ABSTRACT
The first scene of a documentary is a special moment. The beginning of a film also does something else that is crucial: it establishes the point of view of the film. Instead, reader's cut should create a flow of visual ideas that introduces each one patiently and with a logic that ties into the film's unfolding tone and narrative. Frederick Wiseman's films are a fascinating example. They are patient explorations of institutional environments and specific locales, and tend to have many more characters than a typical documentary. An audience is always looking to interpret what is in front of them, and reader can greatly influence that interpretation by carefully sculpting the narrative information and emotional content of the scene/moment/shot that leads into it. Another documentary filmmaker who has long eschewed traditional narrative is Godfrey Reggio. Other documentaries offer narrative gratification but instead of attaching it to a single character they offer multiple overlapping storylines.
