Louis Theroux works in the participatory mode of documentary. He is famous because of his involvement within his films, he uses a style of interviewing, unique to his persona which appears to make subjects reveal all. He is said to charm his subjects, making him able to offer a rounded portrait to these people and these psychologically gripping issues that he pursues to document. In 1995 the BBC signed Louis on a development deal. He came up with an idea for a documentary series that would follow him as he immersed himself in off-beat lifestyle, called weird weekends. Weird Weekends is what created the buzz about Louis in the documentary world. In this series Louis followed American sub cultures from black nationalists to white supremacists and porn stars. Living alongside the people he was visiting, he managed to capture these cultures in a way that exposed the contradictions of some seriously held beliefs.
Louis Theroux spent time with Jimmy, getting to know him, following him to a series of meetings, lunches etc. In this time he managed to get Jimmy Saville to reveal a number of weird things and stories that he had never told publicly before. For example his confession on “inventing zero tolerance” at his nightclub where he used to “tie people up” at “fucking two o’clock in the morning” being the most memorable.
Theroux is known for being able to draw secrets out of people. Another famous confession Louis managed to acquire was from Joseph Jackson, Michael Jackson's father who confessed to whipping Michael Jackson when he was younger in Theroux’s show on the BBC, ‘Louis, Martin and Michael’
The next documentary is Declan Mckenna's documentary with BBC Radio 1. The mode of documentary as seen in the documentary is the reflexive mode, it show how Declan interacts with his fan base and the people around him in his daily life. In the documentary Declan discusses his music and how he has interacted with his audience. This shows the film maker interacting with people which is also part of the reflexive mode. This is important as it shows the creator cares about the demographic that they are aiming their product to. The documentary shows a live performance by Declan which may also attract a newer audience to his music so he can gain a bigger following. This is important as it shows how social media can be used as a platform to gain publicity.
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