What is the history behind a documentary? Who first came up with the idea? What were the first documentaries to start the genre?
Until the 1920s, film was limited to a short clip because of lack of technological innovations. These films were short clips of one scene, and called "actuality" films. These films evolved over time, from the 1890s to 1920 from "actuality" films to "travelogue films." Travelogue films are considered "travel documentaries" that were used to introduce different parts of the world in the early 20th centurty. It wasn't unitl 1922 that the term "documentary" began to be used.
The "Father Of Documentaries" and "pioneer of documentary film" is Robert J. Flaherty. Born in Iron Mountain, Michigan in 1884, his life was destined for prosecting iron. Without much schooling, Flaherty worked prospecting iron ore for ten years, where he gained his information for the his first film--and the first "documentary" film ever, Nanook of The North. After his first success, he worked in the field of film for the rest of his life. Working in London, England and the United States, he traveled the world filming documentaries. Although none of his other works matched, Nanook of the North, he is widely considered the "father of documentary film."
This week in class:
A) This week we watched a film called The Persuaders. Another documentary, this one focused on the effects and techniques of large-scale marketing campagins in the United States. The film focused on the starting of "Song Airlines," an airline targeted toward women, and it's unique marketing camapign. It shows the amount of science and market research that goes into a marketing campaign, and the flaws of Song's failure. The other topic we covered this week was that of our midterm documentary project. We spent some of class focusing on our "storyboards" for each of our documentaries. Never before did I realize how much planning goes into a documentary, or how much footage one has to sift through before getting a key edited part.
B) The Persuaders was an eye-opening documentary into realizing how much science goes into tricking the consumer to buy something. The most interesting part of the documentary to me was when they interveiwed a Frenchman who had moved to the United States and lived in a manison in a wealthy part of New York. There, he held seminars for corporate advertisers to learn "the code" of a successful marketing campaigns. It fascinates me that coporations will pay this man millions of dollars for advertising ideas, but advertising and the amount of "stuff" the consumer buys effects a company's success. On average, a better marketed product will make more money than other competitors. My own documentary, HYPE, is about the "hype" of Harry Potter 7. I atteneded the premier last Thursday in order to video and interview those people who attend the midnight premiere, staying out till three in the morning, to claim they are the first to see the film.
C) In The Persuaders, one of the main topics is that creating a product or advertising campaign that creates a culture or lifestyle. One example they use for this created "culture" is apple's iPod. My own example is Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling has created a product that, ultimately, has become an icon for thousands of poeple around the globe. In just Midlothain, Virginia, the entire "Commenwealth Stadium" movie theatre was sold out on Thursday, November 18th at midnight in order of the public to view the new product first. People dress up like characters, join websites, and buy their tickets in July because of this craze. The Persuaders goal is to allow this kind of craze over a store-bought product. When people's emotions, memories and passions become involved in a media product, that is when the corporations know they have completeled their goal, and then they make a lot money.
Question for Next Week:
In my research this week, I found a site by the "International Documentary Association." What is this association about? What films does it sponsor? It is accredited all over the world? When was it founded?
Sources:
Kuhn, Annete. "Flaherty, Robert." Screen Online, The Definitive Guide to Britian's Film and TV History. Web. 27 Nov. 2010. http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/480547/.
"Documentary Film." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 27 Nov. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentary_film.
"Robert J. Flaherty - IMDb." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 27 Nov. 2010. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0280904/.
International Documentary Association. Web. 27 Nov. 2010.
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