Documentary and Communication

Documentary is a mediated storytelling genre and communication practice shaped by the creative freedom of scripted entertainment storytelling, alongside aspects of the research, reporting practices, and outputs of journalism. Documentary, therefore, is both an artistic expression and product, as well as reflection of truth. In this context, it can also be understood as a mechanism for communication in pursuit of social change and engagement with the public about topical issues. Documentary storytelling in the United States and around the world is often produced by independent filmmakers who are external to the decision-making boundaries of formal media institutions. Independence permits often-unseen perspectives to be reflected in the culture and enables community-centered storytellers and collaboration. Documentary production practices and audience accessibility have evolved in the digital era and consequently so has the potential for nonfiction storytelling to actively engage publics. As contemporary audiences are able to access documentaries in theaters, TV, online streaming outlets, and social media channels, documentary storytelling plays an influential persuasive role, shaping public opinion and spotlighting social issues. Documentary is often leveraged as an advocacy communication mechanism to raise awareness and advocate for change on challenging social problems and issues. Historically, documentary scholarship has resided primarily within film journals. However, as the professional ecosystem around documentary storytelling as communication mechanism has evolved, and as documentaries are more readily available in the entertainment marketplace, scholars across disciplines increasingly examine documentary influence and practices related to public engagement. This article is not an exhaustive examination of documentary storytelling as an art form, nor does it attempt to present all documentary genres; rather, it locates documentary intentionally within communication practice and available scholarship, while including core principles of documentary as a media genre. The work also acknowledges that documentary genres—within the context of communication and public engagement—are not mutually exclusive. This article offers an overview of documentary as a communication practice and source of contemporary societal influence. It does so by presenting relevant literature within three broad themes that reveal documentary as communication practice, not simply documentary as entertainment or art form: cultural context and production of documentary, contemporary documentary genres as communication and advocacy, and documentary influence and impact, which includes both media effects and grassroots community engagement. Across genres of documentary as communication, legal and ethical challenges are crucial, given the centrality of both arenas to production, distribution, and audience reception of artistic reflections of real life.