Found Footage Documentaries in the Digital Age

VALTER AND THE POOR from matumatik on Vimeo.

Found footage documentaries have long been a favorite of experimental filmmakers interested in the stories that can be produced exclusively from archival or library footage and photographs. As has been discussed in previous posts, technological advancements in video and audio capture, non-linear video and sound editing, and the ubiquity of footage, images, and audio on the web, have combined to form a creative environment in which found footage documentaries promise to play a more important role in the evolution of the documentary art form.

As a film student I can tell you that, here in Northern California, the popularity of web-based, found footage docs is growing in popularity amongst the next generation of filmmakers, and that its popularity can largely be attributed to the ease with which a simple but compelling story can be told without the cost and challenges associated with producing a documentary from scratch.

The video below is a trailer of a found footage doc posted by a student in 2010.

It is also due to an awareness on the part of faculty members regarding the importance younger generations have placed on the moving image as a fundamental characteristic of modern storytelling.

As an experiment, I decided to see how easy it would be to produce a short, found footage documentary from content downloaded exclusively from the web. I chose as my subject Tony Bennett. The results of my efforts are below. 

The entire piece took 10 hours to complete, which includes the time it took to research his life and story, write the script, record the narration, and then assemble the final cut. All of the images and audio were downloaded from the web (except for the narration). While it is by no means perfect it ably demonstrates how incredibly easy making found footage documentaries has become. 

What role found footage documentaries ultimately take as part of the new age of digital communications is still yet to be seen. Given the resources now available online, there can be no doubt that they will continue to develop and evolve beyond their experimental roots.

Another piece posted by a student, this year.

'Eye of The Dawn' found footage documentary piece. from Nazare Soares on Vimeo.