Transcript The Evolution and Impact of Documentary Films

The Evolution and Impact of
Documentary Films
HPR 401
Amma Marfo
Table of Contents
• Method of Assessment: the Whitehouse Coalition Model
• Historical Documentaries
– Types of historical documentaries
– Techniques to elicit impact
– Examples of films
• Current Documentaries
– Types of current documentaries
– Techniques to elicit impact
– Examples of films
• “Mockumentaries”
– Techniques to establish credibility
– Examples of films
Method of Assessment:
The Whitehouse Coalition Model
• Political science professor David Whiteman of the
University of South Carolina defined a coalition model
to analyze the impact of documentary film:
I argue that an adequate model (a) must conceptualize films as
part of a larger process that incorporates both production and
distribution; (b) must consider the full range of potential
impacts on producers, participants, activist organizations, and
decision makers; and (c) must consider the role of films in the
efforts of social movements to create and sustain alternative
spheres of public discourse. (Whiteman, 2004)
• This method was used to assess the impact of the films
discussed in the paper: how many of the criteria they fit,
as well as to what extent they fit.
HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARIES
Types of Historical Documentaries
• Foundational Films: simple
documentaries, showing real life without
actors
– Lumiere brothers: showing real life (people
leaving a factory, bathing in the sea)
– Dziga Vertov: Man with a Movie Camera (1929),
detailing life in Russia on a typical day
• Led to political documentaries, as Vertov’s film
was viewed as propaganda
Types of Historical Documentaries
• Propagandistic Films
– Man with a Movie Camera (1929): detailed life
in Russia, but also showed the political views
of Vertov and his support of the 1917 Russian
Revolution
– Triumph of the Will (1935):Leni Riefenstahl’s
allegedly unbiased view at the rise of the Nazi
party, which garnered support for the political
movement
Types of Historical Documentaries
• “Travelogues”
– Pioneered largely by Robert Flaherty
– Nanook of the North (1922): first actual use of
the term ‘documentary’; details the life of the
hunting Inuit in Hudson Bay, Canada
– Moana (1925): details romantic rituals in the
South Seas, giving the viewer insight into life
in the South Pacific before Western
intervention
Techniques to Elicit Impact
• Use of real people
• Titles to establish the setting
• Establishment of stories to draw the viewer
closer to the subject(s)
• Even at this early stage, documentaries had a
determinate viewpoint
Examples of Films
• Triumph of the Will
– Riefenstahl was given unprecedented access to the Nazi party, in
order to accurately portray their rallies and resulted in an
extremely personal view of the Third Reich
– Helped to further Riefenstahl’s career immensely
– Sustained alternate discourse that resulted in the popularization
and support of the Nazi party
• Nanook of the North
– Production was the result of extensive travel on the part of
Flaherty, and controversy was stirred over his staging of given
events (the seal hunt)
– Participants became spokespeople for the regions they inhabited
– Helped to give people a new way to ‘travel,’ given that it was not
that common in the 1920s to leave home
CURRENT DOCUMENTARIES
Types of Current Documentaries
• Political Documentaries: discuss political
issues such as
– Elections (Unprecedented: The 2000 Election)
– Past presidencies (The Fog of War)
– Current presidents (Fahrenheit 9/11)
• Have these films replaced propaganda?
Types of Current Documentaries
• Human Interest Documentaries: they shine
light on aspects or subgroups of society that
Americans may not otherwise see
– Born into Brothels
– March of the Penguins
– Murderball
• In a sense, the human interest documentary has
replaced the travelogue
Types of Current Documentaries
• Social Change Documentaries: sometimes a
hybrid between political and human interest,
they tell stories in hopes of changing aspects of
society
– Jesus Camp
– Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price
– An Inconvenient Truth
• At present, the focus on many of these films is
Big Business
Techniques to Elicit Impact
• Emotional Appeal: using moving images or stories to touch the
emotions of the audience
• Empowerment: arousing the spirit of the viewer to stand up and
make a difference
• Exclusivity: showing aspects of the issue that haven’t previously
been seen to garner trust
• Familiarity: using images or examples that are familiar to viewers to
make them more comfortable
• Fear: arousing the terror inside the viewer by showing them the
scarier side of issues
Examples of Films
• An Inconvenient Truth
– The wide distribution of this film has given the issue of global
warming and its implications unprecedented exposure
– The film has also given Al Gore a new type of image in the
public, separate from his roles as Vice-President, and later,
serious presidential candidate
– The film has started considerable discussion about initiatives to
reduce the causes of global warming
• Fahrenheit 9/11
– The distribution process was integral in creating the hype and
controversy that led to this film’s enormous ticket sales
– While some participants have disputed their roles in the film, the
major effects were as a result of public policy: the removal of
lighters from planes
– The film failed to stir the nation to “unseat President Bush” as
Moore had hoped, but started discourse about how
documentaries should present their information
MOCKUMENTARY FILM
(“Mock Documentaries”)
Techniques to Establish Credibility
• Archival Photography: the manipulation of photography to be able
to tell a story over time, made to appear as though it was taken or
filmed in the past
• Authoritative Narrator: a voice-over, or the use of title cards, to
moderate the flow of the story, as well as to explain more about the
story with information that is not in the visual story
• Interviews with “Experts”: in order to lend credibility to the
information presented, the interviews and testimonials make it seem
as though they have studied to learn the information, or were
witnesses to something special
• “Real” Footage of Events: when footage is designed to appear as
though it was taken from security cameras or amateur video, it
allows the audience to believe that the story is being told by
someone other than the cameraman
Examples of Films
• Death of a President
– The distribution of the film stirred up controversy in America,
because a few cinema chains refused to show it, and media
outlets refused to advertise for it
– The filmmakers came under fire, even though other films have
done before, and they have made films in a similar fashion prior
to now
– The film created alternate discourse about the nature of
mockumentaries as having the potential to discuss dramatic
issues as well as comedic ones, as well as whether such
inflammatory issues should be discussed on film
• Borat: Cultural Learnings for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
– The production process was controversial in that many people
were driven to say things they may not have said, had the film
been properly represented
– Many participants tried to sue the producers, as well as Sacha
Baron Cohen, but found themselves legally barred from doing
so; it also heightened the career of the actor who played the
sidekick, Azamat
– It raised awareness about the prejudices that exist in the country
today regarding foreigners and those of various religions
That’s a wrap!
Any questions?