Documentaries Vs. Entertainment Films: Are They That Different? Blog 7
When it comes to consuming nonfiction media, it can be, to put it bluntly, boring. I know for myself, I need some action-packed plots to keep my eyes on a book or TV, otherwise the media is background noise. Why is this? What makes nonfiction media interesting and easy to consume? In my opinion, it is all within the creator’s hands.
A lot of history told in documentaries has the potential to be really interesting and informative. I would argue that almost any piece of nonfiction can be spruced up in ways that keep the audience engaged. For example, adding any drama to a documentary is an easy way to get me to put the phone down and take in more information. Humans love a dramatic story line.
One thing that both creators of entertainment films and documentary films do is take time to cast the right people to tell the stories they are producing. For example, having a monotone narrator with zero emotion in a documentary would be less than ideal, especially if the storyline is already on the blander side. When directors cast people who can take an ordinary plot line and add an entertaining twist, views automatically increase. The same goes for entertainment films. The right casting can make or break it. Adam Sandler in an action movie would not be as influential as Adam Sandler in a comedy. The same way that an underwhelming actor would not enhance a documentary film.
One thing that is different between an ordinary entertainment film and a documentary is the information used. This sounds self-explanatory, but creating a successful documentary film without any additional fictional information can be difficult. Because the storytellers in documentaries are recounting real events, they are types of journalists. These journalists have an ethical responsibility to spread factual information to their audiences. Although they can deliver this information in a more entertaining form, they cannot skew or change any of the information being told to the point where it is no longer factual.
When I go to watch a documentary versus when I go to watch an entertainment film, I usually have two different goals in mind. Although both goals are based around entertainment, I choose to watch a documentary when I want to gain more knowledge, whereas I watch an entertainment film for the sole purpose of feeling an emotion (happiness, laughter, sadness, etc). Both forms of media are important and add something different while sharing the same common motive of providing entertainment.