Truth in documentaries: Are all documentaries true?

We live in an age of opinion. It’s never been easier to broadcast opinions, challenge orthodoxies, or pass comment on different subjects. Fake news can travel around the world almost instantaneously, sometimes with serious consequences.

Finding truthful and reliable information in this environment can be challenging. People often look towards documentaries to provide them with reliable, trustworthy information on subjects that interest them. These can explore an issue in much more depth than a 30-second TikTok reel, Facebook post, or even TV news item.

Anyone can make a documentary, and platforms such as YouTube make it easy to find an audience for your content. Many longer-form content videos often blur the lines between documentary and opinion, making it harder for viewers to know what to trust.

Documentaries are made to provoke, educate, and inform, but the footage they feature and the stories they tell will be influenced by a range of factors.

Are all documentaries true and what factors inform the way a documentary takes shape?

The filmmaker’s perspective

Some of the most successful documentaries of the 21st century have been created by filmmakers with a very clear political perspective on the events they are covering. Michael Moore’s films, ‘Bowling for Columbine’ and ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’, are two great examples of someone with a strong ethical and political position telling a story from a particular perspective.

While the information a filmmaker includes is not necessarily false, and does depict real-life events, the way in which it is framed and discussed may be impacted by a particular viewpoint or perspective. Some filmmakers bring with them a strong personal perspective which shapes how they investigate and present their subject, others have a more hands-off, non-judgemental approach. Neither of these approaches is right or wrong, but as a viewer, it can be helpful to understand where a documentary filmmaker is coming from.

So when asking are documentaries reliable sources of information it’s important to think about the filmmaker’s intentions. A filmmaker with a strong perspective on the subject doesn’t negate the validity of the film, but the viewer may want to seek out alternative perspectives to gain a broader understanding, and to reach their own conclusions.

How the story is told

Documentary filmmakers have time and resource limitations placed on their work. This means that they have no choice but to be selective about what is included and what is left out. This process of omission is not done to deliberately deceive the audience, but it is worth bearing in mind when watching documentaries. There may be other perspectives that are not being included or footage that would provide added context for which there was no time.

How footage is edited, or sometimes manipulated, can all distort the overall message of the documentary. The filmmaker has a tough balancing act when it comes to telling the truth and engagingly telling the story.

Are documentaries scripted?

Some elements of documentaries will be scripted, such as the narration element, and perhaps some interview questions. Where it becomes ethically more questionable is if scripts are being produced for interviewees to shape their answers, or to recreate certain events as if they were happening in real time.

Generally, ethical documentary makers will avoid unnecessary scripting. If the aim of the documentary is to tell an interesting story, perhaps from a unique perspective, then scripting is counterproductive. If the filmmaker is unable to find the footage they need for their film despite their best efforts, then it may bring into question the aims of the project.

Anyone beginning a documentary project should carefully consider the ethics involved in the production and development process.

Ethical documentary making with Eight Engines

At Eight Engines, we understand the complex ethical questions faced by many documentary filmmakers.

As one of the leading documentary film production companies in the UK we produce industry-quality documentaries for a wide range of clients. Unlike other production companies, our clients retain all the rights to the material we produce for them, meaning that your completed documentary is yours and yours alone.

Do you have a great story to tell, an idea for a documentary, or a burning passion to explore a subject? Then we’d like to hear from you.

Contact us to learn how we can help you find your audience.