Documentary film

Documentary films as a new art form present another version of reality that audiences may or may not have the opportunity to experience through their own life experience. Because of audiences’ unfamiliarity of those subjects presented in a documentary film, it is hard for them to discern the truthfulness of those presentation in the film, which makes it possible for directors to distort the reality, especially when the film is produced not for the educational purpose. In this paper I would like to explore how the narrative of a documentary film that focuses on political issues will influence the truthful reproduction of its subject. The two films will be used in this exploration are Pare Lorentz's The River and Jean-Luc Godard's British Sounds, which both contain…

into consideration when making a documentary film. One common issue that arises with documentary filmmaking is ethical issues. When people go to see documentaries, they are usually looking to be informed on some kind of topic, but some filmmakers might not use the most ethical approach to achieve that goal. Documentaries can “stand for or represent the views of individuals, groups, and institutions” (Nichols, 45). This can lead to issues later, because if a filmmaker’s documentary shows a person…

A story of a woman in the documentary film called “Sicko” who lost her child because of health insurance companies really bothered me as a future mom. She, as a good mother called an ambulance to get help for her daughter. They took her to the hospital, but it turns out they took her into the “wrong” hospital because her health insurance refused to cover her treatment in another hospital. To me, it is inhuman to refuse medical help because of money. According to the “Sicko” in Canada, a patient…

deprivation, starvation and brutality as well as endurance and nobility, documentaries inform, prod our memories, even stir us into action. Such films do battles for our very soul.” This quote by Theodore Bikel, an Australian-American actor and activist, summarizes the importance of documentaries for the world. Documentaries have evolved over the years from simple historical narrative into stimulating informational films. In Stephen King’s essay, “Why We Crave Horror Movies,” he lists why people…

Reading 1: Genre The film “Bowling for Columbine”, a 2002 documentary by Michael Moore, is a brilliant example of the documentary mode: interactive participatory. Bowling for Columbine is an interactive participatory styled documentary written, produced and directed by the nationally acclaimed documentary writer Michael Moore who went on to direct Fahrenheit 9/11 aimed at the president George Bush and the war on terror. Michael Moore’s documentary style is described as neoliberal view of…

The simplistic definitions of what documentary and mockumentary are has caused audiences to become cynical to what truth there is in factual films. The film ‘Borat: Cultural learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan’ directed by Larry Charles also known simply as Borat combines both fact and fiction while using mockumentary styling. Documentary is described as a creative treatment of actuality. Mockumentary is known as a fictional narrative that takes the form of a…

How different is a nature documentary and Nazi propaganda, really? My suggestion is they 're not very different at all. Of course, our expectations of documentaries and propaganda vary: we expect documentaries to be truthful, reliable. Propaganda of groups such as the Nazis, meanwhile, is considered manipulative—a great evil in the world. However, both utilise techniques of persuasion to the point of altering reality—when the style of the documentary becomes as important as its content; when, as…

Basically, it is a type of film or television show in which fictional events are presented in documentary style to create a parody (Cryer, A B). You have probably heard of them as television shows. The Office and Parks and Recreation are just a few of the many popular examples. However, mockumentaries first started off as a film genre. The earliest successful film was This is Spinal Tap, released in 1984. At first, these films and TV shows released with shaky camera angles, candid-like scenes,…

Michael Moore is an American filmmaker who specializes in interactive/ audience participation documentaries. His films (including Fahrenheit 911 and Bowling for Columbine) revolve around America and controversial, topical issues. In his films we can see the Michael Moore has certain trademark styles that work for him by using manipulation of both the audience and his interviewees with tactics like his dress, interview style, sarcasm, dark humor and his ironic use of music. His tactics work for…

public in general even though it is a serious problem. A serious problem like this needs to be thrown out into the light for the public to know. The film documentary a Place at the Table does just this. The directors and other experts provide a vivid picture of the serious affects hunger has along with the reasons and unknown facts about hunger. The documentary goes over the problems that help stir up hunger from political policies, subsidizing of certain foods, and shows that our country…