This inclusion can be as minor as a filmmaker using their voice to prod their subjects with questions or cues from behind the camera - or as major as a filmmaker directly influencing the actions of the narrative. Participatory documentaries include the filmmaker within the narrative.
The Monastery: Mr Vig and the Nun (2006) - Dir.Albert Maysles, David Maysles, and Charlotte Zwerin Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment (1963) - Dir.Some examples of observational documentaries include: The observational style has been very influential over the years, and you can often find filmmakers using it in other film genres to create a sense of realness and truth. Observational documentaries attempt to give voice to all sides of an issue by offering audiences firsthand access to some of the subject’s most important (and often private) moments.
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Originating in the 1960s alongside advances in portable film equipment, the Cinéma Vérité-style is much less pointed than the expository approach. Observational documentaries are exactly what they sound like - they aim to simply observe the world around them. The Plow That Broke the Plains (1936) - Dir.Some examples of expository documentaries include: It’s is one of the best ways to share a message or information. Those looking for the most direct form of documentary storytelling should explore the straightforward expository style. This mode includes the familiar Ken Burns and television (A&E, History Channel, etc.) styles. Gustav DeutschĮxpository documentaries are probably closest to what most people consider “documentaries.” In sharp contrast to poetic, expository documentaries aim to inform and/or persuade - often through omnipresent “ Voice of God” narration that’s devoid of ambiguous or poetic rhetoric. Some examples of poetic documentaries include: The ultimate goal is to create a feeling rather than a truth.įor filmmakers, this approach offers a valuable lesson in experimenting with all the elements of documentary filmmaking by finding creative compositions, challenging juxtapositions, and different forms of cinematic storytelling. Abstract and loose with narrative, the poetic sub-genre can be very unconventional and experimental in form and content. They focus on experiences, images, and showing the audience the world through a different set of eyes. Let’s take a look.įirst seen in the 1920s, poetic documentaries are very much what they sound like. While there’s a lot of variation within, these are the six main categories of the genre into which all documentary films can be placed.
We suggest you start with Introduction to Documentary, the classic text from Bill Nichols that outlines the six modes (or “sub-genres”) of documentaries. While its most basic definition can be defined by Wikipedia as “a nonfictional motion picture intended to document some aspects of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record,” the style has become a catch-all for both a certain filmmaking style, as well as a noble cinematic pursuit of truth.įor film and video professionals looking to work in documentary filmmaking, it’s important to understand a bit of its history, as well as the different documentary types. Let’s look at the different types, characteristics, and examples of each.ĭocumentary filmmaking is a cinematic style dating back to the earliest days of film. The documentary film genre is an important part of cinematic history.