History of TV Documentaries

 

Documentaries & Filmmaking

 

The history behind documentaries began with late nineteenth century “actuality films”, these were short slices of real life which evolved with pioneers like Robert Flaherty’s Nanook of the North (1922). The term “documentary” was not used until 1926. Documentaries became powerful propaganda during World Wars but transformed in the 1950’s-60’s with portable equipment, fostering styles like cinema verité, meaning lighter cameras and sound equipment enabling observational styles, and later diversified across the television and the internet. Some of the “best” documentaries made are classics including The Thin Blue Line, The Act of Killing, Dear Zachery and many others, these are all often praised for their impact, storytelling and exploration of complex human truths.

In more modern documentaries, box office analysts have noted that the documentary genre has become increasingly successful in theatrical releases with films including Fahrenheit 9/11, March of the Penguins etc. Compared to dramatic narrative films, documentaries usually have way lower budgets which make them more liked and attractive to film companies due to the high profitability.

Filmmaking first began with optical toys and early experiments in motion, leading to the first public screening by the Lumiere brothers, Auguste and Louis, in 1895 which was evolving silent narrative to synchronized sound with The Jazz Singer (1927), exploding into Hollywood’s Golden Age. This led to pioneering global movements like French New Wave, transforming with special effects and CGI in the blockbuster era (Jurassic Park, Toy Story), and eventually democratizing with digital and technology streaming. Between 1910’s-40’s, silent cinema was popular for using visual storytelling. The Lumiere brothers were French pioneers in photography and film, famous for inventing the Cinematographe and holding the first public film screening in 1985. They developed early motion picture technology and produced short films, capturing everyday life.