Consider the film Stranger with a Camera. How does this film fit into Bill Nichols’ definition of the expository documentary mode? Compare it to other expository documentaries we’ve watched this semester. (This can include the clip from the Corporation or not). Last, discuss the five elements of rhetoric (invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery) in relation to Nichols’ idea of “voice” (pg. 77-93) vis-à-vis Stranger with a Camera.
The expository documentary mode seeks to enlighten or persuade the audience by means of different rhetorical strategies. Bill Nichols discusses several elements included in the definition of an expository documentary. The film Stranger with a Camera is a prime example of expository mode.
First, this particular mode commonly makes use of a narrator in order to convey a particular message, sometimes using the voice of god technique, where the narrator is never seen but only heard. This documentary relays logic through the commentary, apart from the presented images. Rather than explaining the visual, the narrator acts a supplement to organize different ideas promoted in the film. It also serves to illustrate the perspective of the film and filmmaker.
Another part of the expository film is it’s use of editing. Rather than using editing to establish a pattern or rhythm, it instead progresses the argument of the filmmaker. The expository film is not subject to following chronological order, allowing the filmmaker a larger degree of freedom. In Stranger with a Camera, director Barnett took liberties with the editing in order to fully capture the story of Hugh O’Connor’s murder. Rather than moving chronologically, she instead focus on the presentation of the incident. She transitions between the past and the present weaving the film together. She effectively uses footage from the past in combination with present day interviews. By doing so the audience is able to understand the opinions of the citizens of Letcher County in retrospect. She also includes images of her own life in Appalanchia, which lend to her credibility with the audience.
Nichols also emphasizes the need for an expository film to appear objective. Similar to the news media, the expository film is meant to present information to the audience and let them, ultimately, decide for themselves what to believe. However, just because a film is presenting itself as objective does not necessarily render it as such. Various aspects of the film such as the voice, or the decision to include certain footage, or present the materiel in a particular way, could in fact lend to the film’s overall persuasive argument. Thus, while the audience may believe that they came to a conclusion on their own, they were in fact presented the information in a way that was meant to persuade them. In the case of Stranger with a Camera, Barnett show both the side of the people of Appalachia as well as that of the film crew. She does not present on side as better than another. In fact, she gives them both fair representation. However, by including particular interviews such as those with the daughter of Hugh O’Conner and his companions, as well as interviews with people sympathetic to Hobart Ison, she encourages sympathy towards both parties. The audience is left to decide whether Ison’s action was “justified” by lending to their overall understanding of the incident.
In comparison, the expository film The Corporation, uses narrative in a different way than Stranger with a Camera. While Stranger with a Camera relies primarily on ethos and pathos, by means of sentimental interviews and compelling footage,The Corporation uses logos to appeal to the audience. The film presents hard data, facts and examples to persuade the audience towards it’s critical view of the corporation. This can be likened to the approach taken by the new media, who rely on the objective approach of the news anchor and hard facts to back up the story.
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