How has documentary evolved
Documentary film has evolved significantly since its origins in the early 1920s. Early documentaries like Nanook of the North took a creative, poetic approach to interpreting reality. The direct cinema movement of the 1950s-1960s brought social and economic issues to mass audiences in a direct, unmediated style enabled by advances in portable camera technology. Similarly, cinema verite documentaries in France at this time aimed to minimally involve filmmakers and rely solely on subjects and events. Modern documentaries, aided by widespread DVD distribution, have become hugely popular and profitable vehicles for broadcasting opinions on issues like global warming to large audiences. More recently, mockumentaries have adopted documentary techniques and conventions to stage fictional stories as though they were real footage
How has documentary evolved
- 1. How has Documentary evolved By Craig Dennett
- 2. Early Documentary • ‘Nanook of The North’ (1921, Flaherty) is the first documentary ever made, the phrase ‘documentary’ was first used by Jon Grierson to describe this film, although he also described the film as ‘a creative interpretation of reality’. • Grierson went on to become the head of the GPO, from this position he really pushed his poetic-realist approach to filmmaking.
- 3. Direct Cinema • In the 1950’s-60’s direct cinema movement began in the USA, bringing social and economical issues to the masses, in a direct, unmediated way. Supposedly filmed as they happened, without input from the filmmaker. • This style came mainly from the progression in camera technology, such as the cameras being much lighter and much smaller than before
- 4. Cinema Verite • At the same time as direct cinema was being produced in the USA cinema verite was a growing style in France, it was similar to direct cinema, being all about the filmmaker and the subjects. A very minimalist style, just the director and a camera.
- 5. Modern Documentary • Documentary in modern times is much more popular than ever before, mainly due to the invention of DVD making it a much more profitable genre than ever before. Films like ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ (Davis Guggenheim, 2006) about global warming are becoming very big business, and a great tool for opinion leaders to get across their views to the masses.
- 6. Mockumentary • After Cinema Verite, filmmakers began using some of the codes and conventions found in Cinema Verite, in films known as ‘Mockumentary’. The director of these films used methods that made it look as if it was just the filmmaker and the subject to give the perception of truth. Realistically it was set up, and staged by the filmmaker . ‘Troll Hunter’ (Andre Ovredal, 2010) is an example of this genre, as it is a film, staged with actors, although it is made out to be real footage taken on camera by the subjects in it.