DEFINITION OF DOCUMENTARY 2

Definition of Documentary

When it comes to defining documentary films many people simply hold it to be the
opposite of fiction films. Based on this view, documentary films are considered to be nothing
more than representatives of reality and based entirely on factual information. Both Patricia
Aufderheide in Documentary Film: A Very Short Introduction and Sheila Curran Bernard in
Documentary Storytelling dispute this definition of documentaries.
In Defining Documentary Film Henrik Juel agrees with both Patricia Aufderheide and
Sheila Curran Bernard in their view that documentaries are not a simple representation of reality.
They are much more than just that. According to Juel, documentaries are artistic, manipulative,
and have a message that they try to pass to audiences (Juel, 2006). They are not just a
representation of facts or a mirror of reality. In fact, Juel argues that documentaries are similar to
fiction except for the fact that they are grounded in reality (Juel, 2006).
In this regard, Juel’s characterization of documentaries is similar to that of Aufderheide
and Bernard. Aufderheide holds that documentaries are not just a representation of actuality but
artistic representation of actuality (Aufderheide, 2007). Like fiction films, they also seek to
entertain through use of violence, sex, and sensationalism. Bernard supports this point when she
notes that documentaries seek to tell a good story, not a boring fact-filled story with no clear
message (Bernard, 2015).
Thus, in defining a documentary, Henrik Juel, while using different words, makes the
same conclusion as Aufderheide and Bernard. That a documentary is not a representation of
reality or a way of conveying facts; it artistic, subjective, entertaining, manipulative, and seeks to
sell an idea to the public.

DEFINITION OF DOCUMENTARY 3

References

Aufderheide, P. (2007). Documentary film: A very short introduction. Oxford University Press.
Bernard, S. C. (2015). Documentary storytelling. Focal Press. Available from
http://proquest.safaribooksonline.com/book/video/9781135015817/chapter-1-
introduction/ht0010_html
Juel, H. (2006). Defining Documentary Film. Danish Journal of Film Studies