Characteristics of a documentary film

This approach was proposed by hugo munsterberg, rudolf arnheim, sergei eisenstein, and bela balazs. Motion picture motion picture qualities of the film image. The story formula for this type of movie usually involve the origin of the protagonists powers andor high stakes struggle to defeat a villainous attempt to destroy a city, country, or universe. There is a myth that a good documentary film serves as proof or the ultimate explanation of something. Even though the scenes are carefully chosen and arranged, usually through editing after filming, they are not scripted and the people in the movie are not typically actors. Make sure you know these basic terms for analyzing how films achieve their effects. Behind the scenes footage film of the documentary itself. Documentary film making and also the reception of documentary films is all about ethics, politics and an aesthetic approach, and as such it is a highly subjective or personal matter, it is now argued. There are 5 central elements of the documentary accordingto john carner from the university of liverpool. Interviews in documentary films, they usually consist of the interviewee visible onscreen answering questions delivered by an offscreen interviewer, who may also be the narrator of the documentary.

Documentaries have been made in one form or another in nearly every country and have contributed significantly to the development of realism in films. Worse than war documents daniel goldhagens travels, teachings, and interviews in nine countries around the world, bringing viewers on an unprecedented journey of insight and analysis. There are still photographic precursors and analogies, to be sure. The founding purpose of the persuasive documentary was to address social injustice. Good documentary film narration has a clear, logical structure that helps the viewer better understand the subject of the documentary. Find out how some of the other great documentary minds answer this question by checking out capturing reality. They can be made both for broadcast on television and for showing in movie theaters. A documentary film is a movie that attempts to document reality. Study 15 terms film chapter 3 quiz flashcards quizlet. The documentary genre of film is a woven part of cinematic history. Characteristics of documentary research, field research, and experimental research experimental research documentary research it occurs by manipulating one experimental variable unproven, under strictly controlled conditions, in order. A character who narrates events in the film through voiceover. Characteristics the best documentaries share by adam krell maybe your nonprofit organization wants to encourage more volunteers and donations. Third in a trilogy that includes manufactured landscapes 2006 and watermark 20.

Medium contrast film is often referred to as latitude film. As a movement, modernism largely rejected realism, sentimentalism and other forms of expression that were popular in the late 19th century and put a greater emphasis on subjectivity. The mondo is an intesting type of exploitation film that can be a hybrid of the serious types the original mondo cane or be totally fake faces of death. Documentary episode, faux documentary, fauxto guide, and mockumentary. Most of the characteristics we associate with the word documentary and see evident in the films to which it is applied were present by the midthirties. Narrative fiction we know as the featurelength entertainment films we see in theaters on a friday night or on our tv screens. Difference between documentary and feature film documentary. The mondo is an intesting type of exploitation film that can be a hybrid of the serious types the original mondo cane or be totally fake faces of death compare and. In short, a documentary is a nonfiction video or film that informs viewers about a reallife topic, person, event, or issue. Good documentaries often give a voice to the voiceless. Feature films are mostly fiction, sometimes total fantasy. Websters dictionary defines documentary as consisting of documents. In this article, we will discuss the six styles or modes nichols wrote able.

Fusion of two or more film types documentary, experimental, narrative your textbook talks about this more example. Documentary aims to educate, inform, instruct and inspire the audience. A film is not a mere representation, but a willed presentation of something made by someone in a specific way and for someone. Close readings of documentary film and video, edited by barry keith grant and jeannette sloniowski, 4054. The primary unit of expression in film is the image, or the single shot.

Documentary makers certainly want to engage and captivate their audience, and some feature films can be very informative, but a key difference between the documentary and feature film is in the filmmakers motivation. A feature film is a film with a runtime of 40 minutes or longer, according to the academy of motion picture arts an. Film tells the truth even though the people in documentaries do not always do so. Apr 26, 2020 a documentary film is a movie that attempts to document reality. From the large experience of nations to those of small towns and tribes, here are 12 such films that shed light on cultures from around the world. Many people assume that since documentary films are supposed to be real life they dont have scripts. The particular system by which a fictional story is structured. The attribution of magical properties to images has a long history. Jun 30, 2016 difference between documentary and feature film definition. Some basic terms make sure you know these basic terms for analyzing how films achieve their effects. We can define a short film as a film or a film effort in which the duration never exceeds 30 minutes, and which can have a minimum duration of 5 minutes. What is the difference between a feature film and a.

Short film what is, definition, characteristics, types. Documentary, then, as an artistic form, is a technique and style that originated in motion pictures. The first figure below compares the contrast characteristics of two general types of radiographic film. In short, a documentary is a nonfiction video or film that informs viewers about a. Types of short films there are different types of short films and we can differentiate between short films for adults, for children, old, modern, animated, independent, university films, subtitles and mute films. The art of documentary, which is a collection of interview clips on the genre with some of todays most wellknown filmmakers. Before you attempt to create your documentary, whether you are still in film production school in baltimore or newly graduated, you must first understand what a documentary is. For many years, as films became more narrativebased, documentaries branched out and took many forms since their early beginnings some of which have been termed propagandistic or nonobjective. Link those elements together that seem most logical.

The man with the movie camera, a cinematic analysis. Maybe your historical society has uncovered something incredible that begs to be shared. Documentary has been described as a filmmaking practice, a cinematic tradition, and mode of audience reception that is continually evolving and is without clear. Works of fiction or comedy sometimes use a style that imitates or parodies the documentary, they can be found at. Participatory has common characteristics of both observational and expository.

An overview of some of the main critical works on documentary makes us realize to what extent the notion of collectivity is pervasive in discourse on documentary film. But trying to make a correspondence with actual facts and objective and neutral reproduction the core characteristics. When analyzing films for school work or projects, you may be asked to use some or all of the characteristics above. The film explores whether juveniles should receive sentences that, in effect, end. Thus, the filmmaker directly impacts the crucial roles of the narratives. Whether or not a film is a feature film depends on its runtime. A documentary film is a nonfictional, motion picture intended to document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education, or maintaining a historical record. Third in a trilogy that includes manufactured landscapes 2006 and watermark 20, the film follows the. Documentary film can encompass anything from robert flahertys pioneering ethnography nanook of the north to michael moores antiiraq war polemic fahrenheit 911, from dziga vertovs artful soviet propaganda piece man with a movie camera to luc jacquets hearttugging wildlife epic march of the penguins. Whether or not a film is a documentary film depends on its content. If shots of the film maker are needed on location, give the camera to a civilian for a few minutes.

Perhaps your business wants consumers to know the history of your company. Shot in 25 countries over six continents, baraka has become one of the most successful and acclaimed documentaries to explore human life around. Documentary has been described as a filmmaking practice, a cinematic tradition, and mode of audience reception that is continually evolving and is without clear boundaries. Since film itself came to maturity during the modernist period between world war i and world war ii, all film has a modernist element in terms of time period. Even if audience members are left pondering at the end of the film credits, that can be an excellent outcome. In this concise, crisply written guide, patricia aufderheide.

Also known by the name of short, is a very important part for all those who want to start their lives as new filmmakers, as it is very important because it allows them to put into practice. Motion picture qualities of the film image britannica. With marci shimoff, ed diener, richard davidson, mihaly csikszentmihalyi. We will, however, begin with some common characteristics of documentary film in order. Documentary films are nonfiction motion pictures that describe some reallife issue or subject. The film makers voice can be heard at the back of the camera, prompting the subjects with various questions. Documentaries can provide an objective description of something or a polemic argument in favor of a particular viewpoint. The different styles and intents of different filmmakers make each film unique. But in reality, almost every type of film has some kind of script, either for planning purposes before shooting, for organization purposes during editing, or to communicate with team members about what the film ought to show.

When kids get life profiles the cases of five juveniles sentenced in colorado to life in prison without the possibility of parole. A concept describing the sequential organization of events presented in almost any kind of movie. However, lets first define what a documentary actually is before we get into the types of documentaries. Documentary film, motion picture that shapes and interprets factual material for purposes of education or entertainment. Nov 14, 2015 lets try to create a list of 14 characteristics starting with features common to all most film noirs. Formalist film theory is an approach to film theory that is focused on the formal, or technical, elements of a film. Formalist film theory is a theory of film study that is focused on the formal, or technical, elements of a film. Documentary is one of three basic creative modes in film, the other two being narrative fiction and experimental avantgarde. Lets try to create a list of 14 characteristics starting with features common to all most film noirs. We explore the different types and share characteristics and examples of each.

Experimental and documentary films could each take up their own crash course series. But trying to make a correspondence with actual facts and objective and neutral reproduction the core characteristics of documentary. Feature film is a film that tells a fictional story, event or narrative. It is for this reason that today a short film can be a documentary or fiction, but always standing out for its short duration. The phrase representation of reality is utterly mistaken as a definition of documentary, because the idea of film as mirroring is a false one and a very misleading ideal. Sometimes, a documentary film may rely on voiceover narration to describe what is happening in the footage. Whats the difference between documentary and feature film. Putting the audience in a role of eyewitness where the camera appears to be unseen. In 2010s introduction to documentary, film educator and documentary consultant bill nichols distilled the types of documentaries down to six styles. According to kahana, documentary has always leveled distinctions, challenging traditional.

Aug 03, 2017 experimental and documentary films could each take up their own crash course series. Happy takes us on a journey from the swamps of louisiana to the slums of kolkata in search of what really makes people happy. When selecting a film for a particular medical imaging application, contrast characteristics should be considered. This association is well documented among many primitive peoples, and it is even reflected in the term magic lantern as a synonym for the film projector. A good documentary raises more questions than answers. A documentary film director may adopt the socalled observational mode of filming or try to be like a fly on the wall but this is a process demanding a lot of choices both in the recording and in the editing phase. Try to think of the film as a whole and how the elements mentioned above work together to bring out the main message of the film. Michael moores rules for making documentary films. Documentary films strictly speaking, are nonfictional, slice of life factual works of art and sometimes known as cinema verite. The high contrast film can produce higher contrast. Documentary is an accurate representation of real events, people and situations. The film explores whether juveniles should receive sentences that, in effect, end any possibility of life outside of prison. A cinematic meditation on humanitys massive reengineering of the planet, anthropocene.