1 / 9

DOCUMENTARY

DOCUMENTARY. An attempt to “document” reality. Presents a version of events that viewers are intended to accept, not as part of someone’s imagination, but primarily as fact. Film what happened Re-create what happened and film it Film how to make something happen (how-to).

xena
Download Presentation

DOCUMENTARY

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. DOCUMENTARY An attempt to “document” reality

  2. Presents a version of events that viewers are intended to accept, not as part of someone’s imagination, but primarily as fact • Film what happened • Re-create what happened and film it • Film how to make something happen (how-to) • Communicate insights, achieve beauty or offer understanding • Improve social, political or economic conditions

  3. Non-narrative documentaries • Tells no narrative or story • Include scientific films, TV documentaries on social conditions, industrial films, training films, promotional films and many TV advertisements • Often non-narrative documentary makes an argument by editing; it may cut from one shot to the next to criticize • Example: Hearts and Minds (1974) • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huFh760p-MA

  4. Narrative documentaries • Series of factual events that may not be chronological; may use editing to criticize or praise the person or idea. • Hoop Dreams (1994) • The Thin Blue Line (1988)

  5. The Thin Blue Line (1988) Directed by Errol Morris, about the 1976 murder of Dallas policeman Robert Wood David Harris was originally arrested for the murder, but he swore that hitchhiker Randall Adams was the killer Adams was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to death; Harris was released Harris later admitted to the murder and Adams was exonerated as a result of the film

  6. The Thin Blue Line (1988) One of the first documentaries that plays with conventional documentary structure Interviews w/Adams and Harris, interspersed with re-creations of the shooting using actors, and use of an original dramatic score Use of original editing, without a typical shot of Harris, followed by a shot of Adams immediately afterwards

  7. Characteristics of Documentary • Mediated reality-selected, perhaps staged, and edited presentation of events, sometimes events are changed before filming (rebuilding the igloo in Nanook of the North-1922) • Use of real people, not actors • Usually filmed on location • Supportive info-usually presents supporting artifacts and uses informative language • Supporting artifacts-documents, photos, objects person carried or made, newsreels/clips, home movies, TV shows

  8. Characteristics of Documentary • Informative language-narration (titles, subtitles), interviews, signs, headstones or a combination of all; sometimes songs are used • Wide range of techniques • Use of long takes with handheld or zoom to film as naturally as possible • Some are polished with crisp film, editing, and sound technique

  9. Fictional documentary realism Oxymoron? When a filmmaker deliberately uses the codes of documentary filmmaking but applies them to a wholly fictitious event This is Spinal Tap (1984), dir.Rob Reiner “Rockumentary” with fake concert footage and fake interviews with actors; actors playing members of the “band” Spinal Tap Lacks a non-cinematic referent

More Related