Documentary Research Project - Draft

An analysis of the narrative devices and representations of realism used in the documentary The Imposter (2012) to determine which 'Mode' of documentary it can be considered, and whether it borrows from other cinematic genres of film. 

Since it's introduction, the genre of documentary has been widely considered the strongest source of informative text in media, next to news publications/programmes. Since then, however, it has gradually become more stylised to adapt to the need for entertainment on the part of the audience. Arguably, the documentary has become an art form in its own right; a hybrid of elements from other genres formed together in what is publicly seen as the most 'real' form of art media. 2012 saw the release of Bart Layton's 'The Imposter'; a gripping documentary that revels in the pinnacle of cinematic experience and spectatorship, almost seamlessly combining codes from both film and documentary. This critically acclaimed feature was renown for, in the most literal of forms, manipulating the audience with its use of eye contact and cinematography, which therefore means that the audience is allowed to make their own judgement on certain items brought up within the text.

It is this factor alone that allows us to read The Imposter as a narrative piece of text.