yujhtyutyryiThere are many different documentary techniques that are used to present reality to show impact on the spectator. By presenting the real, the spectator can relate to what they see and get involved with the experiences of reality that the characters show in the documentary. I will be comparing different techniques that certain documentaries use, and explain what makes them present ‘the real’ in effective ways to the spectator.
One of the most realistic documentaries I have seen is Werner Herzog’s ‘Grizzly Man.’ This documentary told us the story of Timothy Treadwell and his many summers in Alaska with grizzly bears in the wild. This man would spend months in the wilderness of grizzly bear territory filming everything he can about them and also himself when he uses the camera as his own personal video diary. One technique used in this film to present reality was all of the personal footage they showed that Timothy had filmed before he died. It really showed how alone he was in the forests and how dedicated he was to these bears. For the spectator, you would get emotionally involved in Timothy’s journey and beliefs and feel like you were their to comfort him in what he was doing because you seemed to be the only person that would listen to him as he was so alone all the time when he spoke to the camera. Furthermore, you would share his emotions with him when he would get so overwhelmed by seeing these bears or if something was going wrong for them. This is a very impacting technique because you get attached to the character and when you find out he dies you suddenly feel strong sympathy.
Another techniques used in this film was interviews with friends and family. The interviewees told us what happened to Timothy when he died and also what type of person he was which gets you even more attached to him. They told us things that only they would know such as what his personality was like, what his childhood was like and what he would have wanted after...