Documentary films are a genre of filmmaking that aims to capture and convey real-life events, people, places, and issues. These films typically rely on non-fictional content and often employ various storytelling techniques to inform, educate, entertain, or raise awareness about a particular subject. Instead of making simple documentary films, filmmakers invented several types of mixed genres to utilize the feeling and emotion brought by documentaries and enhance the effect of the cinema.

• Docudrama – Apollo 13

Docudramas combine documentary and drama elements together. While the core story is based on fact, the story might be made up. The film is based on the real Apollo 13 mission, and the core events and timeline are based on the actual event. And most data and technical aspects of the space mission were designed to be real. While the film strives to be accurate, some creative liberties were taken to enhance the drama and emotional impact of the story. For example, some scenes and dialogue were created for cinematic effect. The documentary way of filming this movie made the whole story more trustworthy and engaged the audiences as they were there on the spaceship, experiencing the leak of the oxygen tank.

• Found Footage – A Chinese Ghost Story

Found footage films present themselves as raw, unedited documentary material. This genre is often associated with horror or science fiction, where the “discovered” footage is used to tell a story. The film 中邪(A Chinese Ghost Story), started with two journalists visiting a village, as people said there is a sorceress who can treat mental illnesses. (I just realized this story looks similar to Outlast). The whole movie was filmed with a handheld camera and looks unedited as the overall cinematography is natural. Even if there wasn’t a single jump scare and people barely saw any supernatural creature, the atmosphere was intense and scary, because the movie looked too natural to be faked. 

• Historical Reenactment – Schindler’s List

The film combines documentary-style footage, interviews with Holocaust survivors and Schindler’s actual “Schindlerjuden” (Schindler’s Jews), and reenacted scenes to create a poignant and historically accurate portrayal of the events. While much of the story is based on historical records and testimonies, it also includes dramatic reenactments to immerse the audience in the historical context and in the personal experiences of the characters. It is celebrated for its powerful storytelling, historical accuracy, and the way it pays tribute to those who suffered during the Holocaust while also highlighting acts of heroism.

There are numerous ways to combine documentaries with other genres, even animation. For films today, documentary is more frequently used as a “technique” rather than being a solo style of a movie. When watching a movie, it is more important to interpret the message and meaning that the story reveals, rather than find the specific genre of the movie.