Background
The term “documentary” was originally used in a 1926 review of Robert Flaherty’s Moana, a film about residents ofSamoa. Prior to that, terms like “actualities” had been used for informational films. Because editing capabilities were limited, the films tended to be short and without any elements of narrative storytelling or creative cinematography (e.g., straightforward footage of a train leaving a station). Flaherty is credited with changing the documentary landscape in 1922 with the film Nanook of the North, an ethnographic look at Arctic-dwelling Inuit Eskimos. The film instigated some of the most important debates about the practice of documentary filmmaking. Flaherty was accused of staging some of his scenes, and in response, said, “One often has to distort a thing to catch its true spirit.”
Another debate was raised in the 1930s with Leni Riefestahl’s Triumph of the Will (1934), a record of a Nazi Party Congress, and Olympia (1938), which documented the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Both were considered cinematographic masterpieces, but many also believed that they were more propaganda than documentary. As the use of film spread, the types of documentaries diversified. Since the 1930s,
documentaries have included:
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Educational films (made primarily for classroom use)
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Newsreel depictions of events
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Nature films
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Biographies
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Autobiographies
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Films designed to raise social awarenes issues
One of the distinguishing characteristics of many documentary films is that they are not only informational but also artistic. Film Historian Tim Dirks describes them as “factual works of art.”
For the purposes of awarding the Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a documentary film as a: nonfiction motion picture dealing creatively with cultural, artistic, historical, social, scientific, economic, or other subjects. It may be photographed in actual occurrence, or may employ partial reenactment, stock footage, stills, animation, stop-motion, or other techniques, as long as the emphasis is on fact and not on fiction.
Activity #1: Documentary Survey
Download, print and complete the DOCUMENTARY SURVEY
Activity #2: Types of Documentaries
This PowerPoint Slideshow deals with types of documentaries and voices. Download the slideshow and answer the following questions as you watch the presentation.
Questions:
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Form is important in a documentary. What are the basic forms of images, information and organization of documentaries?
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What are the tendancies of a documentary?
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Diefine the 6 styles or forms of documentaries and research the internet for examples of those types of documentaries.C
Complete the above in your Process Journal