Documentaries

Documentary is a nonfiction film that communicates some sort of message, history, or even just general information. I would argue that the main focus of any documentary is the attempt to represent some sort of truth or shed light on a subject an audience may or may not be familiar with.

I liked when Hampe said "I've thought a lot about what goes into a successful documentary. And by "successful" I mean a documentary that communicates to an audience exactly what you intended. That means I'm a theory maker" (12-13). I think that Hampe's reading communicates the dos and don'ts of documentary film making in an extremely scientific way. So when Hampe communicated the idea that he was a "theory maker" I thought it fit perfectly. Films that aren't documentaries are usually shot for entertainment purposes while documentaries attempt to educate or persuade their audience.

I think that Hampe's opinion on incorporating interviews into documentary films was particularly significant and something to take into consideration when we film are own documentaries about technology. An interview is undoubtedly going to be a part of the assignment. "A major problem with interviews is that they're about people talking when your goal should be to show things happening" (6-7). I think that my first reaction to our assignment would have been to simply focus on an interview. Hampe's point about the negatives of doing just that propelled me to think of something more clever for my own assignment.


Hampe, Barry. Making Documentary Films and Reality Videos. Henry Holt and Company, New York: 1997.