Documentary Definition - Movies, Television. Based on re-creating an actual event, era, life story, etc., that purports to be factually accurate and contains no fictional elements:
My Definition of Truth: A fictitious word used to describe an event/subject to be what one believes is a right/honest statement. A word which belongs in the present but can only exist in the future: it's not until we discover all the information to be correct, can we acknowledge something as true, "Only time will tell"! And 'ALL' this is based upon the underlining ideology that reality is actually real and not a figment of our imagination!
This bringing me to my number one thing that defines what truth is for us (but betrays us the most), is our very own minds. I've spoken a lot in my past blogs about how everyone has their own variation of reality and because of this we all have are own understanding of the truth: but there is a fine line however that can be blurred between reality and our own imagination. As time goes by, our memories become clouded. The more we recall them the more they change, yet we still believe everything we remember to be true. We can even invent whole new memories after a traumatic experience, or even create events that haven't even happened; this is known as 'False Memory'.
Then there is the opposite side to the scale; we as humans are renown for not telling the truth. Why are humans the only known species wired to deceive both themselves and others? Why do we lie and at what point does it become a problem? There are many reasons why one would lie; this could be down to anything from self-esteem, protection for you, friends or loved ones (be it feelings or from danger), to getting thrills or feelings of power over the use of manipulation. We are so programmed to lie that we are incapable from separating fact from fiction. A famous game called 'Chinese Whispers' can be used as a great example of how even the smallest lie or inaccuracy passing on information, can drastically change from one person to another by the time it reaches its source. So if you were to apply this structure to filmmaking, everyone from the interviewee, the factual information, word of mouth, point of views, visual footage and story, all come from a human source; not all this information can be trusted.
"If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything" - Mark Twain
Truth is captured in the moment. A pathway of lies has many twists and turns, only truth is a straight line, the shortest distance between two points. This quote by Mark Twain, captured my imagination as I reflected on his words. I started contrasting them with the words spoken to us by guest lecturer Tom Ware (documentary filmmaker), "
lots of little lies to build a bigger truth". What fascinates me is the outlook both of these two people have on this subject, the contradiction between Mark Twain, the fiction writer and Tom Ware, the documentary filmmaker. Why is it that the man who creates fiction believes in truth, while a man who seeks to tell the truth believes in the use of lies to do so?
Tom's quote really opens up what filmmaking's about and sheds some light onto why some truths can never be told; he spoke of how the law can stop a lot of truth getting into a documentary to protect vulnerable people, especially children. How by telling some truths you can drastically change the way people live, people could lose jobs, risk their lives, bring people fame or even ruin them. With just these points alone, you can really see why some filmmakers are reluctant to use the truth or can really test their values if they do so. With his quote ringing in my ears I researched films built on lies and discovered that many are in fact true works of fiction. Below are three popular documentaries with one even winning an oscar and all share elements of fiction to tell there story; all however do so for differing reasons.
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Nanook Of The North:- Is the first feature length documentary ever made but is also known as one of the first to stage events in the film portraying it as reality. To create this film Robert Flaherty had to bend the truth in order to show what life was like for the 'Inuits' before the European influences. To do this he had to create fake 3 sided igloos (as his camera gear wouldn't fit), script a whole scene were Nanook (also fake name) pretends to not know what a gramophone record is and bites it (to create a comical reaction from the audience). He also had Nanook hunt walrus using methods no longer used, the use of spears instead of the rifles. Even his wives were faked and were in fact believed to be Flaherty's common wives.
Flaherty, even though bending the truth, did something never been done before. His work was the forefather of many modern day conventions of documentary filmmaking such as; third-person narration, subjective tone and casting a lead indigenous character as the hero (
ethnographic film). He went through great lengths to create and show their way of life, living with them for a year to create the film. Technology of the time impeded his ability to film on the move, making it difficult to show any reality which involved non static shots. My question would be, can people get past his deceptiveness and appreciate what the bigger truth he was trying to achieve? I hope you can but nevertheless I do find it truly amazing that the directer John Grierson, actually coined the word 'Documentary' (nonfictional motion picture) for Flaherty's film 'Moana', while being renown for using so many fake truths in his films.
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Super Size Me:- This documentary set out to attack fast food commercialism in America to tackle the amount of people being overweight. He believes that all fast food chains should be held accountable for this problem and should be sued by the people who are affected; McDonalds being in the main firing line. Morgan Spurlock documented the transition his body endured over 30 days eating nothing but McDonalds meals with no exercise/physical activity. This documentary isn't exactly a lie but however is based on a grand Non-Surprise; if you were to force yourself to eat double your average amount of food intake every day of any food you are going to gain weight. This film with all its animations, 'basic science' and onscreen personality, manages to dupe a big audience to turn on McDonalds and fast food in general. The supersize element to the programme (only happened 3 times) and was his own artificial rule to hasten his dietary demise for the audience. The end result, SuperSize Me was nothing more than a not so clever satirical attack on the fast-food industry netting Spurlock his share of fame and fortune.
What did the documentary actually achieve? The obesity problem across the western world has been a huge problem for years. This documentary really shakes people into thinking twice before eating fast food and just bad food in general. It also caused McDonalds to lose its Super Size option off the menu and started a 'Go Active' healthy meals campaign. Most food places/all major fast food franchises now having to clearly label the nutritional values of all it's food and drinks. This film may blame the food outlets but for me you can clearly see its the people who are to blame for their own overeating, McDonalds is just catering to the supply and demand. The 'Science' in this film has been tested under lab conditions and they are unable to replicate what Spurlock went through; the 5000 calorie number claimed is also proved to be faked as even the 3 highest calorie meals would still come nowhere near the number he told the audience. Another documentary film was created to show how someone can even lose weight on a McDonalds only diet - '
Fathead'.
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Winged Migration:- This beautifully shot (oscar award winning) masterpiece follows migrating birds as they navigate their way across the dangerous landscapes for survival. As the film unfolds you can almost feel like your're flying with the birds as you traverse with them across the landscapes ranging from the picturesque to the breathtaking. It's sad however that most of the film is a lie, no more than just a reconstruction of birds on a migration. Half the birds shown in the film were raised from birth (filming pets); these birds were then being shipped around the world to the beautiful locations, filming the birds in the air for a few minutes using a 'Ultralight' plane, then shipping them off again to the next location. Even the adjacent storylines were all staged to create the drama; the likes of avalanches, near trampling by wild horses, eaten by crabs and the oil in the factory to name just a few. The crew would even intervene in nature with the crab shot being a main example; it was edited to make it seem like the crabs ate the injured bird, when in reality the filmmakers saved the bird and gave the crabs dead fish, making us think they got the bird. The worst faked shot for me was the oil shot in the factory, as it was made to look like the 'manmade' factory had caused the death of this bird, when in reality was all shot in a studio setting using vegetable oil and milk.
Nature documentaries is one of the hardest things to document. Camera operators spend weeks/months in all climates to catch just a glimpse of some of the most elusive creatures on the planet. Even knowing how they can be faked, I am still awed by their visual beauty and story telling, that it doesn't matter for me; I'm still being shown an insight that I would never have witnessed in my own life. This documentary shines a light on what the migrating birds life could be like and possible dangers it might encounter on the way. How its not just mother nature that can cause the death of these beautiful animals but also the carelessness of humans has an impact on their lives i.e. Fishing nets, rubbish, oil spills and the harvester in film representing the deforestation epidemic sweeping across the globe. For me the magic doesn't just lie in the life this film portrays but in the clever construction of the film; how the filmmakers were able to show the migration of birds, seeming every bit a documentary but created using the same amount of fictional elements of storytelling as a fiction film.
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For me its all storytelling. Bigger truths, half truths, lies. Its all film. The argument I feel is that filmmakers shouldn't hide the fact that they use fake elements within these films while proceeding to advertise it as otherwise. People enjoy watching fiction for story just as much as documentary, the main thing that separates them is documentary is delivered to be real while we all know fiction is built on lies. There are many variations of filmmaking the truth, each believing their way is the most truthful and I guess we all have our own opinion on which works most for us. The best documentaries for me are the ones that try to remain the most unbiased, they don't use fake elements or hide facts and tell the story that needs telling. Be honest with the audience about how you constructed the film; You all have your own views on the topic, don't tell the audience what to believe, but make a film that lets them go away and make up their own mind!
