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Genre, Sub-Genres, & Modes of Documentaries
Genre, Sub-Genres, & Modes of Documentaries
Essential Questions
What is the early history of the documentary? What is genre? What are the sub-genres within documentary film? Why is it sometimes difficult to place a film in a genre or subgenre? What are the modes of the documentary?
http://www.institut-lumiere.org
http://www.institut-lumiere.org
La Sortie des usines Lumire Lyon (1895) Workers Leaving the Lumire Factory
Nanook of the North (1922) Directed by Robert J. Flaherty, this film chronicles one year in the life of an Inuit and his family.
By Robert J. Flaherty [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Term Documentary
In his 1926 review of Robert J. Flahertys Moana, John Grierson, (under the pseudonym The Moviegoer) refers to the the film having documentary value and has been credited with coining the term.
Term Documentary
In his 1926 review of Robert J. Flahertys Moana, John Grierson, (under the pseudonym The Moviegoer) refers to the the film having documentary value and has been credited with coining the term.
Genre
Originating from French, genre simply means kind or type. In regards to film it refers to how the film is categorized, i.e. drama, comedy, documentary, etc.
Subgenres
The genre of documentary can be further broken into subgenres.
The Non-Documentary
Mockumentary is a movie that mimics documentary style for comedic or satirical purposes. Examples include: Zelig (1983) This is Spinal Tap (1984) Forgotten Silver (1995) Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)