Introduction to Documentary

1. Introduction to Documentary

2. Documentary – a definition…

3. Documentary – a definition… • An approach to the ‘real’ as opposed to the fiction. • Deals with issues of fact, of real events and of actuality. • ‘Documentary’ is often set up in conflict with ‘fiction’ – creating a binary opposition • The fictional = lies….entertainment films • The factual = truth…documentaries & ‘realist’ films • “The creative treatment of actuality.” – John Grierson

4. What makes a film realistic? • Blair Witch Project

5. Realism • In terms of representing the ‘truth’, documentaries are generally accorded the highest status. • To ‘document’ a subject implies keeping a factual record for future reference. • However, even the most realistic documentaries have to be constructed. • Bruzzi (2000) “We need to accept that a documentary can never be the real world…documentaries are performative acts whose truth comes into being only at the moment of filming.”

6. Nanook of the North A 1922 silent documentary film by Robert Flaherty One of the world's first examples of a ‘cinema verite' documentary Explores the struggles of the Inuk Nanook and his family in the Canadian arctic. The film is considered the first feature-length documentary Flaherty has been criticized for staging several sequences and thereby distorting the reality of his subjects' lives “A film maker must often distort a thing to catch its true spirit.”

7. John Grierson • 1898 – 1972 • Scottish documentary maker • Founder of British documentary film making. • Influential friendship with Robert Flaherty (who he referred to as the ‘father of documentary’) • Argued that documentaries should combine information with education and propaganda. • He oversaw the production of over 40 documentaries on aspects of British life in the 1930s and 1940s. • The idea was to engineer social reform by highlighting some of the deprivation endured by working class people (‘Coalface’ 1935) • Focus on ordinary lives (‘Night Mail’ 1936)

8. Night Mail 1936 documentary about a mail train from Scotland to London The most commercially successful film of the British documentary movement Made with a budget of £2000 A promotional film for the post office (produced by the GPO film unit) A poem by English poet W. H. Auden was written for it, used in the closing few minutes

9. Cinema Verite • 1950s – more detailed and naturalistic approach to documentary film making developed • Cinema verite (cinema truth) style developed in France. • The intention was to observe and record the reality of everyday life as it happened without the usual organisational planning & structured direction. • The approach was made possible by new lightweight mobile cameras.

10. 1960s • The television had become the principal medium for documentary production. • The genre was typified by the use of an authoritative presenter and/or voiceover, • Recorded interviews with experts and ordinary people • Visual ‘evidence’ via location shots, archive film, photographs etc. • Seamless editing and smooth narrative flow of such documentaries (still prevalent today), contribute to creating a sense of irrefutable truth and authenticity. • This disguises the editorial values and choices which shape the making of all documentaries.

11. 2000 • This is an era where it has been argued that the documentary is outmoded. • “We are in post documentary times.” (Corner 2002) • However, the success of ‘nature’ or ‘wildlife’ documentaries continues to grow. • Popularity of BBC series such as ‘The Blue Planet’ (2001) • Recent successes for cinematic documentaries – ‘Touching the Void’ (2003)

12. Touching the Void 2003 documentary film about 2 climbers almost fatal attempt to climb a mountain in the Andes Hugely successful at the box office “The most successful documentary film in history” – The Guardian

13. Michael Moore American film maker, activist, author His presence and performance are key components of his popularity Makes openly rhetorical documentaries – Farenheit 9/11 has made more money than any other documentary to date films which are upfront about wanting to persuade the audience of a particular viewpoint

14. Supersize Me 2004 American documentary written by & starring Morgan Spurlock Spurlock's film follows a 30-day period from February 1 to March 2, 2003 during which he eats only McDonald's food. explores the fast food industry's corporate influence Nominated for an academy award

15. Documentaries on TV

16. Homework • Find a definition and example the different types of documentary. • Expository • Observational • Interactive • Reflexive • Wednesday 2nd Feb

17. Fly on the wall • During the past 20 years, the cinema verite style of documentary film making has become increasingly popular in TV. • Known as ‘fly on the wall’, this approach represents the subject apparently unmediated by a film crew, a presenter or reshooting. • Those participating tend to speak for themselves. • Their words and actions are apparently merely recorded and observed, not reflected on or mediated by a presenter.

18. Fly on the Wall In helping to define the distinctive fly on the wall approach, Roger Graeflisted certain rules to be applied in the production: • Filming events exactly as they happened • Agreeing in advance the specific subjects to be filmed • Showing the edited version to the participants, but only to ensure any factual errors may be corrected.

19. Critics of fly on the wall have argued… • While seeming more natural’ and unmediated, these documentaries are subject to considerable editorial control during post production. • Shooting ration - up to fifty hours of recorded video to one hour broadcast • Editors will try to generate as much dramatic interest and entertainment as possible.

20. Convergence • There is a growing overlap and convergence of documentary and drama on TV. • As early as 1966 – Ken Loach applied cinema verite style filming to a drama about homelessness. • Cathy Come Home • The documentary feel of the film created a stronger sense of realism and contributed to its strong impact on audiences.

21. Reality Television • A hybrid of the documentary genre. • Emphasis that they feature ‘real life’ and ‘real people’. • A growing phenomenon which seemingly allow people to appear as themselves. • They utilise actual (or sometimes reconstructed) scenes, often made possible by the growth in availability/technical sophistication of the camcorder.

22. Reality Television • Covers a wide variety of programmes featuring people in different roles…

23. Criticism • Seen by many as a corruption of the documentary genre. • Many argue that reality TV fails to be genuinely informative or revelatory. • Video footage of ordinary people’s personal experiences may be exploitative in pandering solely to audience voyeurism. • Achieves high ratings at relatively low expense. • Cheap programming which drives serious, expensively well researched programmes off our TVs.