While the conventional documentary is an acquired taste for some, many don’t realize the relevance of non-fiction storytelling in modern settings. There are so many sub-genres in documentary filmmaking it’s hard to keep track. However, there are a few sub-genres that stand out among the rest.
Sub-genres
True Crime documentaries tend to fall on the more popular sub-genre of non-fiction storytelling. This is most likely due to the fact that true crime is a story in itself, making it naturally entertaining to follow. High profile serial killers are more often the subject of these films. It’s an examination of humanity and tries to answer the impossible question of why and how someone could commit such violent offenses. However, a negative about these documentaries is the tendency to romanticize these serial killers. Filmmakers get wrapped up into the tragic backstories of killers and occasionally force an answer as to why – even though in some cases there is no reason why. Then, in worse cases, gloss over the horrific details of their victims to keep the focus on the glorified Anti-Hero.
Why Documentaries?
The problem with this goes back to the core of why these documentaries are made. They inherently are meant to condem. Ted Bundy, a man who had a strong hatred of women, who raped, murdered and desecrated their bodies – should not be celebrated or sympathized with. It’s understandable to be interested in a case such as this – but by no means should anyone be idolizing this man.
Era Documentaries
Another compelling example of a true crime documentary emerges from the era-focused docuseries, The Seventies. One particular episode focused on the high rise of crime and an upsurge of cults in the decade, the main focus being the infamous Charles Manson. Manson is another popular killer, hopelessly romanticized in the media. However, this episode did a great job of embracing the oddity of Manson. Meaning, they didn’t shy away from his crimes. He was a psychopath and they portrayed him as a psychopath.
Era documentaries is a specific niche that I recently discovered. These documentaries can focus on a wide variety of topics: pop culture, music, politics, true crime, etc. What they all have in common with one another is the era they emerged or occurred in. Moreover, an underlying theme of the documentary piece involves examining the influences that era-specific culture had on those topics.
Docuseries
The docuseries is fairly non-biased, spewing out textbooks facts and straight forward tellings on the events of each decade. An additional plus of the series is that they favor clips of old films, television, and news reels rather than sticking to cheesy reenactments. Nothing can take a viewer out of a film as much as a badly executed reenactment. Plus, what better way to understand that period’s culture than to look at what was being produced at that time?
Celebrity Stories
Perfect Balance
First and foremost, every documentary should have a balance between being informative and being entertaining. Without entertainment, a documentary can become a visual representation of a textbook. On the other hand, without useful information, it wouldn’t be a documentary – it would be a reality show. Regardless of what documentaries you prefer, the most basic principal they should execute is bringing light to different forms of reality and educating an audience on topics through a general or unique perspective.