History Of Documentaries

History of Documentaries 

1895- 
This is the year when documentaries began, when the first films were invented by the Lumiere brothers. They created a camera that could only withstand 50 feet worth of filming. These films were short and unedited and they were called 'actualities'. There most famous film 'Un train arrivee' showed a train pulling into a station and the audiences were so shocked to see moving photographs.

1922-
Documentaries that we know of today began with 'Nanook of the North' and this was created by Robert Flaherty. This was the first feature length factual film using the 'creative interpretation of reality'

1930's-
Grierson created a poetic approach to documentaries. His film 'Nightmail' began as an international film using poetic elements of the film form.

1935-
'triumph of the will' is a documentary film renowned for its camera movement and for the first documentary to use political propaganda.

1950's-1960's-
The next major development was called 'Direct Cinema'. Its aim was to create political and social events directly. Cameras also developed in this time therefore allowing them to be handheld making recording more spontaneous.
Cinema vérité is a french cinema movement created around this time. It heavily uses handheld camera movements, diegetic sound and natural lighting. It falsely convinces the audience that they are directly viewing the film

1980's-
Rockumentaries use the typical codes and conventions of a documentary and makes the audience think it is factual when really it isn't.

2000s-
An enormous rash of television programs utilizing some of the techniques of cinema vérité hit the network and cable airwaves—so called "reality TV." These include MTV’s Real World and programmes such as big brother.