Poetic Documentary films are one genre that I will admit I did not completely understand at first.  However, I have come to discover some of the characteristics of Poetic Documentary films after watching a few of them both in class and in my spare time.
Documentary films are typically focused on a single subject that can be broken down into smaller matters of discussion when analyzed.  They tend to have a lot of symbolism, and meaning behind the prime subject which is how in a sense it makes the film poetic.  There are a few examples we watched in class, but I would like to discuss the film "Rain" which obviously given the name was about rain drops and the situations, atmosphere and environment that we find ourselves colliding with it.  I really liked the comment that one student made about how the film showed humans dominance over the element of water.  it showed men walking in puddles, driving boats over lakes etc.  It seemed like one of the hidden messages that could only be seen if analyzed.
One example of a poetic documentary that I watched on youtube had a similar message.  It was called gravity and basically showed how nature and mankind interacts with gravity.  It was really cool and showed how mainly humans try to defy gravity by jumping or flying through the air on a bike or some other instrument, but in the end they are all subject to gravity's will and fall.  It has a sense of poetry in the symbolism behind we desire to defy the limits placed in front of us, but sooner or later we must face reality.
Some poetic documentaries can inspire because they give off a sense of emotion that is found in the prime subject of the film.  Sucksdorff a documentary filmmakers traveled the world making documentaries before he settled in Brazil and began to make a film about a Brazilian school.  Later on his work started to become more fictional and made a poetic documentary film that spread throughout other nations Including Nazi occupied lands.
Poetic Documentary films seem to have a interestingly deeper meaning behind the image, but we must first look hard to see what the message is and then our vision will be enhanced.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pA33mf6ouw - Gravity film

Blog Post 3

A single documentary can tell multiple stories depending on the perspective of the individual watching.  Some documentaries are more obvious and have a structured narrative they wish to illustrate.  However, there are others that are more abstract and can tell one story during one sequence of shots and then tell another story with the following sequence. 

Because documentaries have such power within the art itself they can create several types of realism.  In the reading for this week it talks about three types of realism that can be portrayed; physical, Psychological and emotional realism. 

Physical realism is a form of actuality we could say.  What is appearing on the screen is what actually happened in front of the camera without rehearsals or anything.  I think that this form of realism portrays the traditional idea of what documentaries are about.  Naturally we think that documentaries are films that show facts of life and things that are actually happening. 

Psychological realism as we have discussed in class is reflected in documentaries that actually document actors portraying certain emotions that were scripted by a director.  I remember we talked about how Hollywood movies can be considered documentaries because it’s an image document of people acting out situations in a story. 

Emotional realism I think can be related more to documentaries like the one we watched in class Man with a Movie Camera. This documentary illustrated multiple shots of mechanics, people and society in general.  Some parts had a good sequence to it that told a short story, but lots of times the shots created a type of emotion that was reflected on the subject of the individual shot.  The point of emotional realism is to create an emotional state in the audience. 

It would seem that documentary films as characterized as somewhat of a narrative structure or process that takes place and is documented on film.  However, as discussed in class and based on the reading it would seem that all films can be considered documentaries.  Mainly because they all films document something and isn’t that really what documentaries are, image documents of an event.

Blog Post 2

The idea of what a documentary is and what matters of importance they touch I believe to be very fascinating and worth it for everyone to research.  Every time I think of documentary I think of something somewhat educational in the sense that whatever documentary I watch I will gain some form of knowledge that could be beneficial for me to know in the future.
  As written the the book "Introduction to Documentary" by Bill Nichols these types of film typically show a process based on matters that deal with reality, real people or what really happened in a given situation.  In the film we watched in class we could see these characteristics as the process was portrayed of a small country struggling to obtain their freedom from a corrupt government.  The process showed how it started with a small number of people, then progressed in a way that religious leaders pitched in.  This then resulted in a large mass of people joining the cause to free themselves from the chains the government had locked them in.  Because documentaries tend to have a lot more information than say a narrative film, we can see that there are more camera shots and activity going on in each shot.  I believe this to be helpful for the audience to obtain as much information about the reality that a documentary is attempting to illustrate.
I watched a clip this week that I thought to be very interesting concerning the issues of today.  It was on youtube and it documented an interview done by the man who's book was made into a documentary called "Obamas America 2016".  The clip I believe to be a form of documentary because it discussed real issues about real people.  It also shows the process of the interview as the interviewer asks a few questions to Obamas half brother.
I think that documentaries are an important part of film.  They help us understand the world and the realities that are around us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzelQbOT-DE&feature=fvsr

Intro to Me

Documentary films are ones that I have found to be very picky about.  To be completely honest I haven't seen a lot of really good documentary films, but the ones I have seen and enjoyed, have helped me to open my mind to facts about the world.  I love documentary films that speak of nature and wild life.  Example, documentary films that educate the mind concerning the life of animals in their natural habitat like film "Chimpanzee" I find to be particularly interesting.  I love adventure and stories that have the theme that portrays a coming of age for an individual character.  In the documentary "Chimpanzee" that is exactly what is portrayed.  The story of a young chimp in the wild having to venture out on his own after losing his mother faces the unbelievable task of surviving without his mother.  It was moving when later in the film the little chimp was adopted by the alpha male of their clan.  As the film continues it illustrates the challenges that they both had with their clan of chimpanzees which is a sense a form of community.  Like in the film "Be Kind Rewind" "Chimpanzee" shows what can be accomplished through the unity of friends and family.  Also much like the Alaskan documentary we watched "Chimpanzee" shows the power of family and the importance of everyone sticking together for defense and survival.
Documentaries I will admit are not my most preferred genre of film.  However, I love documentaries that are educational and show the true adventures of individuals trying to survive the challenges of life.  I love the portrayal of an actual subject (human beings or animals etc) in reality and the challenges they face as they struggle to make way in the time they are in exists.