All throughout the documentary genre the elements of consent, ethics, and storytelling aid the viewer with an intricate point of view about reality through a certain perspective. While watching and listening to the world, documentarians need to ask questions in order to verify and substantiate their research. By doing so, filmmakers can then share more profound questions to their audience all while sharing a perspective of reality. An interesting outgrowth of documentary genre tree is the propaganda limb which constantly sways in one direction. Propaganda films are normally funded by governments or corporations to influence and persuade an audience towards a one sided perspective. “When the Roosevelt administration wanted to sell Americans on expensive new government programs, it commissioned some of the most remarkable visual poems made in the era, those by Pare Lorentz and a talented team”(Aufderheide 6). Propaganda has also been used in many war documentaries in order to gain support towards a specific enemy. The main focal point of propaganda is to persuade based upon one vision. This is not a true definition of documentary. Actuality of reality cannot be present if only one point of view is portrayed. Films like these are perfect examples as to why everyone needs to ask themselves questions about the film. Research helps us reveal the truth.
Shifting slightly, in terms of comparing advocacy and propaganda in film they both only share the distinction of storytelling. Advocacy in film establishes a perspective of reality, but is not backed by governments in order to challenge reform in society. Advocacy is filmmakers sharing a narrative about a certain passion they feel others need to see. “Advocacy films maintain that pledge not only through credibility of their organizations but through the devices they use that signal their reliability” (Aufderheide 90). Although the art of persuasion is used in advocacy there is an honest detail to the stories shared in such a way that viewers will not be left with a suspicious open ended question at the end.
Upon further analysis, a plethora of terms come into play, which help to sculpt the final annotation of a documentary. Non-fiction educational production and artistic photography are often intricately blended with sound, voice-over narration, and man-on-the-street type interviews in order to portray a message to the audience. A deeper investigation into discovering the steadfast definition of a documentary itself only forces the mind to explore a variety of questions that have no right or wrong answers. The enticing roots of modern documentaries are often concealed, thus overlooked by the vast majority of viewers. In truth, the very heart, soul, and the main drive of a documentary itself ultimately becomes the inquiries. What really is reality in a documentary? What is the purpose of documentary films?
First, the question of what reality actually is should be addressed. Reality is one’s perspective of events taking place within life itself. The irony lies in the fact that reality differs for everyone due to each human being maintaining a unique perspective. Any filmmaker, more specifically a documentarian, possesses the final goal of sharing this unparalleled point of view to an audience. This brings about yet another intriguing question, what qualifies as reality in a documentary? The only answer this writer can bring to the round table here is that reality in a documentary is an intangible destination that is only achieved by the viewing audience relating hand-in-hand to the filmmakers’ position itself. In other words, it should be the striving goal of any documentarian to engage the audience through his/her perspective, thus recreating reality.
Secondly, we should focus on functions of documentary films themselves. What is the purpose of the infotainment genre? Documentary filmmakers attempt to ask and reveal their visionary dreams on what they view as the truth. Through the eyes of their creators the designing fabric of documentary films becomes a fetish. Films that passionately relate to an audience can challenge concepts, senses, and existing rules of society.
Ultimately, since reality differs from individual to individual, truths evolve into dissenting opinions. Chris Carter, author of the popular science fiction television show The X-Files, often ended the beginning theme sequence to the show with the phrase, “The Truth Is Out There”. This phrase can become an anthem to any documentarian, as it is their job to reveal the adamant truth.
Works Cited
Aufderheide, Patricia. Documentary Film A Very Short Introduction . New York City: Oxford University Press, 2007.
