Performing identity in contemporary biographical documentary

Abstract

My thesis addresses the role performance plays in contemporary documentary. I focus on case studies where performance techniques (reconstruction, use of actors) are used and my discussion analyses the distinctive effects that are created. A distinction is made between performance and performative, as defined by J.L. Austin, Judith Butler, Stella Bruzzi, et al., and this is then connected to Erving Goffman’s work on social performance to argue that numerous documentaries actively engage with how identity is socially constructed. My aim is to highlight that implementing elements of performance into non-fiction film is a technique used by the filmmaker to include the spectator in negotiations of meaning in such films, centring on definitions of identity and how we all perform in everyday life. Historically, documentary film has been theorised in terms of its objectivity and that any use of fictional techniques undermines its main purpose. My research challenges this longstanding definition and acknowledges that the use of a performative visual framework can provide an audience with a wider understanding of how they define, shape and perform their various ‘selves.’ Chapter topics include 'Autobiography', 'Sports and Music Documentaries', and 'LGBTQ+ Documentaries'.

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ORCID for Michael Williams: orcid.org/0000-0001-5386-5567

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