Documentary film Flashcards
What is a documentary?
A documentary is a film that attempts to present ‘reality’ to us.
What are the three core elements studied in relation to the documentary film ‘Stories We Tell’?
- Film Form
- Meaning and Response
- Context
What are the documentary conventions?
- Actuality Footage
- Archival or Stock Footage
- Use of Still Images
- Voiceover Narration
- ‘Characters’
- Interviews
- Montage Editing
- Cross Cuts and Jump Cuts
- Graphics, Titles and Captions
- Non-diegetic music
- Handheld Camera
- Re-enactment or Reconstruction
What is the Poetic mode of documentary?
Poetic Documentaries have little or no narrative content, favoring images, sounds, and juxtaposition.
Provide an example of a Poetic documentary.
Koyaanisqatsi (Reggio, 1982)
What characterizes the Expository mode of documentary?
Constructs a specific point of view presented as the ‘truth’ with an authoritative voice-over.
Provide an example of an Expository documentary.
March of the Penguins (Jacquet, 2005)
What is the Observational mode of documentary also known as?
Cinema Verite
Provide an example of an Observational documentary.
Don’t Look Back (Pennebaker, 1965)
What distinguishes the Participatory mode of documentary?
The filmmaker becomes a participant in the story.
Provide an example of a Participatory documentary.
Kurt and Courtney (Broomfield, 1998)
What are Reflexive documentaries interested in?
The relationship between the film and the audience, exposing the artificiality of the genre.
Provide an example of a Reflexive documentary.
Man with a Movie Camera (Vertov, 1929)
What characterizes Performative documentaries?
Highly personal, using the filmmaker’s own experience as a jumping-off point.
Provide an example of a Performative documentary.
Roger and Me (Moore, 1989)
True or False: The concept of ‘truth’ in documentary is straightforward.
False
What has complicated the identification of ‘real’ in documentary?
The post-modern world where fictional films use documentary techniques.
What does the quote ‘Film is 24 lies per second at the service of truth’ imply?
Cinema, including documentary, is subjective and mediated.
What is the title of the documentary directed by Sarah Polley in 2012?
Stories We Tell
What are two awards won by ‘Stories We Tell’?
- 2013 New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Non-Fiction Film
- 2013 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Documentary
Fill in the blank: Documentary films are considered to be _______.
non-fictional
Name one of the two Specialist Areas related to the documentary topic.
- Critical Debates – The Significance of Digital Technology
- Filmmaker Theories
What three aspects does ‘Stories We Tell’ explore?
- Polley’s family
- Family secrets
- Nature of filmmaking and memory
