Documentary Genre

History of the Genre

Early film can be classed as documentary, for example the Lumiere brothers films, such as ‘workers leaving the factory.’

First Documentary Film

• Robert Flaherty film ‘Nanook Of The North,’ is generally cited as the first feature-length documentary.

• It employs many of the conventions of later documentary use of narration, subjective tone and archive footage.

Documentary?

• 1926: John Grierson), a young Scottish academic writes a review of Robert Flaherty’s film Moana for the New York Sun (February 8, 1926).

• In the review he coins the term "documentary."

Cinéma Vérité.

• Using newly developed, lightweight, hand-held cameras with synchronized sound, a new generation of young filmmakers in the US and Europe attempts to redefine the nature of the documentary film.

Documentary and Activism

• Filmmakers embrace a more openly polemic approach to documentary. Civil rights, anti-war movements, and the women’s movement provide the impetus for much of this cinematic activism.

Codes

Codes• Lighting• Colours• Editing• Framing• Camera Movement • Focus• Narration• Music• Mise en scene

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Conventions

• Hand held camera• Poor sound/lighting• Disjointed editing• V/O - Presenter• Interviews

Conventions

• Use of Experts• Archive film and

photographs• Music• Framing to create

meaning. • Montage

MontageMontage

» The editing together of various (brief) shots that are not continuous but, by their combination, create meaning.

» The editing together of various (brief) shots that are not continuous but, by their combination, create meaning.

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