Documentary

The root of this word is the Latin word documentum&sbquo which means document&sbquo certificate or factual article. The documentary filmmaker John Grierson started using this word in the 1920s. As to film documentation&sbquo the Lumiere brothers (Louis & Auguste)&sbquo known as the fathers of cinema&sbquo shot La sortie des Usines (Factory's exit) which is said to be the origin of documentary film. Stemming from its definition as an interpretation of the world (comprising scenes of people and nature&sbquo and the course of events and incidents)&sbquo documentary has ever since been defined as the creative dramatization of actuality&sbquo or the dramatization of living truth&sbquo live scenes or live themes. While there are varying considerations and opinions concerning documentary&sbquo its common notation is summarized by a single word: "record." At the beginning&sbquo recording facts with cameras was highly trusted. In recent years&sbquo however&sbquo the mastery of various methods and editing skills has diluted this notation. As shooting is now done for editing&sbquo this reversal of status has strengthened the trend of placing importance on editing&sbquo and the subjective view of the filmmaker has begun to cause an amalgam of trustworthy contents and biased views. This is because the filmmaker's professional view&sbquo her philosophy of journalism&sbquo and relationship with the subject are reflected in the work. This means that it is necessary to reexamine such production methods as shooting&sbquo editing&sbquo supervising&sbquo directing&sbquo recording&sbquo and dispatching of the expressive format we call the documentary. In video editing especially&sbquo it has become difficult to verify the situation and evidence since reality and virtual reality are blended thanks to digital technology. While there may be no means other than to trust the professional ethics of the filmmakers and editors&sbquo this expressive format remains important.

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