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Exploring Reality: Elements and Moments in Documentary Films

Dive into the world of documentary filmmaking, where reality is explored through actuality and created elements. Learn about the significance of people, issues, and events, and how sound and image enhance storytelling. Discover the art of capturing moments that humanize issues and the key aspects of organized storytelling structure in documentaries.

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Exploring Reality: Elements and Moments in Documentary Films

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Presentation Transcript

  1. What is a documentary?

  2. Documentary • Fascination with reality • People, places, events, issues…….. • “In Feature films the director is God. In Documentary films God is the director”--Hitchcock

  3. Examines Reality through actuality • Actuality: that which is real: existing conditions or facts • “Documentaries explore actual people in actual situations”........................Rabiger • uses actuality to examine some aspect of reality • “creative treatment of actuality” ...........Grierson

  4. Documentary Elements • People • Issues • Events • Created Elements • Organized Story

  5. Documentary Elements • Image • Technical • Exposure • Color • composition • Aesthetic • Creates environment • Enhances content

  6. Documentary Elements • Sound • Technical • Presence • Clarity • no distortion • Aesthetic • Creates environment • Reinforces content

  7. People • Interesting • looks • what they say • how they say it • Unusual, unique

  8. People • Quality/ability • Available • Notoriety • What happens to them

  9. Issues • May be socially critical • some say must be.................... • What matters to you ? • What do you really care about ?

  10. Issues • unfolding evidence • may be contradictory • objectivity vs point of view • interpret events • cannot avoid • “a subjective construct”..........Rabiger

  11. Issues • need for fairness • present opposing points of view • strengthens your assertions

  12. Moments • That which illustrates • makes the abstract concrete • the idea of a-roll • we wait and watch • recognize and react

  13. Moments • No Control--unlike fiction film • cannot recreate the moment

  14. Moments • Prepare • lights ,audio, camera--prepared • understand the event/issue/person • Need good crew • recognize the moment • capable of reacting • not lazy or disinterested

  15. Created Elements • Essential Story Elements • More complex than single event • interpretation of events • Requires connections • not immediately visible • Themes--abstract • must be created through editing

  16. Organized Story • Imposing order on events • temporal compression or expansion • Humanize issues--make them real • Struggle with reality • We are the people in the stories

  17. Story Structure • Beginning--set up • Middle--conflict or problem • End--resolution • Hero--with whom audience can identify

  18. Story Structure • Conflict-- • with a nemesis • Self • society • Plot-- the series of events • Theme--moral of the story • Denouement--order and harmony

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