From Arctic Wolves to Rainforests: A Deep Dive into the Heart of Nature Documentaries

Documentaries hold a prominent place within the film industry, famous for their dedication to uncovering truths and enlightening the public. The inception of the documentary can be traced back to 1922 when American filmmaker Robert Flaherty pioneered the genre with an early exemplar of an observation documentary. This groundbreaking work laid the foundation for subsequent explorations within the same documentary category that I will delve into in this essay. Within the expansive realm of documentaries, there are six overarching types taking center stage: poetic, expository, observational, participatory, reflexive, and performative. For the purpose of this analysis, my focus will hone in on a specific microgenre under the observational type — wildlife in nature documentaries. <a href="https://medium.com/@buckp/from-arctic-wolves-to-rainforests-a-deep-dive-into-the-heart-of-nature-documentaries-2360dcb9c573">Learn More</a>