The Act of Documenting: Documentary Film in the 21st Century is academic in nature and contains a fair amount of jargon, but is accessible to a general audience. The book's nine chapters are divided into two sections. These are framed by an opening section labeled AN AGENDA and a concluding section labeled MINUTES. In AN AGENDA the authors lay out the premise that documentary film, since its beginning in the early 20th century, has had the potential, and the intention, to change the world. The text contains a large bibliography and a thorough index. A number of stills and figures are included, and each is given its own contents page.
The first part, Digital Potentials, contains three chapters that focus on the "three legs of the traditional documentary--scientific objectivity, Eurocentric production norms, and patriarchal tone" (218), and on how these have been affected by the digital medium. The authors see these three legs as being potentially undercut by advancements in the digital field. Despite this, the argument progresses to illustrate that advancements do open the gates to documentary production, though this has not yet been globally realized. Paradoxically, this expansion can lead to a flooding of the market, resulting in work not being seen. This section is quite interesting in that it covers both theoretical and practical concerns, and it employs examples that are familiar to me, such as the "Shark Week" 2013 entry Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives.
The second section, Actual Effects . . ., is larger, containing the remaining six chapters and subdivided by who, or what, is specifically affected. Chapters 4 and 5 cover effects on the filmed; chapters 6 and 7 focus on the filmmakers, while chapters 8 and 9 center on the spectators. Of interest is the discussion in chapter 6 on previously marginalized voices, which addresses an issue informing the larger context of how certain voices have been marginalized in general, not just in film.
The target audience for this book is those who aspire to work in the area of documentary film, as well as film theorists whose research is influenced by the medium. The text is thorough and does a fine job of clearly defining terms and laying out, and supporting, arguments. The work represents high-quality scholarship that most likely will appeal to advanced students and professionals, though it is definitely accessible to beginners, who will find here a tool that will help them expand their intellectual horizons.
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[Review length: 406 words • Review posted on April 9, 2018]