Documentary information

 

Data and statistics regarding audiences:

Documentaries as a whole form statistics such as: a 44% increase in popularity from the beginning of 2021- the end of 2023

It shows how they are one of the most rapidly growing genres. Especially over the lockdown period, the demand for documentaries were exacebated and this is an influence of my topic of documentary when it came to planning.

In correlation with this, the number of documentaries produced has increased to 63%, which outweighs the demand suggesting saturation may ensue from the  genre.

As there was a considerable increase in interest during lockdown, this was influential in my chosen theme for my documentary billboards.

 

 

Popularity of documentaries:

Documentaries as a whole appeal  to a wide variety of people, as there is a large spectrum of different genres. A leading genre is true crime such as 'The case of Madeline McCann'. This is likely due to morbid curiosity and the social media attention it has gathered. It is also one of the most high profile cases, which attracts interests, probably due to the fact it has never been solved. In talking to people within the 16-25 age range, true crime seems to be the most popular genre for documentaries.

In the 1980s documentaries may not have been met with such a positive response by young people as their subject-matter may not have been so varied. During this time however, wildlife documentaries such as David Attenborough's 'The Living Planet' were becoming very popular and beginning to show close-up footage of nature that people hadn't really seen before.  As technology has developed, so has the way this genre can be filmed.  For example, 'Spy in the Wild' used animatronic creatures to get close enough to film behavioural responses and emotions. The first airing of this programme received 5.3 million viewers.  As technology has become more innovative, it has been easier to engage all audience demographics.

 

 

 

The History of Documentaries:

Documentaries throughout history have enhanced, influenced, built and changed our understanding of events and culture. They act as commemoration of significant events such as world wars to both educate and shine a light upon experiences of people perhaps lesser spoken about. It plays an important role in enlightening audiences whilst being interesting as well.

An example of one of the earlier and popular documentary developers were the Lumiere brothers. They created short films within the documentary genre such as: ‘Workers leaving the Lumière factory.’ (1895) It has been referred to as being an ‘actuality film’ due to the display and presentation of reality not influenced by a need to enforce a preferable narrative. However, there were still sparks of creativity and this was also the case in the camera angles and the creative choices to enhance the documentary's effect. It was a truthful depiction and unlike most films of the late 1980s.

Despite this early dabbling in this genre, a leading influence in the genre lay with filmmakers such as Dziga Vertov who was further passionate in emphasising the overall essence of the narrative being based on the real-life event. However, despite this, he strongly wanted to execute this through new ideas and methods rather than the usual way of that time. Also, during this time, the outlook from Russian officials - during the Russian Revolution - was that there should be inspiration sparked for the younger generation. As well as this, it was felt strongly that it would be beneficial to break away from the typical ‘Western commercialised cinema.’ In ‘His man with a movie camera’ Vertov experimented with use of the camera frames, angles and movement to reflect and immerse the ‘street life’ experience. The film is now renowned for having such influence and being a driving force for the cinema which followed.

Grierson, in comparison, used new skills such as editing his shots and actuality footage into a narrative and this seemed to appeal to greater audiences and this work such as: ‘Nanook of the North’ (1922) is referred to as the first full feature documentary. The effect of having the silence of words, yet the visual display of the character’s experience as an Eskimo hunter in the tough environment and terrain, creates a truthful depiction in the scenes. This was a leading pioneer into the more modern knowledge of what documentaries are.

Documentaries were also used massively during the time of World War two as a form of propaganda. It is an example of attempts to alter and mould public opinion and emphasises the effect and influence it can have. For this reason, this time frame saw an increased number of documentaries being created and was significant in evolving the purpose and use of them. There were many documentaries sponsored by governments in the United States to encourage those to get involved in the impending warfare. There were also many which spoke of the impact. A significant series of this time was the ‘Why we fight’ propaganda documentaries.

What would later be known as ‘The Golden Age’ for documentaries was the 1960s and 70s. This was due to advancements in technology and innovative skills learnt over the years within the evolving industry. The portable camera allowed for positive changes such as the ability to shoot at a chosen location meaning for better result often. It was also lighter for easier filming process. This was paired also with synch sound recorders, which was a pivotal enhancement for the development of documentary filming. There also appeared to be improvements in planning of structure and insight into the most effective means of conveying the plot.

It is likely as documentaries have grown and developed that a reason for the increasing popularity is the range of topics covered in the genre. There is likely documentary surrounding most interests. As of today, it seems that 'true crime' is a leading frontrunner in popularity, most likely due to morbid curiosity and intrigue.

In recent years, new information coming to light regarding various celebrities, renowned individuals etc,  has increased interest and in generating an emotional reaction. Future documentaries it appears will use technology such as AI this likely introducing new ways of attracting audience attention, creating innovative ways of presenting information and narratives which will likely develop a new way of viewing documentaries and likely causing a serge of interest.