Introduction to
Documentaries
ENG 4CI
What defines Documentary?
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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
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Early film (pre-1900) captured single-shot moments
and were called “actuality” films
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ex. a train entering a station, a boat docking, or
factory workers leaving work
The term "documentary" was not coined until 1926
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Box office analysts have noted that this film genre (documentary) has
become increasingly successful in theatrical release with films such as
Bowling for Columbine, Supersize Me, An Inconvenient Truth, March of the
Penguins, The Planet Earth, among the most prominent examples.
Source: Wikipedia
Some Early Documentary-Type Films
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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 unbiased
Still, 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:
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Portray real life
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Focus on an issue or truth
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Attempt to:
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bring about awareness of an issue
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inform or teach
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record, reveal or preserve
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analyze, interrogate
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persuade, promote
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engage!
Types of Documentary –Reflexive
Purpose: To explore and experiment with the
form of documentary (the aesthetic aspects)
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Experimental, “artsy” form
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Draws attention to the art of documenting
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Uses an artistic form to represent an idea
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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
Purpose: To propose an argument or deliver an
interpretation
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Investigative (fact-finding, journalistic)
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Essay style (collects evidence, then proposes an argument)
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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
Type - Observational
Purpose: To observe aspects of life with minimal
interference or manipulation
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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
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Camera follows action that is beyond the control of the filmmaker
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The story unfolds in chronological order
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The filmmaker’s point of view is hidden in the narrative structure
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Techniques: subjects speak to one another
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Example: Babies, The Cove, Armadillo
Type – Interactive/Participatory
Purpose: To interact with the subject directly in
order to study it
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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
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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)
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Topic is usually something personal to the film-maker
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Subject speaks directly to the camera or in voice-over
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Examples: No Impact Man, Beyond the Horizon,
SuperSize Me
Features of Documentary:
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Thesis
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The film-maker’s message for the viewer to take
away from the film
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The film-maker may want you to agree with his/her
position
“Talking Heads”
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People interviewed on a particular subject
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Meant to either agree or disagree with the thesis
Features of a Documentary, cont'd.
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Bias
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We trust the film-maker to be objective (unbiased)
and seek the absolute truth
As viewers, we need to ask the question: Are filmmakers fair to each side of the argument?
Atmosphere
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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)
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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
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Interview:
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Common technique
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People being filmed speak directly about the
issue, events, etc.
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Interviewees are called “talking heads” and
they may represent various sides of the issue
Documentary Filmmaking Techniques
(cont’d)
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Masked Interview: an interview in which the
filmmaker is both unseen and unheard
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Archival Footage: material obtained from a film
library or archive and inserted into a documentary to
show historical events
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Reconstructions: artificial scenes portraying an
event (have been reconstructed and acted out based on
information about the event)
Documentary Filmmaking Techniques,
Cont’d.
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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)
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Juxtaposition: both sides of the issue are
presented immediately following the other (ex.
two interviews side by side)
Methods of Development
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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)
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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)