Non-fiction moving image, and its ethical problems.
8 topics · 7 curated works
No prior grounding assumed.
The Field Guide to Sponsored Films
Rick Prelinger · 2006
Argues thousands of industrial, educational and advertising films dismissed as ephemera are in fact a vast and under-catalogued historical record,…
+1 more at this level
Assumes you know the vocabulary.
First Principles of Documentary
John Grierson · 1932
Defines documentary as 'the creative treatment of actuality' and argues its value lies in dramatising real social material for civic purposes, not in…
+1 more at this level
Primary sources and full treatments.
The Camera and Man
Jean Rouch · 1974
Argues the camera itself provokes truth from its subjects rather than merely observing it, so the ethnographic filmmaker must become a visible…
+2 more at this level
7 works
Rick Prelinger
Argues thousands of industrial, educational and advertising films dismissed as ephemera are in fact a vast and under-catalogued historical record, and provides the reference tools to identify and preserve them.
link checked 17 Sept 2026Patricia Aufderheide, Peter Jaszi & Mridu Chandra
Surveys working documentary filmmakers on real ethical dilemmas and finds they converge on protecting vulnerable subjects and honouring viewers with accuracy, more than on any written code.
link checked 17 Sept 2026John Grierson
Defines documentary as 'the creative treatment of actuality' and argues its value lies in dramatising real social material for civic purposes, not in simply recording fact.
link checked 17 Sept 2026Rhys T. Howlett et al.
Surveys a large sample of wildlife documentaries and finds they systematically over-represent large vertebrates and glamorous species, skewing public attention away from the insects and plants that make up most of biodiversity.
link checked 17 Sept 2026Jean Rouch
Argues the camera itself provokes truth from its subjects rather than merely observing it, so the ethnographic filmmaker must become a visible participant instead of a hidden observer.
link failing as of 17 Sept 2026Laura Rascaroli
Argues 'essay film' names a real and coherent mode — a first-person, reflective address to the viewer that thinks in public — rather than a loose label critics apply to any unconventional documentary.
link checked 17 Sept 2026Eleanor Louson
Argues the wildlife genre's own 'making-of' documentaries perform authenticity for the audience, showing crews' hardship and technical struggle to reassure viewers the footage is real even as filming becomes ever more staged.