Documentary Film: A Very Short Introduction

Description

Beginning with an overview of the central issues of documentary filmmaking—its definitions and purposes, its forms and founders—Aufderheide focuses on several of its key subgenres, including public affairs films, government propaganda (particularly the works produced during World War II), historical documentaries, and nature films. Her thematic approach allows readers to enter the subject matter through the kinds of films that first attracted them to documentaries, and it permits her to make connections between eras, as well as revealing the ongoing nature of documentary's core controversies involving objectivity, advocacy, and bias.

• A lively, compact, introduction to documentary film —its history, genres, and controversies

About the Author(s)

Patricia Aufderheide, Director of the Center for Social Media and Professor in the Visual Media Division, School of Communication, American University

Reviews

"Always clear and concise... a welcome addition to the Very Short Introductions series." - The Observer