Rhetoric in
Documentary
Film

Great thanks to Andy
Carvin
(andycarvin.com)

What is a Documentary?

A filmed production that uses footage of real events,
interviews, animation, and other film techniques to either
inform or persuade about a nonfiction subject.

Things to think about

Story Structure
•The Tease
•The Body
•The Conclusion

Tease: Establishing shot of U Street,
montage of activity; Why is its history
relevant today?
Body: History of U Street; archival
footage from library, old postcards; jazz
and civil rights; interviews w/ community
members, parents, grandparents; recent
trends
Conclusion: What does the future hold?

A-Roll

B-Roll
Image
Credit:
Grunt.com

Why?

Narration

“Voice of God”

Establishing Shots

Transitions

Transtions
• Cut: simplest transition from one shot to
the next, usually in same location and time
frame
• Dissolve: graduate transition where shots
overlap; often used to show change in
location/time
• Wipe: special effect transition where one
scene seems to \"wipe away\" the other scene
• Fade to Black: Scene literally goes
black;end of chapter or story

Transitions

Point of View
• What is the purpose of this
documentary?
• Is the mode persuasive or
informative?
• How do the choices the filmmaker
makes reflect bias or intent?

Credits:
• Image Credit: Grunt.com
• Image Credit: Warhistorian.com
• Image Credit: www.film.dc.gov