The document discusses the theory and history of documentaries. It states that the aim of documentaries is to report real events and situations using real footage and reconstructions. Documentaries can cover political, historical, social, and cultural issues as long as they are based on facts. The documentary genre was developed in the 1930s by John Grierson and his team at the General Post Office. Grierson coined the term "documentary" in 1926 and shot real people and situations without analysis.

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Theory of Documentary

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The Aim of a Documentary
 The aim of any documentary is to report something that is real, with evidence.
Documentaries are made up of real life footage and reconstructions of events
and/or situations. This is done to contrast and question what the interviewee is
saying. They also include narration to anchor meaning, however most of the
time the narrator is not seen.
“What distinguishes a
documentary is the
portrayal of sound and
images of actuality.” (John
Corner 1995)
 Documentaries can be based on the following; political, historical, social, cultural and
religious issues. All documentaries have to be based on fact, however real evidence is
sometimes unavailable so we use reconstructions of past events to demonstrate what
happened these reconstructions don‟t have to contain analysis some do, however some
don‟t.

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The History of Documentaries
 The documentary genre was been developed in the 1930‟s by John Grierson and his
team at the General Post Office.

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John Grierson
 In 1926 John Grierson came up with the term „Documentary‟
“The creativity of actuality”
 John Grierson shot real people and real situations in a real
environment

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