The purpose of documentaries varies from film to film. Many documentary filmmakers attempt to change or improve society in some way with their documentaries. Their goal is to bring to light a certain cause or injustice with the hope that their film will help galvanize the masses to demand change.

Not only do documentaries provide an opportunity to understand and connect with the world, they are also a great way to gather together with friends to watch and engage around the important issues of our times. Watching more documentaries is important, but talking about them together in person is equally important.

Most people see documentaries as completely factual and take them more seriously because of the more serious issues that are covered. Yes, it is true that documentaries are considered non-fiction, but the reality of the subject is questionable and apocryphal.

To change the world is a big goal, and yet documentary film can sometimes bring this goal within reach. One of the greatest strengths of the medium of documentary filmmaking is its ability to capture the cultural zeitgeist, as well as to bring an issue or a slice of society to a wider audience’s awareness.

Documentaries deal exclusively with facts and real-life events. The main purpose of a documentary is to inform and educate. Despite their differences, both feature films and documentaries use cinematography and follow a script.

To him, documentaries are especially appealing because they can change the world. So all over the world, you can see documentaries having an effect.” Some of the most popular documentaries give a voice to victims of injustice or abuse, as in documentaries about Harvey Weinstein, Roger Ailes, Bill Cosby and R.

Documentary History Highlights The very first films (pre-1900’s) were called “actuality films” because they captured short snippets of real “actual” events, such as a boat pulling up to the dock or workers leaving a factory. So in essence, the first movies ever made were documentaries, also called newsreels.

Man with a Movie Camera

A “movie” refers to a motion picture, but “the movies” or a “movie theater” refers to the place in which one sees films. In the US, “film” can also refer to a single motion picture, but it is less common and has a more serious connotation, while “movie” is the more colloquial term.