ABSTRACT
All language, dialog or narration, has a rhythm, a cadence or pattern, dictated by the words and based on grammar. Grammar marks language with punctuation; commas are shore pauses; semicolons are slightly longer pauses; periods are the end of an idea. The camera movements are deliberate and precise; the pan goes from object À to object B and stops. There is a tendency for camera-people, particularly novices, to use moves to make static material most interesting. Documentaries fall into two large groups: Programs that arc tightly scripted to start, shot to a prewritten narration, and edited from that, with few changes along the way; Programs that are wholly made up in the editing room, with a structure and a narration that is crafted to fit the material. Documentary can be a factual, accurate representation of events, or it can be an imaginative, poetical, loose interpretation of reality.
