That place and those people

In the 20^th and 21^st centuries documentary filmmaking was the dominant audiovisual form of storytelling about people and places that developed understandings and insights into foreign environments. Increasing criticism of an ‘expert outsider’ representing communities and more accessible filmmaking and editing software encouraged hybrid forms of non-fiction narratives such as digital storytelling. One of the persistent limitations of digital storytelling was that it merely provided an avenue or a form in which people could exercise their voice, but provided little effect beyond that. This chapter investigates the traditions of documentary filmmaking and digital storytelling, and sets out the ways in which these preceding forms inspired more immersive contemporary non-fiction narratives with focus on Prison Valley and Fort McMoney.