Documentary Filmmaking

Genre, Subgenres, & Modes

Scripture of the Day

and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;

Acts 17:26-27 (NASB)

"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission."

Purpose of This Lesson

Explore the early history of the documentary film. Explore the genres, subgenres, and modes of documentary films.

Essential Questions
What is the early history of the documentary? What is genre? What are the sub-genres within documentary film? Why is it sometimes difficult to place a film in a genre or subgenre? What are the modes of the documentary?

The First Documentaries

Early French film pioneers Auguste (left) and Louis (right) Lumire dubbed their films actualits. These short films were single scene documentaries and mostly consisted of scenes of of everyday life.

http://www.institut-lumiere.org

The Movies Begin

Louis and Auguste Lumire projected 10 short films to a paying audience on December 28, 1895 at the Grand Cafe in Paris .

http://www.institut-lumiere.org

The First Movie Projected to the Public

La Sortie des usines Lumire Lyon (1895) Workers Leaving the Lumire Factory

The First Feature Length Documentary

Nanook of the North (1922) Directed by Robert J. Flaherty, this film chronicles one year in the life of an Inuit and his family.
By Robert J. Flaherty [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Term Documentary
In his 1926 review of Robert J. Flahertys Moana, John Grierson, (under the pseudonym The Moviegoer) refers to the the film having documentary value and has been credited with coining the term.

Term Documentary
In his 1926 review of Robert J. Flahertys Moana, John Grierson, (under the pseudonym The Moviegoer) refers to the the film having documentary value and has been credited with coining the term.

Genre
Originating from French, genre simply means kind or type. In regards to film it refers to how the film is categorized, i.e. drama, comedy, documentary, etc.

Subgenres
The genre of documentary can be further broken into subgenres.

Sub-genres of Documentary Film

Historical - event centered Biographic & Autobiographic - person centered Nature & Science - observation centered Ethnographic - people centered Advocacy - issue centered

The Non-Documentary
Mockumentary is a movie that mimics documentary style for comedic or satirical purposes. Examples include: Zelig (1983) This is Spinal Tap (1984) Forgotten Silver (1995) Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)

Difficulties with Genre & Subgenre

Can you think of other genres & subgenres of films? Where do you think propaganda films fit? Why are films often difficult to categorize?

Six Modes of Documentary Film

Film scholar Bill Nichols theorizes that all documentaries act in one or more of the following modes. Poetic - artistic & unconventional Expository - Explanation of action by a voice of God narrator Observational - silent observer of the subject Participatory - filmmakers interact with subjects, uses interviews Reflexive - questions conventions, less authoritative, uses re-enactments Performative - filmmakers are part of the subject and the story

Six Modes of Documentary Film Project

Research one of the six modes of documentary and make a mini-documentary using that mode according to the project description found here.