Understanding the purpose behind documentary filmmaking
If we were to go by the genre's name, one can simply conclude that a documentary film is one where reality is documented for what it is. By that definition, one can also conclude that their favorite YouTuber’s “A Day in My Life” vlog could be called a documentary. What differentiates one from the other?
The Oxford English Dictionary maintains that a documentary film is a non-fictional, motion picture intended to document reality primarily for instruction, education, or maintenance of historical records.
Documentary films, unlike actuality films (for example; La Sortie de l'usine Lumière à Lyon by the Lumiere Brothers) are not simply footage of reality, there is a clear structure that binds various facets of the film. Owing to the nature of the medium itself there is a certain level of creative involvement. In showcasing the reality, the filmmakers may inevitably end up eliminating what does not fit the structure.
Celebrity and Crime documentaries, for instance, Depp V. Heard by Emma Cooper or House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths by Leena Yadav and Anubhav Chopra, typically tend to involve elements of intrigue, thrill, and suspense to keep the audience hooked. They may entertain you, as a consequence of the nature of the footage included or its sequence. Other documentaries like Children of the River by Maulee Senapati and Sanjoy Hazarika or The Elephant Whisperers by Kartiki Gonsalves are driven by a strong pathos appeal.
While all documentary films may not consciously seek to entertain you, they all are trying to evoke emotion. They attempt to drive home an idea, to bring to the forefront a story otherwise forgotten, to document a life or an event that the viewers may not be associated with, but could witness through the documentary filmmaker’s lens.
As a more ‘serious’ form of non-fictional filmmaking that audiences generally associate with the truth, the purpose of documentaries in principle is not distraction or recreation.
If you are planning on watching a documentary film made with an educational or informational motive in mind, prepare to employ yourself to understand and experience the world you catch a glimpse of, instead of grabbing popcorn.
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