Early documentaries from the 1920s-1940s aimed to inform and persuade audiences, comparable to propaganda. The Nazi party used documentaries to spread propaganda in Germany. Technological advances in the 1950s-1970s increased documentary quality and popularity, with different directors adopting varied styles. Political documentaries in the 1960s-1970s pushed government views and focused on major events, also employing propaganda. Modern documentaries benefit from advanced technology to produce high quality films on recent history and current issues.

2. Early Documentaries 1920-40’s
In 1926 the term ‘documentary’ was first used, however prior to this films
were being created in a similar form of documentary which were
informative such as the 1922 Nanook of the North.
As interest in documentaries began to rise, there main functions was to
inform and persuade, comparable to propaganda due to the war
conditions present in the allied and axis countries which people were
experiencing.
The Nazi party used the documentaries to present propaganda which they
would show to the people of Germany to persuade them to act against the
Allies.
Examples of documentaries in this era include “The City” and the series
“Why we Fight”.

3. 1950’s -1970’s
Due to the technological advancement in this era the quality of
documentaries increased, therefore its popularity increased also.
Different styles of documentary were adopted by different
directors and multiple documentaries were created and released
to the public.
Examples of such documentaries include:
• “Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment”
• “Don’t Look Back”
• “Lonely Boy”

4. Political Documentaries
The use of political documentaries were driven in the era of the
1960s/70s in order to push forward the views of governments
onto the people below them. Detailed documentaries were
produced as a result of this, focusing on the major political
events in this era, again we are seeing documentaries created
for the use of propaganda.
An example of a political documentary created is “The Hour of
the Furnaces” which was created in 1968.

5. Modern Documentaries
In recent times, as we know technology has become increasingly advanced
over the years, allowing for modern filmmakers to produce highly aesthetical
documentaries. Documentaries today mainly focus on recent history or about
issues we are currently facing as a society. Through the use of highly
technological equipment such as high resolution cameras and other forms of
digital technologies, the different styles of documentary has been able to
evolve into what they are today.
Examples include:
• Inside North Korea
• Planet Earth
• Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum and Dad

6. What have I learnt from this and how
I can use this in my Documentary
From this I have learnt how documentaries have
developed over time and what types of documentary
was popular in different eras. This will help me when
creating my own documentary as I am now aware of
the styles of documentary that is popular in the
modern day, which include those which are highly
aesthetical due to advanced technological
equipment and also usually maintain a high pace.
Knowing this information should help me make our
documentary more successful as I can implement
this in our work.