Chapter 6 Recording and Presenting Reality 233they planned on making a thirty-minute motion picture
for public television. Once the fi lmmakers began shooting,
they were compelled by the subject matter to continue
their work. Th ey fi lmed hundreds of hours of footage as
they depicted the high school years of two adolescents
from Chicago who are recruited by a private school to
play basketball. Th e feature fi lm they completed in 1994,
Hoop Dreams, became one of the most acclaimed motion
pictures of its time. Th is narrative documentary is driven
by the personal drama of families struggling to get by in
the face of great adversity and the social signifi cance of
race, class, and athletic competition in America.
Th e subject matter of Hoop Dreams centers on a highly
intimate portrait of two families from inner-city Chicago.
Many fi lms pursue subject matter focused around characters
that the viewer can accompany through the course of the
motion picture. Such movies oft en tell a story. As we have
seen before, they can also follow alternative approaches. In
Rivers and Tides (2001), a portrait of multimedia artist Andy
Goldsworthy directed by Th omas Riedelsheimer, the structure
of the fi lm stems from the individual projects pursued by
Goldsworthy as he endeavors to create works of art that fulfi ll
his inspirations. It does not follow an ongoing narrative or
overall story arc, but it does provide an intimate glimpse of
the artist’s working process and driving passions.
Other fi lms center on an idea or abstract theme for
their subject matter. In the movie Th e Corporation (2003),
fi lmmakers Mark Achbar, Jennifer Abbott, and Joel Bakan
present an exposé on the phenomenon of the corporation
through interviews, wide-ranging visual records, and
voiceover that off ers historical perspective and analysis similar to that of a
non-fi ction writer. Th e distinct style of the fi lm derives in large part from an
original use of music and sound editing, graphic organizers, and juxtaposition
of opposing viewpoints. For student or amateur fi lmmakers, this type of topic
can pose great diffi culties because of inaccessibility of archival footage and
lack of focus or structure. Typically, directors must contend with substantial
reliance on interviews in such projects.
In his highly acclaimed documentaries such as Th e Civil War (1990),
Baseball (1994), Jazz (2001), and Th e National Parks: America’s Best Idea
(2009), fi lmmaker Ken Burns has employed signifi cant historical research,
striking archival images, interviews with experts in the fi eld, and strong
narration to build his motion pictures. In order to compose a well-rounded
investigation of a topic and earn the respect of reviewers, fi lmmakers must
typically weigh their sources and avenues of inquiry in the same manner as
an academic researcher or non-fi ction author.Figure 6-23 Arthur Agee goes for a layup
in the documentary Hoop Dreams. (Courtesy
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