Have you watched a documentary lately? If so, what was your viewing experience like? What did the film require of you as a viewer? How did the experience compare to watching an action film or a drama?
As the name suggests, documentary films document something: a real-life event, person, or phenomenon. Documentary filmmakers use techniques such as investigative reporting, research of archival footage, and primary research, including interviews with people who are connected to the subject of the film. Documentaries are usually feature-length films.
A popular type of documentary is one that combines reporting and social or political critique. Michael Moore’s documentaries Bowling for Columbine, which studied the high rate of gun violence in the United States and won the 2002 Academy Award for Documentary Feature, and Sicko, which focused on the American healthcare system, both got lots of attention from the public.
Another popular type of documentary is the science or nature documentary; these films are often shown in IMAX theaters in nature and science museums. The IMAX film Everest documents the challenges and disasters encountered by a group of climbers in the face of Mount Everest. The documentary film Grizzly Man traces Timothy Treadwell’s summers living and ultimately dying with wild bears in Alaska.
Biographical documentaries often focus on the life of a famous person, for example, Imagine: John Lennon. This type of documentary often mixes present-day interviews with archival footage and audio: Imagine uses television and film footage from Lennon’s time with the Beatles and his solo career, as well as audio voiceover clips from recorded interviews.
Documentary films are often released for theater viewing. Science and nature documentaries are often shown at museums, aquariums, and planetariums. It’s also possible to find documentary films online, at sites such as Top Documentary Films.