Document Type
Essay
Publication Date
Spring 2022
Abstract
Documentary can be defined as motion picture that shapes and interprets factual material for purposes of education or entertainment. The problem with most documentary films, though, is that the filmmaker never does enough in their film. Filmmakers are too focused on simply exposing the truth on the issues being filmed and not focused enough on providing solutions for these issues. This is something apparent in all genres of documentary, from cinema verité, which Bill Nichols explains, “seldom offered the sense of history, context, or perspective that viewers seek” (640), to observational film, which “appears to leave the driving to us. No one tells us about the sights we pass or what they mean” (642). Despite each film varying greatly in topic, film style, and the filmmaker’s role, Titicut Follies, Hoop Dreams, Capturing the Friedmans, and Chronicle of a Summer each have a set goal: uncover the truth by any means, unveil it to the audience, and leave them to figure out the rest. These films all testify to the documentarian’s focus on awareness in their films without providing solutions to the issues they uncover, leaving the audience to figure out if and how they want to make a change.
Recommended Citation
Litofsky, Amy, "The Role of the Filmmaker: Truth and Awareness" (2022). Richard T. Schellhase Essay Prize in Ethics. 40.
https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/ethics_essay/40
Comments
Honorable mention prize winner.