The label "documentary" can be applied to a diverse mix of ideas and expressions with often contradictory modes of address, tone, and subject matter. It is for this reason that documentary is a cinematographic practice that is difficult to define; there is no limit to the range of styles, techniques and forms that documentary film can encompass. John Grierson, the man who coined the term “documentary,” offered a definition that, although partly insufficient, critics consider the “starting point” for defining this flexible type of film (Izod and Kilborn, 1998 p. 427). He argues that documentaries are a product that presents reality in an aesthetically pleasing way in an attempt to have a specific impact on the consumer, whether to persuade, be informative or enlightening (Hardy 1979 p.35-46; Izod and Kilborn, 1998 pages 426-427). Discussion of the different modes and characteristics of documentary has shed light on the genre, however most of the distinctions that have been made are not fixed and can be manipulated and shaped to present a truly unique product. Jonathan Caouette's Tarnation is one such film in that it uses and subverts fundamental documentary modes to produce a subculture of documentary, the autoethnographic documentary. A true lack of subjective input is impossible to achieve. According to Izod and Kilborn, the viewing of a documentary “is determined… by the preconceptions of the filmmakers, the perspective from which the events are witnessed and the structuring principles according to which the material is edited” (1998 p. 428). Since Caouette is creating a documentary centered on his life, it is natural that his preconceptions “color” the creation of the film. In an interview with Laurence Hegar...... middle of paper ......from different modalities and subdivisions such as autoethnography. Caouette uses both the observational and interactive modes of Nichols' documentary to fluctuate between objectivity and subjectivity. While he attempts objectivity at the beginning of the film, Caouette's subjectivity becomes clear through the use of the interactive mode and in particular his involvement in the shooting of the film, the pressure placed on the subjects to be performed and his poetic and careful editing to to convey a particular message. This is in accordance with Izod and Kilborn's premise that true subjectivity is impossible. The purpose of the film lends itself to autoethnography, as Caouette aims to discover her own identity in the context of her mother. In this way, the film is a pastiche not only of film media, but also of cinematic modes, techniques, and genres...