Directing the Documentary, 6th Edition

CHAPTER 4

CONSTRUCTING REALITY

 

 

 

THE “CONTRACT” AND EXPOSITION

Opening any dramatic work takes art and verve, or you lose your audience. The exposition (background or scene-setting information) is part of the opening contract you offer your audience. This implies a promise by the maker to the audience about the film’s purview, style, and purpose. It tries to set up the world of its central characters as economically and appealingly as possible. At this book’s website www.directingthedocumentary.com you can run 12 minutes from Legacy (USA, 2000) and Omar and Pete (USA, 2005), two documentaries by the Academy Award nominee Tod Lending, and see how each implies its purview and intentions. You can also see four 5-minute student documentaries ...