Documentary Voice & Vision

Chapter 20Archival Storytelling

Documentary filmmakers often find themselves using archival material: historical footage or stills that someone else produced. This might be moving images shot in film or video, or still images like photographs, newspaper articles, event programs, or court documents. This kind of material can enrich a film, add texture and dimension to our understanding of the events and the period, and provide compelling evidence for the filmmaker’s vision and argument. In fact, more than a few documentaries are made using nothing more than archival material. Finding the right archival material can be a daunting task. This chapter will explore some of the reasons for using archival material, and some of the strategies professionals ...