for change. The different documentary modes of desire, storytelling methods, storytelling voice, multi platform assets and the diverse magnitude of these used in a program or film aids in the Documentary level of entertainment, leading to a greater audience and bringing more awareness to Socio/Political issues. The Authentic Voice in Factual and Documentary Storytelling gives a program more value and aids in a deeper connection to the Socio/Political issues therefore making a greater impact on society and the world.
References:
Australian Broadcasting Company. (2016.). ABC iview hack: Australians on drugs [Broadcast program]. Australia [Country]. Retrieved from http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/hack-live-australians-on-drugs/DO1417H001S00
Kim, Etherington. (N.d.). Narrative approaches to case studies [Article]. Retrieved from https://www.keele.ac.uk/media/keeleuniversity/facnatsci/schpsych/documents/counselling/conference/5thannual/NarrativeApproachestoCaseStudies.pdf
Livingstone, Geoff. (April, 12, 2011.). Geoff livingstone photography and marketing: Four story telling methods [Blog]. Retrieved from http://geofflivingston.com/2011/04/12/four-storytelling-methods/
Nichols, Bill. (2001.). Introduction to documentary [Book]. Bloomington & Indianapolis, US: Indiana University Press
Renov, M. (1993). Theorising documentary [Book]. London, UK: Routledge [Publisher].
Taunton, Kate. (2017.). SBS on demand: Crazy for party drugs [Broadcast program]. England, UK [Country]. Retrieved from http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/741807171895/crazy-for-party-drugs
Transformativestory.org. (N.d.). Transformative storytelling for social change: what are transformative storytelling methods for social change? [Blog]. Retrieved from http://www.transformativestory.org/what-are-creative-storytelling-methods-for-social-change/
