During class we learned about the four basic types of a documentary. We made visual assessments of each type of documentary by watching examples in class. The most “traditional” type of documentary is the expository documentary. An expository documentary is a type in which an incorporeal and authoritative voiceover describes a sequence of images that aim to be evocative and enlightening. An example of an expository documentary is London Can Take It (Jennings and Watt, 1940). An interact

ive documentary such as Roger and Me (Moore, 1989) can be described as a type in which the filmmaker’s presence is acknowledged by viewers, and in reality is prominent as he or she interacts with the people or events being filmed. These people or events are drawn into direct contact with the filmmaker, whose actions perform to hold the film together. Wild Man Blues (Kopple, 1998) is a model of an observational documentary, which presents a “slice of life.” In this case the documentary portrays a “slice” of Woody Allen’s life. The documentary attains the impression of “reality” without interference from the filmmaker, an uninvolved bystander. There is no voiceover, no titles, and no interviews. Direct sound and long takes are used. A paradigm for a performative documentary is Koyaanisqatsi (Regio, 1983). The poetic expressive dimensions of film rather than “objective” representation are accentuated. It strives to symbolize the world indirectly. It induces a mood of fiction film and aims to present material in stylized, even subjective ways.

The performative fragment is blatantly seen in the long take at the beginning of the film. The camera pans from right to left focusing in on various sculptures that have almost come to life from the pages of Robert Crumb’s comics. Immediately the spectator is drawn into a mood of fiction film. The objects are portrayed in stylized and subjective ways. Speaking of the spectator being drawn in…often I feel that I, as a spectator, am too close for comfort when the director uses extreme close-ups. The invasive extreme close-ups that Zwigoff uses, especially of people’s faces, particularly Robert Crumb’s, aim to signify what this character study represents: an extreme close-up of Robert Crumb’s life.

Some topics in this essay:
Robert Crumb, Crumb Zwigoff, Robert Crumb’s, San Francisco, Charles Charles’, Roger Moore, Koyaanisqatsi Regio, Aline Crumb, Woody Allen’s, robert crumb, , character study, robert crumb’s, types documentary, basic types documentary, basic types, character study documentary, “character study”, regular joe, family photos, study documentary, observational performative, interactive observational performative, crumb zwigoff 1994, expository interactive observational,