44
votes
Accepted
Making nature documentaries: scripting then filming or the other way?
This article is a very interesting read on nature documentaries.
It seems that yes, generally, a nature documentary does at least some scripting first. For example, on the BBC's documentary series '...
- 1,862
33
votes
Accepted
Is there a given name for "fake documentaries" posing as educational programming?
2 different terms cover it. Docufiction:
is the cinematographic combination of documentary and fiction, this term often meaning narrative film.
It is a film genre which attempts to capture reality ...
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16
votes
Making nature documentaries: scripting then filming or the other way?
Well there is only so much you can plan ahead.
Just look at David Attenborough's experience with baby gorillas.
There is a youtube video of him and the crew thinking back to that time. I think it ...
- 260
8
votes
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Does NASA make any money from space documentaries and movies?
Maybe, But Probably Not
This page on the NASA web site tells us a lot. Generally, NASA media is free to use, so they won't be getting any money from it:
NASA content - images, audio, video, and ...
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7
votes
Accepted
What happened to Jiří Menzel's documentary about Croatia?
It is called "Vaše moře, naše moře" (Your Sea, Our Sea), can be seen here. I did not find any English reference to this work though.
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7
votes
Accepted
Why was Live PD cancelled?
Primarily the answer is 'public relations'. The events of the last few weeks (principally the death of George Floyd) have significantly changed the public perception of the police and the Black Lives ...
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6
votes
Accepted
Are David Attenborough documentaries still dubbed in the US?
They were but possibly not anymore
Planet Earth was made in 2006.
Since then there have been 3 major David Attenborough productions that were also shown in the US, along with a 4th that may have ...
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6
votes
What is the first mockumentary style show?
There are a lot of great mockumentary style comedy shows such as The
Office, Parks and Recreation, Modern Family, etc. My question is who
invented this style? Who was the first to make a show or a ...
- 6,095
6
votes
Accepted
What's the point of only releasing a documentary in a very small number of theaters rather than streaming it on the Internet?
There are release requirements for some awards, such as the Academy Awards and NY Film Critics Circle awards. This might be the biggest in-theatre release they could get and they went with it for ...
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5
votes
Accepted
Why didn't the 19th Academy Awards award the Best Documentary Feature?
I dug into this with a couple friends this afternoon, and to the best of our ability it would appear there were simply no qualifying films for this year.
Here's the list of, at least current, ...
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5
votes
Is "Let There Be Light" (1946) a real documentary?
The terms "real documentary" and "staged" are not, in fact, mutually exclusive. Most documentaries are staged to a greater or lesser extent. You can't really make a documentary by ...
- 2,057
5
votes
Accepted
Does the CBS documentary that is a plot element in Masters of Sex (season 2) exist in reality?
There are two possible events they may be referencing in the show. The first is from the show ABC Stage 67 which ran on the ABC network in the United States during the 1966-67 television season. In ...
- 6,389
4
votes
Accepted
How does Channel 5 find the people who live on isolated islands for their show?
When you are an expert like Ben Fogle might be, who likes to travel and has interest in meeting such cut-off tribes, then it is actually not that hard.
Being an isolated tribe does not mean that ...
- 623
4
votes
Accepted
Clear references in 'This Is Spinal Tap'
You could write a book about Spinal tap references. I bet there is some academic MA paper about that. But in the meantime
There are nine things there (because the list go to 11)
Real stories that ...
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4
votes
What's the point of only releasing a documentary in a very small number of theaters rather than streaming it on the Internet?
A limited release is usually a way to combine minimum financial risks with some maximum "bush telegraph" effect.
Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a ...
- 9,858
3
votes
Accepted
A question on a quote from "Richard Deacon - In Between"
The video you posted is unavailable, but it seems the trailer contains the quote you're talking about (at timestamp 0:15):
I'm pretty sure what Deacon says is
What's ...
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3
votes
Are TV Producers and Youtubers allowed to use Hidden Cameras without consent?
I'm not a lawyer but have looked into the laws regarding photography and video recording in the US. (This is not legal advice, etc. etc.)
In the United States the laws vary by state and possibly ...
- 5,182
3
votes
Accepted
Is Banksy's movie "Exit Through the Gift Shop" a new (sub)genre?
tl,dr: NO.
Banksy's movie is not a totally unique snowflake, nor genre.
Other related proposals
Some, or plenty, movies have tried to question what art is, and even to play around the idea that what ...
- 1,843
2
votes
Accepted
Have US cable tv documentary channels always had reality tv and "controversial" topics?
According to the dubious Wikipedia on the History Channel:
It originally broadcast documentary programs and historical fiction series. However, since 2008, it has mostly broadcast a variety of ...
- 7,765
2
votes
How was "My Octopus Teacher" filmed? How much of it is a real documentary?
The making of the movie is explained in The Making of My Octopus Teacher.
The documentary was done by a small group but most of the parts that feature Craig and the octopus were filmed by Craig ...
1
vote
Making documentary about illegal events
How is that even possible? Isn't this film like some kind of mockumentary? Having those kind of bad things taped would be the last thing that I'd want as a rich man.
It seems pretty clear that these ...
- 133k
1
vote
How do TV stations normally acquire third party content?
Shows are, what I think is called in USA, Broadcasting syndication.
So you, a representative of TV station go to Auction/presentation and you buy some programs (like BBC Blue Planet), formats (like ...
- 11k
1
vote
What is "The Story of China" film within the film?
According to the credits, the film clips used in "The Story of China" are from
Saving General Yang, a 2013 film.
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Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible