Defining the Documentary

Documentaries are movies about real life-but not real life themselves. They are thought out and constructed by their producers. There is no way to make a film without manipulating some of the information-otherwise it would not be a film. I never thought about this before and always assumed true documentaries were supposed to be films that depicted real life and werent changed at all by the director. I felt a documentary that is described in the way this essay describes one would be a warped portrayal of real life, depending on the film makers intentions.

I liked the qoute by Micheal Rabiger "There are no rules in this young art form, only decisons about where to draw the line and how to remain consistent to the contract you will set up with your audience". -I think this summarized well, what characteristics a documentary is supposed to have.

It is true that naming matters and also that names come with expectations. The names 'Reality TV' and 'Documentary ' give out completely different vibes. I would say for many viewers different levels of respect and credibility go with these names as well.

Documentary''s must also have some aspect of entertainment in order for people to want to watch it. It is true that our understanding of what a documentary is, shifts over time with business and marketing pressures and technology innovations. This makes sense because these things affect regualr movies as well, and all forms of entertainment in our culture today.

It is always fun to think about how different shots can be framed differently and carrya different meaning depending on the frame. This is so true! I also think a very different meaning can be portrayed based upon the music, or the voice speaking in the documnetary.

I always think about how a camera man must make a documentary film making even less natural for primitive people or animals being filmed. How can they act naturally if they know they are being filmed?

I think most documentary filmers must feel passionately about their subjects and want the world to see more about the truth of them. You can really see the passion in how well films are made. I look foward to exploring documentary film making more in this section.