Looking in, looking out: the self-reflexive mode of representation in a selection of contemporary South African documentary films

Abstract

The conventions of mainstream modes of film-making have been established through years of film-making practice and have become so widely used that they have become virtually invisible to audiences. This approach, referred to as the continuity system, entails maintaining spatial, temporal and action continuity and sustaining the illusion of the fourth wall. Self-reflexivity entails the breaking of the conventions of continuity editing through the inclusion of cues within the film that foreground the process of construction. The presence of the film-maker is therefore acknowledged, and consequently also her subjectivity. The consequent awareness that what is being watched is a film distances the audience emotionally and encourages intellectual engagement with the film. Though diverse in type and subject matter, the recent documentary films Afrikaaps (2010), Imam and I (2011), Porselynnkas (2011) and Sea Point Days (2008) have all been encoded using the self-reflexive mode of representation. Self-reflexive devices found in these films include inclusion of the director in the film, conspicuous cinematography and editing devices, and structuring strategies.