This morning, I'd like to begin with what seems like a straightforward question: What is a documentary filmmaker? At first glance, the answer seems simple, but the more I pondered it, the more complex it became.
A documentary filmmaker captures real life and transforms it into an enlightening experience for the audience.
Capturing Real Life
Let's unpack "captures real life." If a camera crew followed you for a few weeks, would they capture your real life? Our real lives don't have scripts, performances, or fabrications, right? But consider this: I'm reading a prepared keynote address, and afterward, I'll have scripted conversations with some of you. Is that real life?
When you recount events from your life, do you embellish, leave things out, or edit your stories? This is true for documentary filmmakers as well. Many documentaries are scripted. Even acclaimed ones like "Frontline" or "Icarus," which won an Oscar for Best Documentary, involve scripts and credited screenwriters. Editing also plays a crucial role in shaping the narrative, influencing what the audience sees and feels.
Performances and Reenactments
Documentary filmmakers don’t typically use actors, but there's debate about this. Joshua Oppenheimer’s "The Act of Killing" involved a man recreating scenes from past atrocities. This technique can reveal deeper truths and bring about a reckoning with historical horrors. Oppenheimer called his film a "documentary of the imagination," suggesting that staging can provide a prism through which we view reality.
Performance is inherent in human nature; we alter ourselves in front of a camera. This brings up the issue of fabrication in documentaries. Barbara Kopple, a two-time Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker, once highlighted that a film felt untrustworthy because the filmmaker seemingly orchestrated events for the film. The audience can often sense such fabrications.
The Gray Area of Documentary Ethics
Documentaries sometimes assert falsehoods, spreading dangerous misinformation, such as Holocaust denial or conspiracy theories. But this doesn't equate all staged scenes to falsehoods. For instance, Robert Flaherty's "Nanook of the North" staged scenes to portray the lives of the Inuit tribe.
Errol Morris’s "The Thin Blue Line" used reenactments to uncover truth and led to the release of a wrongly imprisoned man. However, these techniques can raise ethical questions, as seen with the documentary "Under the Wire," where reenactments without disclosure caused discomfort among some audiences.
Documentary Filmmaker as Journalist
Documentary filmmakers often resemble journalists, pursuing the truth and challenging misinformation. The Washington Post's Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the Alabama Senate election exemplifies journalistic integrity. Similarly, documentary filmmakers like Matt Heinemann capture raw, immersive footage, trusting viewers to draw their own conclusions.
Documentary Filmmaker as Historian
Claude Lanzmann’s "Shoah" and Frederick Wiseman's observational documentaries demonstrate how filmmakers act as historians, documenting and preserving stories for future generations. These films offer raw insights into institutions and historical events, encouraging viewers to learn and reflect.
Documentary Filmmaker as Therapist
Documentaries can also serve a therapeutic role, helping subjects and viewers alike understand and cope with challenges. Films like "Life, Animated" and "Murderball" empower audiences by showcasing personal struggles and triumphs.
Documentary Filmmaker as Political Activist
Filmmakers like Michael Moore use documentaries to advocate for causes and challenge societal injustices. Films such as "Hotel Terminus" and "Grizzly Man" blend personal passion with political activism, urging audiences to confront uncomfortable truths.
Documentary Filmmaker as Poet
Werner Herzog's work exemplifies the poetic side of documentary filmmaking. His films are lyrical and ethereal, offering a unique perspective on reality. Herzog's approach emphasizes the emotional and philosophical aspects of storytelling.
Defining Documentary Filmmakers
A documentary filmmaker is a journalist, historian, therapist, activist, and poet. They are not stenographers, publicists, or mere observers. The best documentaries challenge us, provoke thought, and illuminate the world around us. As the nature of truth faces unprecedented challenges, documentary filmmakers play a vital role in our society.
By Sal Framondi,
CEO/Founder, OPPRIME.tv
Producer, Black Filmmakers Matter
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