Purpose of a Documentary

[Danny]

To those who enjoy documentaries --

Do you watch these films to be inspired, persuaded, provoked, or any of that? Or, are you more interested in having the facts laid out in an unbiased manner which allows you to make up your own mind?

[ewd76]

It depends on the topic.

[Guy]

I don't think it's possible to make a film without bias or point of view. The question is whether the documentary has a clearly discernible point of view that also tells a story, or stories well. Nobody wants to watch 80 or 90 minutes of statistics scroll down a screen, the audience demands a story. So the points need to be made while a narrative unfolds. If the documentary maker makes her point of view clear, the audience can make up its own mind as to whether it agrees with that P.O.V. and evaluate the content accordingly.

[Guy]

I need to add, there is a tradition of polemical film making where the film maker does whatever they can to sway the audience's thoughts and emotions, with no quarter asked and none given. The film maker may not believe that a "fair and balanced" presentation of the subject is possible or desirable.
As we know, this can backfire when an audience senses that they are being manipulated and and reacts negatively to the information being presented.

[Wretched]

Do you watch these films to be inspired, persuaded, provoked, or any of that?

That and more. I want to be entertained and educated. Now, that doesn't mean that a documentary is imparting knowledge which is then processed unfiltered. I can learn as much from documentaries that employ disingenuous and dishonest methods (both Fahrenheit 911 and Fahren-hype 911 are good examples), as I can from those that stay as fair and objective as is possible, which is extremely difficult when you consider that editing has to take place. A documentary will never decide anything for me. If I am interested in a subject on which there is a documentary, I will watch it and then weigh it according to how much it is corroborated from as many varied sources as are available.

[ewd76]

I like Michael Moore because he tells it like it is and is completely unbiased.

[Wretched]

Exactly. Just like Bill O'Reilly.

[The Omnipotent Mr. Tinkles]

I will watch several doc's on the same subject, that way I can get a better "view" of what the truth is in the subject matter.

Doc's are made biased to the people who are producing it, so I think its better to watch several different companies doc's on the same subject, that way you can decipher the truth for yourself.

I love documentaries anyway. I love the fact that they have made educational shows very informative and entertaining nowdays.


DISCOVERY CHANNEL RULES!!!!!!!
So does the History Channel and the Travel Channel!!!

[Aces (CHawk)]

I've always been a fan of docs but just like what you read, you can't believe everything you watch. I like them for entertainment and information. Here's two lists of my favorite docs:

Excellent Docs - Hey, when I got this link I noticed Crumb is on Watch Instantly. If you haven't see that it's excellent!

I want my candy-cause these Docs made me cry. Not all docs - a couple are movies based on true stories.

I agree Discovery Channel is great - also the History Channel !!!

[Danny]

Man...I couldn't get through The Bridge. It was getting a little too depressing for me, which doesn't happen to me very often with movies. Very interesting documentary, though.

[Replicant Rachael]

a good documentary makes me wish that the film reels in school had been like that. I want to feel that I learned something I didn't know, or have the material presented from a point of view that has not been shown before. Of course it has to be engaging, or I'll just end up doodling on my coffee table instead of my desk

[Mort in Detroit]

Thank you! I'm tired of people saying documentaries shouldn't be biased. They should be rooted in truth, but they needn't be unbiased.