Notes based on Week 1 Reading:
Documentary is one of the three basic creative modes in film
the other two being narrative fiction and experimental avant-garde.
(avant-garde are shorts shown in nontheatrical film
societies on campuses or art museums for example- the work of individual
filmmakers)
In order to distinguish documentaries from other film types
can be thought of in 5 points:
1.
Subjects – what they’re about e.g. British
documentary made by Paul Rotha, ‘The Fourth Estate’ (1940)
2.
Purposes, viewpoints or approaches -is what the filmmakers
are trying to say about the subjects of their films
3.
Forms- formative process including the filmmaker’s
conception, the sights and sounds selected for inclusion and he structures into
which they are fitted
4.
Production methods and techniques – refers to the
way images are shot, sounds recorded and the two edited together. One basic requirement
of documentary is the use of non-factors – real people who play themselves
rather than actors. The other basic requirement is shooting on location rather
than on soundstages or studio back lots
5.
The sorts of experience they offer audiences- generally
the best way to understand and appreciate the intentions of documentarists is
to accept the precept of the roman poet Horace that art should both please and
instruct.
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