Mary Jackson Pitts, Ph.D.

mpitts@astate.edu

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What is a documentary?

Mary Jackson Pitts

 Documentary

n     A social art form

n     Passion for topic

n     One of three creative modes in film

u  Narrative fiction –long form, entertainment

u  Experimental Avant Garde

« Short form

« Non-theatrical                    

 Documentary

n      Characteristics of documentaries.

u  Subjects

u  Purpose/point of view

u  Form

 Documentary

n     Characteristics of documentaries

u  Production methods and techniques

u  Audience experience

 Documentary

n      Robert Flaherty

u  Nanook of the North

n     Dziga Vertov

u  Kino-eye

n     Grierson

 Documentary

n       Spottiswoode

 Documentary

n        Flaherty

 Documentary

n         Grierson

 Documentary

n          documentary is designed to record actuality, in order to inform people about it, and thus affect our understanding of actuality by changing, increasing or reinforcing it...

 Documentary

n           which may lead to action, may make better persons of us and may make the world a better place, according to Flaherty or as according to Grierson make better citizens of us and to move us to collective action in order to make a better society.

 Documentary

n     Watch Nanook of the North.