Documentary Film Attributes

Non Fiction
Documents Reality
Non actors
Historical
Real Location
Non Scripted
Investigative
Historical
Archival
Participatory
 Origins

John Grierson, a key figure in the British

documentary school, was the first to use the
term documentary to review a film ‘Moana’
by Robert Flaherty in 1926, which he
described as having “documentary value.”

Many examples of the earliest film footage

recorded by the Lumiere Brothers like
‘Workers leaving the Factory’, ‘Train
entering the station’ is also now seen as a
the earliest documentary footage recorded.
 The Definition
• In 1948, the World Union of Documentary established the
following definition of a documentary:

• “Documentaries are all methods of recording on

celluloid any aspect of reality interpreted either by
sincere and justifiable reconstruction, so as to appeal
either to reason or emotion, for the purpose of
stimulating the desire for, and the widening of human
knowledge and understanding, and of truthfully posing
problems and their solutions in the spheres of
economics, culture, and human relations.”
 Functions of Documentary
• FOUR FUNCTIONS(MICHAEL RENOV)
• TO RECORD OR REVEAL
• TO PERSUADE OR PROMOTE
• TO ANALYZE OR INTERROGATE
• TO EXPRESS
 Types of Documentaries
• Poetic
• Expository
• Participative
• Observational
• Reflexive
• Performative
 Poetic Documentary
First seen in the 1920s, Poetic
Documentaries are very much what they
sound like. They focus on experiences,
images and showing the audience the world
through a different set of eyes. Abstract and
loose with narrative, the poetic sub-genre
can be very unconventional and
experimental in form and content. The
ultimate goal is to create a feeling rather
than a truth.
E.g- The Bridge (1928), Man of Aran (1934), Song of Ceylon
(1934), Olympia (1938), Listen to Britain (1942), and
Koyaanisqatsi (1983).
 Expository Documentary

The expository mode is what most people think of as a

documentary. This mode of documentary directly
addresses issues, and throws light on what exactly is
happening in the world. Most news programs and
nature –related documentaries have adopted an
expository approach, and make use of this style of
documentary. Expository documentaries make use of
the 'voice of God', which is nothing but a commentator,
narrator, or a voice over, making a strong statement
which has the power to influence the minds of the
audience. These documentaries speak directly to the
audience, showing them reality. They revolve around
historic happenings and important events.

The Plow That Broke the Plains (1936), Trance and Dance in Bali (1952), Spanish Earth (1937),
Les Maîtres Fous (1955), The Civil War (1990), Frank Capra's wartime series Why We Fight, and
America's Most Wanted, We steal Secrets(2013), Raam Ke Naam.
 Participative Documentary

The participatory mode is characterized by a direct

involvement between the filmmaker and the subjects
in the film, mostly in the form of interviews,
conversations, and sharing of experiences. The
filmmaker becomes a character in the documentary
and also often becomes a part of the events that he
records in his films. Talk shows, interviews, witness
statements to a particular event, etc., are some of the
examples of such documentaries. Participatory
documentaries are also called interactive
documentaries.
Vertov's The Man with a Movie Camera (1929), Rouch and Morin's Chronicle of a Summer
(1960), Had Anhad, Solovky Power (1988), Shoah (1985),
Observational Documentary

In this style, the filmmaker does not have a fixed script,

screenplay, actors, or even location. A hand-held camera is
used, and if a voice over is given, it is mostly the
spontaneous observations of the filmmaker. The main aim
of this mode of documentary is to portray ordinary real-life
situations, and people's actions and take on such
events.This mode allowed the director to record reality
without becoming involved in what people were doing
when they were not explicitly looking into the camera.

High School (1968), Gilles Groulx and Michel Brault's Les Raquetteurs (1958), Albert &
David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin's Gimme Shelter (1970), D.A. Pennebaker's Don't
Look Back (1967), Hospital (1970), Soho Stories (1996, The Female Nude
 Reflexive Documentary
Reflexive Documentaries are similar to
Participatory in that they often include the
Types and styles of
filmmaker within the film — however, unlike
Participatory, they make no attempts to explore
documentaries
an outside subject. Rather, they focus solely
on themselves and the act of them making the
film. This mode of documentary is more like an
expose on documentaries, making the audience
aware of several factors, like editing, sound
recording, cameras, lights, etc. They show the
audience the film crew, and some points in the
film when they are getting shot.
Vertov's The Man with a Movie Camera (1929), Bunuel's Land Without Bread (1932), Trinh T. Minh-
ha's Surname Viet Given Name Nam (1989), Jim McBride & L.M. Kit Carson's David Holzman's Diary
(1968), David & Judith MacDougall's The Wedding Camels (1980), The Ax Fight (1975), The War
Game (1966), and Reassemblage (1982), The Moving Image(2018).
 Performative Documentary
Performative documentaries are
Types and styles of
autobiographic in nature, and they are
perceived in different ways by different
documentaries
people. They are subjective in nature and
strongly personal. They may make use of
enactments to put forth a point of view.
These documentaries usually portray
personal connections to historical or
political events.
Alain Resnais' Night and Fog (1955), Peter Forgacs' Free Fall (1988), The Danube
Exodus (1999), Robert Gardner's Forest of Bliss (1985), Morgan Spurlock's Super Size
Me (2004), Unfinished Diary (1983), History and Memory (1991), The Act of Seeing
with One's Own Eyes (1971), and Tongues Untied (1989), Tongues Untied(1983)
Documentary in India
•The british started using documentary film making
organisation for war propaganda during world war 2 .
•First Indian Documentary featured in form of newsreel
Types and styles of
of Partition and Gandhi’s movements
•In 1948, Films Division was founded which started
funding short and feature length Documentaries on
documentaries
various issues
•Filmmakers used halls and mobile vans to spread short
and feature documentary films.
•1957-1964 Loss of credility of Documentaries since all
of them started looking alike and no new experiments
were done
•After digitization PSBT and other institutes produced
better quality films
•Due to heavy censorship laws, lot of political
documentaries were banned.
 How to Make Documentary Films
• Why is this film being made?
• What does the producer/client/financier want to
achieve through the film?
• Who is the targeted audience and what should
their reaction to the film be?
• How much does the audience already know
about the subject?
• What will be the film’s technical conditions of
use (Black & White/Multi-colour?Animation? Etc)
• What is the budget of the film?
Every film, fiction or documentary, tells a story.Like in all other
film form. Documentary has three broad structural elements:

• A beginning
Creates an audiovisual ‘hook, Establishes the ‘core assertion’ of the film, Creates
curiosity,Shows change or the promise of change, Creates the element of consequence, The
Inciting Incident

• A middle
Structure, Sequencing,transitions,mood, characters,location,rhythm, tempo

• An end
Closed end, Open end, Climatic
 Important Techniques for
Documentary
• Character- decided by point of view
• Archival footage, photos, clips, news story
• Interview formats
• Symbolism(transition, mood,
montage,music,word, images)
• Introductory Shots
• Colour, lines, light, sound,object, words
 Important tips while shooting
• Always keep extra batteries.
• Check the ambience sound before interviews.
• Keep additional light epuipments while
shooting in low light and night.
• Do not overlap conversation while the subject
is talking
• Take drone shots seperately to make sure the
crew does not appear in shots.
Legality, Censorship and Exhibition
• Keep in mind the local laws and customs while
shooting.
• If you want documentary to be certified by
Censor Board, read the laws carefully before
editing.
• Plan on how to exhibit your film to your target
audience
• Align with universities, NGO’s, Film Festivals