Abstract
The term longitudinal documentary has become commonplace in film studies where it is used to describe any series of documentaries made over a long period of time, however, the origins of the word 'longitudinal' have rarely been explored; such is the intention of this article. In order to do so we connect the social science research methodology of longitudinal studies and longitudinal documentaries. Incorporating concepts such as 'life course perspective' and 'whole person' borrowed from longitudinal studies we create the notion of the infra-ordinary person. The ordinary is no longer the 'extra' ordinary: outside of the common order; more that it has become 'infra' ordinary. The infra-ordinary is our attempt to express the deepening, accumulative, expansive effects in longitudinal documentary as we (as viewers) understand the intricate shifts and continuities that coalesce to make up ordinary lives.