What is Actuality?
Actuality is a common convention found in almost every documentary. It is what gives the documentary something to watch - something which 'actually' is happening in the documentary. For example, filming something which isn't set up and is real relating to the subject, i.e. filming people training for football if making a football-based documentary. Below is a effective example of a documentary which is actuality-based.
Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003)
Based on a true story, this documentary followed the life of a serial killer called 'Aileen Wuornos', who was the world's first female serial killer, killing 7 men in the 80s and 90s. The audience learn the life and death of the character as we follow chronologically her journey from her first court case to her
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| Aileen's story led to not only the documentary, but also to a film called 'Monster' |
But what makes this documentary effective was the amount of actuality within the documentary - director Nick Broomfield (as well as the interviewee) literally follows her journey by interviewing and meeting the criminal himself, creating a more personal feel unlike most criminal documentaries which usually cannot meet the criminal due to restrictions and limits.
The documentary is generally an actuality-based narrative. There is more direct and 'real' footage compared to sync-based footage, such as set-up interviews which can be edited. This will make some of the audience believe that what is being shown is more likely to be real, as some documentaries look forced in terms of finding answers which therefore are more likely to be false and fake.
What made this documentary also so interesting was how she patronised the media saying that they "let her kill" so that they can make a better story and furthermore make more money of her story. Now, when hearing this, you would think that the criminal is clearly wrong and is lying because she may be mentally ill or in denial. However, whilst watching the documentary the actuality makes it seem more believable and some of the audience may believe that it is true.
Below are some examples of the actuality within the documentary:
- Filming in her actual court cases
- Visiting her in jail
- Interviews right before her execution, where she is held by prison guards and cuffs
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| A close up shot of Aileen's anger, shown in the documentary |
This generally creates a more believable as well as entertaining documentary as the audience will understand the character and the narrative better if they get to see what is actually happening. Additionally, it helps to create a more connective relationship with the characters as it is more likely that they are telling the truth. For example, Aileen tells the cameras to stop rolling, and when she think they has, she reveals unknown information that she was in fact raped, when she said she wasn't just so that she would pled guilty and so she could be killed (as she wanted to die).
Therefore, this example shows how actuality makes the documentary more believable and furthermore more successful as the audience can learn what actually is happening. If a criminal documentary like this had little actuality, then the documentary itself may not be very significant as it would seem very biased and opinionated if we only hear from the presenter and not the criminals themselves.
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