Documentary formats: texts

Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory:

This is a short video on workers leaving the Lumière factory at the end of the a work day. This documentary was filmed in 1985 and showed many workers leaving. This is thought to be very true since no editing is made here and the film is truthful in terms of realism. There is no cuts or altered information to make the film unrealistic. Although the factory workers only leave to the left or the right I think this film is still believable since it makes sense that everyone is leaving to the left or right. 

http://www.vervemagazine.in/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/lumiere-3.jpg

NightMail:

NightMail is a short documentary about how post gets from A to B. This film is a little more unrealistic in terms of information given. Some of the shots and timings have been altered, like the aerial shots were made by using train models and the shots within the stations were cut together even though they would have taken a while between each. The film uses match-on-action shots which is also adding to the unrealistic feeling since the camera was moved and the action was performed again. Some scenes were cut down too, like the phone call at the beginning only had shown the one letter/package be talked about rather than a whole batch.

Bowling for Columbine

In this documentary, Michael Moore investigates the gun laws and how easy it was to obtain a gun in the USA. Moore went to a bank to open an account and get a free gun. At the beginning, Michael decides to act immature but later on he becomes mature and serious. One reason for this is so that he can put them in control but still maintain control. This documentary had been edited down and Moore even came back a few days later after his background checks had been completed but wore the same clothes and looked the same from before. This is editing the documentary and manipulating the realism but Moore does this to shock the audience on how he got a gun so quickly. 

Although the documentary has been manipulated, it has been manipulated in a way where the audience gets a shock and the information is clear and concise. Michael Moore even decided to wear the same clothes so that it gives the illusion that he got the gun on the same day

When Louis met Jimmy and Louis and the Nazis

When Louis met the Nazis was a documentary about Louis Theroux visiting some Nazi's in America including a Nazi family consisting of two parents and two children, a White Revolution activist and a family of 'skinheads'. The documentary felt real since all of the events took place and all the emotions etc felt real, especially when the skinheads kept asking is Louis was a Jewish follower. Again, manipulation in time had been used but to keep the flow of the documentary and to keep the information clear and concise.

In the When Louis met Jimmy documentary, Louis had consistently asked Jimmy about his paedophilic rumours but Jimmy would deny and continue to talk about something else. This documentary felt real and authentic because of how later on Jimmy was found out to be a paedophile and he was exposed, but the way Jimmy had reacted to Louis' questions were authentic and real. 

The Thin Blue Line

The Thin Blue Line was a documentary about Randall Adams and David Harris and the murder of a police officer in Texas. 
We are the Lambeth Boys

This documentary followed a group of boys and girls through a general week of their lives. This documentary feels less authentic because some scenes appeared to be a little scripted and set up and some shots had suggested