Nichols Ch. 3 (48-58: Stop at "Invention"), Ch 6 (121-125 "Expository Mode")

Documentaries are complicated to define. However, it seems to boil down to how the documentarian chose to interact with the subject and they choose to interact with the audience. Both decisions greatly affect the digestion of the story. Thinking about series like How To with John Wilson and Jury Duty, the lines between documentary and scripted become greatly blurred. When we hear Joshua Oppenheimer offer a contradictory interpretation of the footage to Anwar Congos interpretation, the documentary takes on a new shape. It may reveal more truth, but it operates as a different type of nonfiction media.

How can we know what kind of documentary we should be making when we begin a project?

What are some examples of filmmakers overstepping their bounds?

What are some examples of documentarians not going far enough into the work?

How has this idea changed since the birth of independent streaming?

How do audiences act generally to the filmmaker inserting themselves?