Documentary - Routledge Film Guidebooks Author:David Saunders Dave Saunders? spirited introduction to documentary covers its history, cultural context and development, and the approaches, controversies and functions pertaining to non-fiction filmmaking. Saunders examines the many methods by which documentary conveys meaning, whilst exploring its differing societal purposes. From early, one-reel ?actualitie... more »s? to the box-office successes of recent years, artistic complexities have been inherent to non-fiction cinema, and this Guidebook aims to make such issues clearer. After a historical consideration of international documentary production, the author examines the impact of recent technological developments on the production, distribution and viewing of non-fiction. In addition, he explores the increasingly hazy distinctions between factual and dramatic formats, discussing ?reality television?, the ?docu-drama?, and less orthodox approaches including animated and fantastical representations of reality. Documentary encompasses a broad range of academic discourse around non-fiction filmmaking, introducing readers to the key filmmakers, major scholars, central debates and critical ideas relating to the form. This wide-ranging guidebook features global releases from the 1920s through to 2009, and includes films such as: