TCF112/Documentary Form

From Screenpedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.

Documentary Definition

  • Stuart Kaminsky
    • "Film which through certain conventions creates the illusion that the events depicted were not controlled by the filmmakers."

Types of Documentary

  • Primitive Doc.
  • Travel/Adventure Doc.
    • "Exotic" location/people/cultures
    • Filmmaker imposes his/her culture on exotic cultures
      • E.g., Nanook of the North (Robert Flaherty, 1922)
        • Inuit culture, 1922
        • B&W, shot silent, no handheld camera, daytime shooting only, intertitles used to explain/comment on
      • E.g., Congorilla (Martin & Osa Johnson, 1932)
  • Didactic/Teaching Doc. (some call "propaganda")
    • 1930s, England
      • John Grierson, coined term, "documentary"
      • Teach about social issues
    • New Deal doc.
      • F.D. Roosevelt's recovery program
      • E.g., The Plow That Broke the Plains
    • Nazi doc.
      • E.g., Triumph of the Will
      • Nazi rally, in Nuremburg, 1934; Leni Riefenstahl
    • "Why We Fight" Series
      • Narration
      • Graphics--animation (Disney)
      • Previously shot footage
      • Shot very little new footage
        • Triumph
      • Staged scenes
      • B&W
      • Shot silent
  • Camera as Observer
    • Free Cinema (1960s, England)
      • No narration
      • Handheld camera
      • No apparent staging
      • Still mostly B&W
    • Direct Cinema (1960s-70s, US)
      • E.g., D. A. Pennebaker
      • E.g., Don't Look Back, 1967
    • Cinéma Vérité (1960s, France)
  • Television doc.
    • Color video
    • Handheld camera
    • Digital graphics
    • Not limited to daytime shooting
      • E.g., Taxi Cab Confession