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Documentary films Woodstock-Three Days That Defined a Generation, and Hitsville-The Making of Motown are both historical music documentaries that explore how music reflected and shaped social change in the era of the 1960’s. Both films are from the same genre and share similar themes, however they are told differently though the use of different styles of documentary storytelling.

Woodstock -Three Days That Defined a Generation directed by Barak Goodman is an American documentary released in 2019 and distributed by PBS Distributions. It resembles The Expository Mode of documentary storytelling which is one of Bill Nichols theories from his 2001 book, Introduction to Documentary. According to Nichols the Expository Mode ‘addresses, social issues assembled into an argumentative frame, mediated by a voice-of-God narration’1. The voice of god in Barak Goodman’s Woodstock film comes from the festival attendees and concert organisers. For example they narrate over archival footage and expose the setbacks leading up to the event such as political boycotts, lack of resources and the unforeseen abundance of 400,000 concert goers. They also reflect a time where during the Vietnam War, political unrest, capitalism and old world structures, this generation of attendees turned a chaotic event into the most peaceful and memorable event the world has ever seen. Jourdan Aldredge in his 2020 blog The 6 Types of Documentary, explains ‘expository documentaries aim to inform/or persuade –often through omnipresent voice of God’1. Even though there is more than one omnipresent voice narrating Barak Goodman’s Woodstock, the film still lends itself to the Expository Mode because the narrations are from the one event and from one generation sharing the one point of view. This in addition to archival footage used throughout the entire film reflects an Expository Mode of storytelling. The Expository Mode is further explained in a MasterClass blog from 2020, Film 101: Understanding Expository Documentary Mode. The blog explains that ‘Expository documentaries includes footage that supports and strengthens the spoken argument of the film including stock footage, archival footage, b-roll and re-enactments’3 and ‘the goal of expository documentary mode is to present a strong argument to the audience convincing them to believe in or agree with a certain point of view’4. In Barak Goodman’s’ Woodstock there is footage of different areas of the festival including free food stalls, nudist bathing and performance art. The visuals are stunning and the viewer feels part of the peace love movement. The footage and narration convey one strong message and the message is if people with shared values come together change possible. Another film with a strong message is Hitsville: The Making of Motown directed by Benjamin Turner and Gabe Turner. It is an American documentary film that was released in 2019 by Polygram, Capitol and Motown Records. The film has elements of Bill Nichols Performative Mode theory from his book Introduction to Documentary where he explains the Performative Mode ‘acknowledges the emotional subjective aspects of documentary’5 and is ‘often autobiographical in nature’6. In a MasterClass blog from 2020, Film 101: Performative Documentary Mode explains ‘Performative documentary styles share the experiences and personal feelings of the film maker and rely on a subjective lens, presenting the truth as relative’ 7. For example in the film Hitsville -The Making of Motown we do not see the film makers Benjamin Turner and Gabe Turner on screen, but we get a strong sense the film makers are asking the questions as he talks to them behind the camera. In addition to this interview style of storytelling Berry Gordy Jr is one of the producers of the film, making this film not only informative but also personal and autobiographical. Berry Gordy Jr takes us on a personal journey of his humble beginnings in Detroit and the strategy behind the rise of his record label Motown. We learn about his life and how Motown records helped eradicate exploitation in the music industry and defied racial division. The message is strong and personal and his achievements during a time of racial tensions and civil rights movements are undeniable.

In conclusion Woodstock – Three Days That Defined a Generation leans towards an Expository Mode documentary storytelling, through the use of one strong message with the support of historical visuals. Whereas Hitsville- The Making of Motown resembles the Participatory Mode of documentary storytelling taking you on a personal autobiographical journey of the producer behind Motown records. Both films are different in the way they are told however both films contributed to the social political change of that era.

References Goodman, Barack and Jamila Ephron, Woodstock-Three days That Defined a Generation, 2019. https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/1577750083965/woodstock

Turner, Benjamin and Gabe Turner, Hitsville The Making of Mowtown, 2019. https://iview.abc.net.au/show/hitsville-the-making-of-motown

Nichols, Bill and Michael Weinberger, Introduction to Documentary. Indiana University Press, 2001.

2. Aldredge, Jourdan, (2020) The 6 Types of Documentary Films. Retrieved 17 June 2022 from https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/6-types-of-documentary-film/

3 & 4. Masterclass, (2020) Film 101: Understanding Expository Documentary Mode, Retrieved 17 June 2022 from https://www.masterclass.com/articles/understanding-expository-documentary-mode#what-are- the-characteristics-of-an-expository-documentary

5 & 6. Nichols, Bill and Michael Weinberger, Introduction to Documentary. Indiana University Press, 2001

7. Masterclass, (2021) Film 101: Understanding Performative Documentary Mode, Retrieved 17 June 2022 from https://www.masterclass.com/articles/understanding-performative-documentary-mode#quiz-0/

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