WHERE IS THE POWER OF DOCUMENTARY FILM COMING FROM?
by Patryk Rebisz

Not every documentary film is created equal. Their power often comes from vastly different places than narrative films.

Because of its nature, documentary films can rely on the perceived honesty of experience – you know that the story is not a creation of fantasy (interviews with characters that were ‘there’ or footage from ‘there’). The speakers end up acting as living museum artifacts of the experience. Somehow the viewer acts as an investigator trying to learn the subtext between the lines spoken.

The reality of experience gives birth to introspective quotations/profound statements on part of the characters. Statements are made by real people and are not like lines delivered by actors on director’s orders; the quotes are products of the “moment”, inspired by reality.

Similar to narrative films, the bravado of the main character, the otherness, the drive towards a goal so often missing in our reality is a necessary element. Likewise, a powerful documentary film needs a compelling character or on-camera personality. So not everyone is indeed a rich character for a film. It's job of the filmmaker to find the "driving force" in the film if it's not the story's character.

The use of stock footage enhances our understanding of the events portrayed in a doc, and throughout the doc our understanding of the stock footage changes. Familiar events gain a new meaning. Well chosen stock footage leads us to meaningful images captured during filming. Because images are not “made-up” we detect greater power of said images. The images are not just an artifact of one man’s imagination as is the case with narrative films, but rather the "imagination of the universe" with the man privileged to capture those images on camera.

Lastly, let's not forget about captivating subject matter because by learning about something you were not aware of, you learn more about yourself and how you perceive the world.