Documentary Short Films

Documentary Film

to record, reveal, or preserve
to persuade or promote
to analyze or interrogate
to express

Can students think of documentary films fit into these categories?

Ask students to note down their thoughts on each example:
what seems to be the purpose of the film?
what different approaches can they identify?
(Now, ask them to consider the following list as the four distinct (but sometimes overlapping) purposes of documentary film (as suggested by Michael Renov):

to record, reveal, or preserve
to persuade or promote
to analyze or interrogate
to express

Can you think of documentary films fitting into these categories?
How are these different motives intersect?
Are there any other purposes they seek to fulfil?

Ask students to note down their thoughts
What seems to be the purpose of the film?
What different approaches can they identify?
use of narration, direct questioning, observational
What do they notice about the editing ?
How is story constructed?
What are the plot points?

challenge students to re-visit their definition of documentary