Poetic documentaries use sound and picture to not re-create reality but to crete an interpretation of it. They are generally subjective and the emphasis is on mood, tone, emotion and texture. They often make heavy use of music and sound and are lyrically show with a strong sense of the visual often borrowing heavily from cinematic techniques. The aim is to create often a preferred reading for the viewer but to make them join the dots themselves and forge the links and realtionships between the images and audio.
The clip below "LIGHTS" is a good example of a poetic documentary that explores these techniques.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM5lMxvIAtc
