The Fictional Documentary

A documentary film is a nonfictional motion picture intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record

-Wikipedia

Ken Burns is a documenatry filmmaker creating works about aspects of American Culture and history, most notably "The Civil War", "Baseball" and "Jazz". He is associated with the editing style that favors panning over still photographs with interviews and voice actors complimented with direct interviews of historians etc. In all his films, there is ample amounts of verifiable information- witness accounts, newspaper articles, historical research, etc. His organization of all these elements lends to an informative educational experience.

Click here to view a small portion of Ken Burns' documentary "The Civil War".

In contrast, there are many documentaries that stray toward the edge of believability. Namely the documentaries alleging the existence of mythic creatures (Big Foot, Loch Ness Monster etc.) These works clearly are not intentionally comical but stem from the filmmakers true urge to explore or capture evidence. While the subject often remains elusive, the actual process of the search lends credibility to the film.

The Monster of Loch Ness Documentary

HOMEWORK:

Please view Banksy's "Exit through the Gift Shop". On your blog write a post of about three paragraphs analyzing the work and consider these issues- 

Which elements are believable? (Specific examples)

Which elements are not believable? (Specific examples)

What is the morale/ purpose of this fictional documentary?

Additionally, after meeting with your partner and briefly discussing your collaboration, for homework brainstorm 5 ideas for the fictional documentary topic. Bring to class on Wednesday so we may review in partners.