Sample Film's Cool Documentary Resources.

1. What is Documentary?
Based on your own experience of
Documentary Film, how can we
begin to define the genre?
What do these images suggest about the power of Documentary Film?

2. Examples of Documentaries
Bowling For Columbine (Oscar winner, 2003)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq3Y1SdvUQQ
Sicko (Oscar nominated, 2007)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BJyyyRYbSk
?
Fahrenheit 9/11(Palme D'Or, 2004)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Zf2nCiBJLo
The Cove (Sundance Winner 2009)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KRD8e20fBo
The Bengali Detective (Sundance and Berlin competitions, 2011)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9VBrVNCUhA
Man on Wire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIawNRm9NWM
Weird Weekends - Demolition Derby
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf35-ChvUBA
Biggie and Tupac Independent Research:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFHXjUMwmgk
Directors
Michael Moore, Nick Broomfield, Louis Theroux, Mark Thomas, Jon Pliger,
Films
Kathy Come Home
Panorama Legalisaiton of Drugs LSD live on camera
Living in the 70s
Jamie Oliver Jamies School Diners

3. Different Types of Documentary
Here are two types of Documentary. There are more but this is what we are working
around.
1. EXPOSITORY documentaries speak directly to the viewer, often in the form of an authoritative commentary
employing voiceover or titles, proposing a strong argument and point of view. These films are rhetorical, and try to
persuade the viewer. The (voice-of-God) commentary often sounds ‘objective’ and omniscient. Images are often not
paramount; they exist to advance the argument. Historical documentaries in this mode deliver an unproblematic
and ‘objective’ account and interpretation of past events.
Examples: TV shows and films like A&E Biography; America’s Most Wanted; many science and nature
documentaries; Ken Burns’ The Civil War (1990); Robert Hughes’ The Shock of the New (1980); John Berger’s Ways
Of Seeing (1974). Also, Frank Capra’s wartime Why We Fight series; Pare Lorentz’s The Plow That Broke The Plains
(1936). What examples would you add from your own experience? Has there been a time where your
opinion has been changed?
2. PARTICIPATORY documentaries believe that it is impossible for the act of filmmaking to not influence or alter
the events being filmed. What these films do is emulate the approach of the anthropologist: participant-observation.
Not only is the filmmaker part of the film, we also get a sense of how situations in the film are affected or altered by
her presence
Examples: Vertov’s The Man with a Movie Camera (1929); Rouch and Morin’s Chronicle of a Summer (1960); Ross
McElwee’s Sherman’s March (1985); Nick Broomfield’s films. I suspect Michael Moore’s films would also belong here,
although they have a strong ‘expository’ bent as well. What examples would you add from your own
experience? Has there been a time when your opinion has changed?

4. Planning for Documentary Film Making
Aims and Objectives
To consider issues around Olympics and how to communicate ideas to raise awareness
To use a plan to structure arguments around issues using a wide range of sources
To develop key technical skills with imovie, editing for Documentary Film and learn how the
media shape opinion
C Successful Outcomes
H
A Consideration the impact of the Olympics and some issues surrounding it
N
G Creation of working script through collaboration
E
Understanding of how to plan for Documentary
O Evidence of understanding the three rules for Documentary making
N
E Expression of an opinion surrounding issues in debate or Documentary
T Completion of Voiceover in Olympic Doc
H
I Creation of Storyboards
N
G Presentation of ideas through treatment

5. Breakdown of the Documentary Four Part Structure
Here is a simple breakdown of the beat sheet of a Documentary Film. What Films have you
seen that you could apply this structure to?
Act 1: I feel passionate about it TODAY'S TASK
Act 2: Why Shoud I Care: Connect what you care about with what
I care about
Act 3: What's the solution: What can you argue that you can do
about it? Course of action that can solve the problem. MAXIMUM
EFFORT IN SHOWING PEOPLE THE SOLUTION WOULD WORK
Act 4: What would change, think about objections and how you
can tackle it. Try to convert or show someone who would object
the most that your solution is right.

6. Planning Documentation

7. Planning Documentation

8. Change One Thing: Brief

9. Rules for Constructing an Argument Through Documentary Film
Here are some important guidelines from Neil Crombie of Seneca Productions when planning
for Documentary. Use these when constructing your own arguments to change people's
opinion
Rule 1:
Competing with other media, don't assume the audience are interested. How are you
going to engage them? Got to persuade people it is something they should care about?
Chat them up! How are they going to be interested in you?
What is meant by other media? And why is this important to understand?
Rule 2:
Think about what they are thinking, try to think how people will anticipate how they will
respond to what you are saying. What objections might they have, what ground work do
you need to do.
Rule 3:
Be passionate about what you are exploring, have an interest. Persuade other people it's
worth getting involved.
What techniques have we seen today that help persuading other people something is
worth getting involved?

10. Different Ways of Creating Arguments and Changing Opinion
Documentary Techniques
Documentary Techniques (not exhaustive):
Social experiments PARTICIPATORY
Interviews
Reconstruction
Archive footage
Narration
Satire
Observational filming
EXPOSITORY
Thinking outside the box...
What technique suits the kind of documentary best?