Documentary Series Research Articles

Quiet Spaces: Public Places – visual representation of vulnerable identities

This study examines the visual representation of vulnerable individuals in documentary photography while prioritising ethical considerations and aiming to avoid exploitation. By leveraging the power of symbolic commentary, the research aims to capture social situations that address vulnerability without revealing the identities of the subjects. Focusing on Bet Sheekoom: House of Restoration for Women and Children and Maranatha Mission Station, the documentary series portrays these environments and their residents without disclosing any personal identifiers. This approach safeguards the participants from potential harm and aims to ensure their anonymity, while still engaging in a meaningful societal dialogue. Drawing on principles from documentary photography, visual studies, and ethics, this research contributes to understanding responsible representation and power dynamics within the visual representation of vulnerable identities. By navigating the delicate balance between social commentary and ethical practices, the study offers insight into alternative methods of capturing and highlighting vulnerable populations. The findings shed light on the significance of ethical considerations in documentary photography, demonstrating the importance of respecting the dignity and privacy of vulnerable individuals. This study contributes to the broader discourse on visual representation, offering valuable insight for practitioners, scholars, and those interested in the ethical dimensions of photography.

In different states of indifference: movement, friction, and resistance

In different states of indifference: movement, friction, and resistance

Readying and Restructuring Relations and Imaginations

The book The Dawn of Everything is an introduction to some of the diversity and surprising complexity of ancestral social lives written in an accessible, yet academic fashion. The book also develops a theory of human development as emerging from encounters between peoples. This sits in contrast to the idea of development as driven by isolated eureka moments at each stage of social evolution. As Bateson (2021) (mentioned in the book’s acknowledgements) noted, Stage theory… is BS’. In this review, I introduce what I think is one of the theoretical premises of the book in order to then focus on the book’s decentring of origin myths as driving human development. In doing so, I touch upon how the book’s relational approach differs from the more dominant approach in science. I then consider a number of categories used in the book, such as farming, to touch upon how categories are mobilised in scientific research and the implications of that mobilisation. I follow this by using a recent Netflix documentary series on ancient peoples and explore how ideas such as (pre)history are politically mobilised. I conclude by examining what the authors might mean when they invoke imagination.

Voices from the emptiness. Developing the agentic rural on Spanish television

This article analyses rural representations in the documentary series Ruralitas (2020) on the Spanish TVE. The programme shows that the people living in the countryside have agency and do not conform to common rural stereotypes. Nevertheless, the stories flirt with ideas of the ‘rural idyll’ by focusing on the beauty of the landscape and traditional rural versus urban binaries. However, the series also develops what the author names an agentic rural. The agentic rural not only empowers countryside dwellers and portrays self-determined destinies in the countryside, but also highlights problems associated with depopulation.

PHILOSOPHY OF HUMAN EXISTENCE IN THE URBANIZED ENVIRONMENT

The existential and socio-psychological threats to human bodily and emotional existence are observed in the urbanized environment, and the origins of the modern urban crisis are discovered. The author attempts to assess the danger and consequences of urbanization for modern human society. The paper formulates a typology of urban activism in the context of socio-philosophical discourse.
 The aim of the research is philosophical comprehension of human existence in an urbanized environment. In accordance with the purpose, the tasks are outlined: to characterize the “city man”; to identify the contradictory consequences of urbanization for a modern Human; to determine the influence of urbanization atpeople’s lifestyle; to analyze the typology of the activities of city residents which(the activities) transform the urban environment in the context of modern urbanism.
 Object: urbanism as a socio-philosophical phenomenon, subject: the existential dimension of Human in an urban environment.
 Methodology. To achieve this goal, general scientific methods were used: analysis and synthesis, analogies, classifications, as well as philosophical methods of cognition (dialectical and hermeneutic). The method of generalization of philosophical and sociological issueswas applied and in particular by using interdisciplinary approach. The means of visual anthropology (cinematography, photography) are engaged in the study to analyze the documentary series “Homo Urbanus” whichis of special scientific value as a source of important social knowledge.
 The originality of the study: the existential crisis was studied in the focus of urban anthropology, a classification of types of urban activism was proposed. Practical application. The results of the study can be applied in the future interdisciplinary research, as well as in the urban anthropology studies, in the research of the mutual influence of the city and man, as well as of separate topics of educational courses (“Urban Studies”, “Philosophy”, “Sociology”, “Anthropology”, “Aesthetics of Architecture and Design”, etc.).

Fight for the Wild: emotion and place in conservation, community formation, and national identity

ABSTRACT This study analyses the documentary series, Fight for the Wild, examining how emotional engagements with place facilitate a complex nexus of conservation practices, community formation, and feelings associated with national identity. The documentary charts the progress and challenges of the ‘Predator Free 2050’ campaign which seeks to eradicate Aotearoa New Zealand of all introduced predators and protect endangered native fauna and flora. The documentary portrays how the campaign in constituted through networks of scientists and conservation workers, community groups, and institutional and political leaders, spanning a diverse geographical spectrum from areas of wilderness to urban environments. The study argues the conservation work portrayed in the documentary, and indeed all environmental activity, derives from emotions generated by an individual’s experiential relationships with an environment. Such an argument declares that human assignations of environmental value originate from experiential engagements with an environment, and the accompanying emotional recognition of the affordances of that environment, and that cognitive, social, and representational engagements with environments follow such a process. The article’s significance derives from a demonstration of how this process of subject formation individually informs and connects the scientific processes of conservation work, local community engagement, and more broadly the invocation of a national identity.

Pure cheek: the Ben Dover story

ABSTRACT This article explores the career of British porn performer and producer Lindsay Honey, more commonly known as Ben Dover. Arguably Britain’s most well-known pornographer, Honey’s career is significant in that it spanned 40 years, beginning when the distribution of hardcore pornography was criminalized and ending when the digital distribution of porn via the internet had become ubiquitous. Drawing on three interviews conducted with Honey in 2017 that were eventually edited into an episode of the documentary series Sexposed, alongside archival research which includes media reportage and legal documents, I show how Honey’s career illustrates considerable cultural and economic developments that affected the production, distribution and consumption of pornography in Britain. I suggest that such analyses of long-form careers can further contribute to our understanding of porn as a business.

Multi-modal Discourse Analysis of National Image Construction in the Documentary Human World

With the development of the times, the world pattern is constantly changing. For a country to develop well, it should not only improve its own comprehensive strength, but also build a good national image. Since the outbreak of the epidemic, some rumors and public opinion at home and abroad have seriously damaged China's national image. As a result, Chinese state media have launched a series of documentaries on the fight against the epidemic, which truly record the correct attitude of Chinese leaders towards the epidemic and the determination of frontline medical workers to fight the epidemic. This has not only provided a satisfactory answer to domestic diplomacy, but also demonstrated to the world a responsible and capable image of China. This paper selects the "human world" documentary as the research object, using quantitative and qualitative methods to explore how Chinese state media can build and maintain China's national image through documentaries. Based on the theory of system functional language and the framework of multi-modal discourse analysis, this paper found that the documentary presents the facts in the fight against COVID-19 and shapes the characters in the anti-epidemic through images. And through the relationship between text and text, with vivid narrative language and pictures to build a united, responsible, people supreme Chinese image.

Altering Earth in our image Human Footprint Day’s Edge Productions PBS, Wednesdays, 5 July to 9 August 2023, 9 p.m. EST (check local listings)

A new documentary series traces humanity’s profound effects on the world around us

According to the Narrator, It Was a Dark and Stormy Night: Styles of Narration-as-Advocation in True-Crime Documentary Series

According to the Narrator, It Was a Dark and Stormy Night: Styles of Narration-as-Advocation in True-Crime Documentary Series

Coğrafi Unsurların Belgesel Yoluyla İncelenmesi: Anısına Belgeseli Örneği

Geography and social studies courses are studied in relation to the interaction between people and place, and alternative techniques that employ visual, auditory elements, and technological processes are supported. In this context, documentaries are among the prominent productions studied in geography topics of social studies. The main aim of this research is to examine geographical elements through documentaries. The documentary series, “Anısına” which consists of 17 episodes and focuses on different artists in each episode, is a music-themed documentary series that stands out in the study. In each episode of the related documentary series, the life story and works of the artist featured in that episode are shared with interested viewers and researchers. A qualitative research method was used in the research process, and the study was conducted in a case study pattern. In the data collection process of the research, the documentary series was examined in detail through document analysis, and in the data analysis section, main and sub-themes related to the subject were created based on the data obtained from each episode through content analysis. According to the results of the study, 9 basic geographical elements were determined as the main theme. The most recurring theme was 'calendar chronology,' while the least recurring geographical element was the theme of 'geographical events.' Based on the study's results, it is thought that using alternative teaching tools such as documentaries (e. g. Anısına Documentary) in the teaching process of geographical elements can motivate and stimulate the students' interest in the course.

»Implicit« and »Treated« Music: experimentation and innovation in the documentary series LOST CITIES by José Nieto

»Implicit« and »Treated« Music: experimentation and innovation in the documentary series LOST CITIES by José Nieto

DOCU-CLIM: A global documentary climate dataset for climate reconstructions

Documentary climate data describe evidence of past climate arising from predominantly written historical documents such as diaries, chronicles, newspapers, or logbooks. Over the past decades, historians and climatologists have generated numerous document-based time series of local and regional climates. However, a global dataset of documentary climate time series has never been compiled, and documentary data are rarely used in large-scale climate reconstructions. Here, we present the first global multi-variable collection of documentary climate records. The dataset DOCU-CLIM comprises 621 time series (both published and hitherto unpublished) providing information on historical variations in temperature, precipitation, and wind regime. The series are evaluated by formulating proxy forward models (i.e., predicting the documentary observations from climate fields) in an overlapping period. Results show strong correlations, particularly for the temperature-sensitive series. Correlations are somewhat lower for precipitation-sensitive series. Overall, we ascribe considerable potential to documentary records as climate data, especially in regions and seasons not well represented by early instrumental data and palaeoclimate proxies.

Audio for extended realities: A case study informed exposition

An area of immersive storytelling in rapid evolution is that of extended reality. This emergent mode of experience employs spatial mapping, and both plane and object detection to superimpose computer-generated images in the volumetric context of a physical space via a head-mounted display. This in turn produces a unique set of challenges and opportunities for associated audio implementation and aesthetics. Creative development of this audio is often a function of evolving toolsets, and the associated workflow is far from standardized. This paper forms a context for such audio workflow, one that draws from precursor technologies such as audio for games and virtual reality and develops this into an outline taxonomy that is both representative of the state of the art, and forward facing towards evolution of the technology stack. The context is framed through a series of case studies. Between 2019 and 2021, BBC and Oculus TV commissioned Alchemy Immersive and Atlantic Productions to produce virtual reality and mixed reality experiences of several classic documentary series by Sir David Attenborough: Museum Alive, Micro Monsters, First Life VR, Museum Alive AR and Kingdom of Plants. This portfolio received numerous award nominations and prizes, including from the Raindance Festival and a double Emmy. The sound design, audio postproduction and spatial audio for these experiences were implemented by the company 1.618 Digital, and drawing from first-hand-creator involvement, the workflows are deconstructed and explored with reference to tools, technologies, techniques and perception. Such an exposition forms the basis for an analysis of both this and broader creative practice in the field of audio for extended reality, and this is subsequently used to present a speculative vision of audio in the future of immersive storytelling.

Genetic hauntings: Mediating pre-patienthood and haunted health on TV

Through the development of a “health hauntological” approach, this article investigates how pre-patient illness narratives are mediated and negotiated in and around the DR documentary series Gentesten ændrede mit liv (2020) [The gene test changed my life]. We argue that this documentary format attests to how the expansion of genetic testing technologies alters experiences, genres, and narratives of illness that increasingly move to a pre-diagnostic and pre-symptomatic domain. The analysis shows how the use of genetic testing technologies creates hauntological situations in which pre-patients – through the mapping of family pathologies of the past and possible future diagnoses – encounter the complex temporalities and entanglements inherent to genetic bonds. Furthermore, we claim that these haunting encounters with mortality, vulnerability, and potential loss can be acted on – or listened to – in various responsive ways. Mediating pre-patient illness narratives thus entails an ethical balancing between care for participants and the desire for tellable, transformational narratives.

The Crime as spectacle in documentary narrative: the Netflix series about Elize Matsunaga

If in the 19th century serials and fait divers guaranteed the public's emotion with shocking “realistic” narratives or based on news published in newspapers; today, the spectacle of crime can also be followed through contemporary series, transmitted via streaming, as is the case of Elize Matsunaga: Once Upon a Crime (Netflix/2021). To this end, an overview of the media role in narratives about real crimes is outlined (MEYER, 1996; BROOKS, 1995; SINGER, 2004). The paper also discusses the spectacularized life in the voice of the confessed defendant herself (SCHWARTZ, 2004; SIBILIA, 2008; GUNNING, 2004) to finally take a look at the narrative structure of the documentary series (MUNGIOLI, 2017; ECO, 1989; 1997).

Research on the Relationship Between Independent Documentary Films and The Construction of Non-genetic Heritage in The Context of Cultural Memory

Documentaries focusing on Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), henceforth referred to as 'ICH documentaries,' possess an inherent thematic advantage in enhancing cultural memory and shaping national identity. The filmic documentation that characterizes these documentaries plays a crucial role to varying degrees in the imaging, narration, and creative approach of the 'ICH' culture, whose primary objective is preservation and inheritance. Among these, the independent documentary series 'In Search of Craftsmanship,' which records the traditional crafts of 199 Chinese artisans, distinctly exemplifies the characteristics and dynamic interplay between independent documentaries and the construction of ICH continuity.

Streaming bloody murder: documentary celebrity and Sophie Toscan Du Plantier anniversary media (SAM)

ABSTRACT In 2021, three documentary series revitalised the unsolved murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier in 1996 in West Cork, Ireland, for a global audience of true crime enthusiasts. This article analyses the podcast West Cork (Audible 2018/iTunes 2021) and two streaming series, Murder at the Cottage: The Search for Justice for Sophie (Sky Crime 2021) and Sophie: A Murder in West Cork (Netflix 2021) and argues that they conferred documentary celebrity on their central figures, Sophie Toscan du Plantier and Ian Bailey. The celebritisation of these individuals as victim and villain, was achieved through the development of a convergent narrative across the three series, one salted with the plot twists, end-of-episode cliff hangers, emotional confrontations and supernatural speculation familiar to viewers of true crime, reality television and serial drama. Moreover, the gendered discourse deployed by these documentaries posthumously transformed Sophie Toscan du Plantier into a world-famous victim while providing an opportunity for Ian Bailey, who remains the prime suspect, to self-brand as a Gothic villain. Bailey’s 2022 announcement that he would launch a podcast and television series and his self-promotional activity on TikTok confirm the cultural capital associated with documentary celebrity, even, or especially, for the infamous.

Innovation in true crime: generic transformation in documentary series

ABSTRACT This discussion explores innovation in true crime programming on streaming platforms and on-demand catch up broadcast television services. Altered consumption habits from long form programming and binge viewing on streaming services has prompted innovations in factual content through docuseries. Commencing with Reality Television police procedurals such as the long running US series Cops ([1989–2023]. Cops. TV Series. Fox. 1989–2013, 2023. Paramount Network 2013–2020. Fox Nation 2021–2023), the true crime genre has expanded into long-form docuseries. This expansion coincides with streaming platforms that service contemporary consumption habits based on unscheduled, on-demand spectatorship practices. Underbelly ([2008–2022]. Underbelly. TV Series. Screentime; Nine Network) is an Australian true crime franchise and early innovator of true crime serialisation. Spanning both broadcast and streaming eras, Underbelly serves as a counterpoint in this discussion of innovations in long-form documentary serialisation in the Netflix programs, Making a Murderer ([2015–2018]. Making a Murderer. TV Series. Synthesis Films; Netflix) and The Staircase ([2004–2018]. The Staircase. TV Series. Canal+, Episodes 1–10. Netflix, Episodes 11–13). Discussion of each series reveals how narrative innovation functions as generic transformation in response to new television on-demand platforms and delivery modes.

Black Bodies in the River: Searching for Freedom Summer by Davis W. Houck

Reviewed by: Black Bodies in the River: Searching for Freedom Summer by Davis W. Houck Julie Buckner Armstrong Black Bodies in the River: Searching for Freedom Summer. By Davis W. Houck. Race, Rhetoric, and Media Series. (Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2022. Pp. xiv, 153. Paper, $25.00, ISBN 978-1-4968-4078-3; cloth, $99.00, ISBN 978-1-4968-4079-0.) Davis W. Houck’s small book raises big questions about Freedom Summer. Coming in at 127 pages, not counting notes, Black Bodies in the River: Searching for Freedom Summer examines two intersecting historical memories. One is the murder of civil rights workers Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, and James E. Chaney, whose deaths became a touchstone for the 1964 summer when college students from across the country, most of them white, converged on Mississippi to register Black voters and work in Black communities. Another is the belief that, during the search for the three men after they disappeared, federal authorities discovered multiple unidentified Black bodies (more than two dozen in some accounts) in the state’s rivers, swamps, and bayous. Why, Houck asks, did the names “Goodman-Schwerner-Chaney” evolve into “the six syllables that today form something of an American civil rights anthem,” while two Black men whose bodies were found around the same time—Charles Eddie Moore and Henry Hezekiah Dee— wound up largely forgotten (p. 8)? And what are historians today to make of the unsubstantiated but persistent claims of books, films, songs, museums, and more that Mississippi’s waterways were awash with far more bodies than those of Moore and Dee? Houck structures his exploration of these questions in an unconventional manner: not by chapters but into sections headed by quotations from the events’ various actors. The book thus operates as a long essay or meditation on the myth, and meaning, of Freedom Summer. In the first half, Houck examines an important but less widely known precursor. The 1963 Freedom Vote set the stage for bringing white college students to Mississippi on a large-scale basis. Their presence was considered newsworthy, unlike Black residents’ grassroots organizing and the persistent violence their communities faced. Houck describes Freedom Summer as a tactic of leveraging racism against itself to create change. An unintended consequence of this tactic was how the students’ presence—along with the deaths of Goodman, Schwerner, and [End Page 388] Chaney (even though the latter was Black)—bolstered a white savior myth. Claims of multiple “Black bodies pulled out of rivers,” Houck explains, call into “question the centrality of murdered white men in the larger story of Freedom Summer” (pp. 71, 9). In the book’s second half, he explores how these claims originated in the deaths of Moore and Dee, killed by the Ku Klux Klan and discovered by two people fishing, not, as erroneously reported, in the search for the missing civil rights workers. The story took on a life of its own, erasing Moore’s and Dee’s names and expanding the number of bodies, first in folk songs and later through academic studies and documentary films about Mississippi and Freedom Summer, eventually making its way into historical markers and school curricula. Some readers might want more discussion of why figures such as historian John Dittmer and the creators of the documentary series Eyes on the Prize accepted without criticism claims not supported by evidence. Comparisons with other violent events that became fodder for urban legend might also provide broader context. Still, Houck provides an excellent case study of how historical facts coalesce into stories accepted as “truth.” Julie Buckner Armstrong University of South Florida Copyright © 2023 Southern Historical Association