The meaning of documentary films includes the fact that it's one of several creative modes. There is 1) narrative fiction and 2) experimental avant-garde. Other features of a documentary film are: scripted or spontaneous, being limited to reality, having a purpose and a special viewpoint.
Several of the production requisites for documentaries refer to the fact that there are no sets, actors are not used, and real people, not actors, play themselves.
Throughout history, documentaries have been credited with having a big influence on cultural meanings. There are many film schools in the world that teach the art of documentary filmmaking. The schools and classes teach understanding the fundamental aesthetic tools of documentary filmmaking like camera operation, sound, structure, and also the interview.
For the students to learn directing and producing, classes are geared towards having workshops that lead to the real production of a film project.
In documentary filmmaking, both teacher and students tackle issues that have to do with the development of ideas, preproduction and actual production.
As practice, the students in documentary film courses watch segments of films and videos that represent major trends in the history of documentary film making. In some classes, celebrity film makers conduct lectures.
Documentary films are an extremely challenging form of filmmaking, that usually stir up controversies. The very first known documentaries are the actuality films of the Lumire brothers while the latest works are the postmodern explorations of film truth. The classics in this genre are the works of Flaherty, Grierson, Riefenstahl, Rouch, Vertov, as well as Wiseman. Documentary filmmaking classes also examine the effect of changes in social and political realities, changing technology and personalities of influential individuals into the term "documentary." Issues on ethics and aesthetics are discussed too.
Documentaries frequently present challenges for cinematographers who usually must work alone or in small crews. They must learn how to capture beautifully-framed, meaningful footage during low budget and sometimes chaotic circumstances that usually surround the film shoot. There's usually an emphasis on shooting cinema verit and lighting with a very small crew. Technical aspects of digital cameras are taught, and here, the students work with cameras and a crew.
Documentary films are also a very popular form of art. Award-giving bodies have a place for documentaries and several are covered often by movie critics, as evidenced in as early as 1942, when there were four winners including: The Battle of Midway; Kokoda Front Line; Moscow Strikes Back; and Prelude to War. This 2009, Fighting for Life, a documentary film on military medicine, is expected to reap loads of awards.
This article was added on Sunday 06 December, 2009.
