How Documentaries Are Persuasive Tools What is a documentary? A documentary is a non-fiction film that tells a story. It can be a persuasive story, a biographical story, a factual/historical story, a personal story. Different types of documentaries (some documentaries include elements of all of these descriptions) 1) EXPOSITORY Probably what you picture when you imagine a documentary, usually a film with a strong perspective that is presenting a specific point of view and trying to convince the viewer of something. This is the best example of persuasive filmmaking. Examples: An Inconvenient Truth, Waiting for Superman, Food, Inc., He Named Me Malala, Blackfish, The Cove An Inconvenient Truth http://www.takepart.com/an-inconvenient-truth/film Waiting for Superman http://www.takepart.com/waiting-for-superman Food, Inc. http://www.takepart.com/foodinc He Named Me Malala http://www.henamedmemalalamovie.com/ 2) HISTORICAL A subset of expository film, uses a lot of archival footage, presents a historical or biographical perspective Examples: The Roosevelts, Civil War, Jazz, Baseball, The War (Ken Burns), When the Levees Broke or Four Little Girls (Spike Lee) The War -- http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/films/the-war 3) OBSERVATIONAL Also known as “cinema verite” or “fly-on-the-wall” type documentaries. They appear to have been filmed in ‘real time’, as if the camera has happened upon events while those involved are seemingly unaware of the filming going on. The filmmakers do not interfere in what is happening. There is no voiceover telling us what to think or what conclusions we should draw. The events that are being filmed would be no different if the camera was not present. Probably the most challenging because you need to earn the subjects’ trust. Examples: Brooklyn Castle, Spellbound, March of the Penguins http://brooklyncastle.com/ http://pro.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1452605721?ref_=_vid http://www.tribute.ca/trailers/spellbound/1951/ 4) Interactive or Reflective The filmmaker is part of the film’s content and has a very distinct opinion. The film relates his/her journey in the actual making of the film. Examples: Super Size Me, Stories We Tell, Roger & Me (Michael Moore) How Documentaries Are Tools for Persuasion Although non-fiction means “real” or “true,” non-fiction presentations (text, radio, film, etc.) are still manipulated, depending on who is presenting them. Film is a very powerful form of media because, instead of imagining something, we are seeing and hearing it, which can be more immediately emotional, compelling and persuasive. Pacing, music, imagery -- all will affect the viewing experience. Don’t look, just listen: http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/985135/Grey-Gardens-Movie-Clip-I- Have-To-Think-These-Things-Up.html Oftentimes, documentarians make a film in order to show a certain perspective on an issue. Documentaries are meant to be attempts to get at the truth. But the documentarian gets to define the truth. Researching a documentary There is a tremendous amount of research that goes into making a documentary, which is very similar to developing a persuasive argument. First, a thesis and outline are developed. Then, research is done to support the thesis. Research includes meeting and filming lots of individuals to find the best subjects, who can prove or disprove an argument. Documentarians need to be curious and respectful of their subjects, in order to capture the best “scenes” Many people say that documentaries are “written” in the editing room. Essentially this means that the many hours of footage are viewed and then edited together in order to make a cohesive story or “argument.” .