| Synopsis: |
Dave Saunders' spirited introduction to documentary covers its history, cultural context and development, and the approaches, controversies and functions pertaining to non-fiction filmmaking. Saunders examines the many methods by which documentary conveys meaning, whilst exploring its differing societal purposes. After a historical consideration of international documentary production, the author examines the impact of recent technological developments on the production, distribution and viewing of non-fiction. In addition, he explores the increasingly hazy distinctions between factual and dramatic formats, discussing 'reality television', the 'docu-drama', and less orthodox approaches including animated and fantastical representations of reality. Documentary encompasses a broad range of academic discourse around non-fiction filmmaking, introducing readers to the key filmmakers, major scholars, central debates and critical ideas relating to the form.This wide-ranging guidebook features global releases from the 1920s through to 2009, and includes films such as: *Nanook of the North (1922) *The Man with the Movie Camera (1929) *Night Mail (1936) *Night and Fog (1955) *Primary (1960) *Roger and Me (1989) *Tarnation (2003) *My Winnipeg (2006) *Sicko (2007) *Waltz With Bashir (2008) *Say My Name (2009) *Anvil: The Story of Anvil (2009) |