Introduction to Documentaries

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What defines Documentary?

A broad category of film or television show that attempts to “document” some aspect of reality

Non-fiction (true), un-staged Presents “life as it is” or “a factual film that is

dramatic” Can use various methods such as observation,

interviews, narration and has an artistic element

Attempts to inform or get us to think about an issue in real life

History of the Documentary

Early film (pre-1900) captured single-shot moments and were called “actuality” films

ex. a train entering a station, a boat docking, or factory workers leaving work

The term "documentary" was not coined until 1926 Box office analysts have noted that this film genre Box office analysts have noted that this film genre

(documentary) has become increasingly successful in (documentary) has become increasingly successful in theatrical release with films such as theatrical release with films such as Bowling for Bowling for Columbine, Supersize Me, An Inconvenient Truth, Columbine, Supersize Me, An Inconvenient Truth, March of the Penguins, The Planet Earth, March of the Penguins, The Planet Earth, among the among the most prominent examples. most prominent examples.

Source: Wikipedia

Some Early Documentary-Type Films

Edwin S. Porter directed the first American documentary or realistic narrative film: The Life of an American Fireman (1903)

Another one of the firsts was The Great Train Robbery (1903)

Nanook of the North (1921) is generally considered to be the first anthropological documentary film ever made

Documentaries Today: Michael Moore

Documentaries attempt to be unbiasedStill, documentary film-makers edit and present information to address the issue through a variety of techniques

Michael Moore is an American filmmaker, author and liberal political commentator He is the director and producer of Bowling for Columbine, Farenheit 9/11, Sicko, and Capitalism: A Love Story, four of the top ten highest-grossing documentaries of all time (source: Wikipedia)

Purposes of Documentary:

Portray real life Focus on an issue or truth Attempt to:

bring about awareness of an issue inform or teach record, reveal or preserve analyze, interrogate persuade, promote engage!

Types of Documentary –Reflexive

Purpose: To explore and experiment with the form of documentary (the aesthetic aspects)

Experimental, “artsy” form Draws attention to the art of documenting Uses an artistic form to represent an idea Example: Ryan (focuses on animation techniques to

depict an artist’s life), How I Met the Walrus (illustrates the words of an interview with John Lennon)

Type - Expository

Investigative (fact-finding, journalistic)

Essay style (collects evidence, then proposes an argument)

Usually authoritative narration explains content (this is called voiceover)

Can be descriptive, informative, persuasive, didactic

Visuals complement the information being spoken, but they are not the central focus: what is being said is important

Examples: An Inconvenient Truth, Are We Safer?, Football High

Purpose: To propose an argument or deliver an interpretation

Type - Observational

Purpose: To observe aspects of life with minimal interference or manipulation

Filmmaker is like a “fly on the wall”

The cameras and film crew seem not to be disturbing the scene or even be noticed by the participants

Camera follows action that is beyond the control of the filmmaker

The story unfolds in chronological order

The filmmaker’s point of view is hidden in the narrative structure

Techniques: subjects speak to one another

Example: Babies, The Cove, Armadillo

Type – Interactive/Participatory

Purpose: To interact with the subject directly in order to study it

Film-maker’s presence is obvious Includes interviews, editing, questions to the

audience Manipulates and (mis) interprets events Examples: Bowling for Columbine, The Dark

Side of Chocolate

Type - Performative

Purpose: To explore or produce subjective emotional responses to the world

Similar to interactive, but less objective (filmmaker constructs subjective truths)

The filmmaker, who is the subject of the film, undergoes some sort of physical process solely for the purposes of making the film (source: HotDocs Library)

Topic is usually something personal to the film-maker

Subject speaks directly to the camera or in voice-over

Examples: No Impact Man, Beyond the Horizon, SuperSize Me

Features of Documentary:

Thesis The film-maker’s message for the viewer to take

away from the film The film-maker may want you to agree with his/her

position “Talking Heads”

People interviewed on a particular subject Meant to either agree or disagree with the thesis

Features of a Documentary, cont'd.

Bias We trust the film-maker to be objective (unbiased) and

seek the absolute truth As viewers, we need to ask the question: Are film-

makers fair to each side of the argument? Atmosphere

Mood or tone of each scene or interview or overall film What kinds of techniques are used to create

atmosphere?

Documentary Filmmaking Techniques (source: Wikipedia)

Voice-over: a commentary by the filmmaker, spoken while the camera is filming or added to the soundtrack; the filmmaker can speak directly to the viewer

Interview: Common technique People being filmed speak directly about the issue,

events, etc. Interviewees are called “talking heads” and they

may represent various sides of the issue

Documentary Filmmaking Techniques (cont’d)

Masked Interview: an interview in which the filmmaker is both unseen and unheard

Archival Footage: material obtained from a film library or archive and inserted into a documentary to show historical events

Reconstructions: artificial scenes portraying an event (have been reconstructed and acted out based on information about the event)

Documentary Filmmaking Techniques, Cont’d.

Montage: conveys ideas by putting them in a specific order in the film; contains a sequence of shots that often link action with words (as manipulated by the filmmaker)

Juxtaposition: both sides of the issue are presented immediately following the other (ex. two interviews side by side)

Methods of Development

Narration: telling stories or anecdotes to illustrate a point or show the seriousness of an issue

Description: characteristics or features of the unfamiliar are described

Examples: illustrations of a concept, event, idea are given

Classification: ideas are grouped in categories to show or explain a bigger idea

Methods of Development (cont’d)

Comparison/Contrast: ideas are arranged to show the similarities and differences between things

Process: outlines the steps that are taken to explore the issue

Cause/Effect: Ideas are arranged to link a result with a series of events, showing a logical relationship (ex. Describe the cause first and then explain the effects)