International Encyclopedia of Communication Online

Extract

Among the qualities that distinguish films considered documentary are: (1) explicit reference to the historical world that surrounds the film, (2) a persuasive effort that encourages viewers to see or understand some aspect of the actual world in a particular way, and (3) an indexical relationship between the image and the reality it refers to. Indexical images match in their particulars the physical appearance of what they represent (→  Documentary Film, History of ; Film Genres ). They do not possess a general likeness to a model or referent, as a →  painting would; they are closer to an exact replica of what came before the camera. The cinematic image can capture the look of a person, place, or event precisely. The optical properties of cameras, lenses, and recording media – from film to memory cards – capture aspects of the world with great precision. This allows the indexical image to serve as documentary evidence, as footage from surveillance cameras demonstrates. The offsetting fact that images can be creatively altered or politically manipulated, be they celluloid or digital, allows for expressive or persuasive intent to complicate the relation of the documentary image to reality. Documentaries are not raw documents or evidence in the way a medical X-ray is. They are complex forms of communication and, like any other form of communication, they convey something of their ... log in or subscribe to read full text