Preamble

Exploring the Threefold Contradictions in Documentary Creation: Transcending the Boundary Between Truth and Fiction, Reconciling the Tension Between Active and Passive, and Breaking the Shackles of Power and Limitation

Wang Shitian, Peng Biao
(School of Communication, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350000)

Abstract

[Objective] This paper examines the contradictory relationships between truth and fiction, active and passive, and power and limitation in documentary creation, analyzing how these contradictions influence the artistic value and social impact of documentaries. [Method] By analyzing the creative techniques employed in the films Kang Rinpoche, Man with a Movie Camera, and the French documentary Woman, and integrating documentary theory, this study explores the core contradictions in documentary creation and their resolution strategies. [Results] The contradictions of truth versus fiction, active versus passive, and power versus limitation are intertwined in documentary creation. Through appropriate creative techniques—such as the reconciliation of truth and fiction in Kang Rinpoche, the balance between active and passive in Man with a Movie Camera, and the reflection on power and limitation in Woman—documentaries can maintain authenticity while enhancing artistic quality and social influence. [Conclusion] The contradictory relationships in documentary creation are dynamic and evolving. Creators must find equilibrium between truth and fiction, active and passive, and power and limitation. By deeply understanding their subjects, respecting facts, and judiciously employing fictional techniques, documentaries can better convey humanistic concern and social responsibility, demonstrating diverse artistic styles.

Keywords: documentary creation; truth and fiction; documentary subjects; game relationship; feminism
Classification Code: G202
Document Code: A
Article ID: 1671-0134(2025)04-74-04
DOI: 10.19483/j.cnki.11-4653/n.2025.04.014
Citation Format: Wang Shitian, Peng Biao. Exploring the Threefold Contradictions in Documentary Creation: Transcending the Boundary Between Truth and Fiction, Reconciling the Tension Between Active and Passive, and Breaking the Shackles of Power and Limitation [J]. China Media Technology, 2025, 32(4): 74-77.

1. Reconciling the Boundary Between Truth and Fiction in Documentary Creation: The Case of Kang Rinpoche

Documentary film distinguishes itself in the cinematic landscape through its aesthetic of authentic objectivity and humanistic contemplation, yet the path of creation is fraught with challenges. The primary difficulty lies in the fact that documentaries cannot preset plots and conflicts like fiction films, as their subjects are real individuals whose selection directly determines the work's success or failure. Second, filmmakers often unconsciously adopt a condescending perspective toward their subjects, compromising documentary objectivity. Furthermore, controversies regarding authenticity and performativity have persisted throughout documentary history, with divergent viewpoints—such as the subjective intervention of cinéma vérité, the objective observation of direct cinema, and new advocacy for reenactment—creating conceptual confusion for creators. Finally, while documentaries can touch hearts through vivid imagery and resonate socially with powerful influence, as audiovisual works, their capacity to transform reality is limited by factors such as funding, technology, access, and culture.

1.1 "Truthfulness": The Essential Attribute of Documentary

In the documentary field, "recording" occupies a central position. The camera, through its recording function, can precisely capture and reproduce the external characteristics of things. It is precisely this capacity of the camera to "reproduce physical reality" that creates an inseparable connection between documentary and objectivity. As Larissa Banson stated in The Film Dictionary, understanding the concept of "truth" depends on the aesthetic and philosophical choices made regarding cinema, as well as the imperfections and definitions of works created under the banner of documentation. This is an ancient yet perpetually renewed proposition, and the exploration of "truth" has undergone a continuous process of transformation [1]. Tracing back to Flaherty's early thought, he championed the principle of "authentic results," employing artistic techniques of scene reenactment to meticulously depict authentic fragments of Inuit historical life, creating an almost lifelike atmosphere. Subsequently, Grierson proposed the concept of "artistic recreation of reality," viewing documentary as a form of artistic creation and advocating selective presentation when recording reality. Meanwhile, André Bazin profoundly analyzed the fundamental nature of documentary art from a psychoanalytic perspective—using images to capture and restore life's original appearance. This perspective aligns with the camera's function of "faithful recording," emphasizing precise "replication" of life's original state and highlighting the ontological characteristics and documentary value of images as a recording medium [2]. The public possesses an innate curiosity for "truth-seeking," and the documentary nature of the medium perfectly satisfies this psychological need by presenting the real world in its original form, recording authentic human stories and social landscapes with minimal subjective intervention, thereby forming a sharp contrast with fictional and performative arts.

1.2 "Fictionality": The Extension of Documentary Boundaries

The interpretation of "fiction" varies across different film genres. On one hand, in documentary filmmaking, to enhance dramatic tension or profoundly reveal a particular theme, filmmakers often employ techniques such as organizing scenes, reenacting events, or staged shooting to present content. Although this approach deviates from pure documentation, it enriches documentary expression. On the other hand, in fiction films, story content mostly consists of fictional plots meticulously crafted by screenwriters. These plots are not direct reflections of real life but are constructed based on artistic needs to enhance viewership and emotional resonance. Bill Nichols observed: "This creative form establishes a frank, intimate atmosphere that contrasts sharply with the detached, objective atmosphere traditionally claimed by documentaries" [3]. In contemporary documentary creation, the construction of core competitiveness has shifted toward the deep integration of creators' rigorous attitude toward facts and narrative artistry. Excellent documentary works should not only guide audiences to observe social reality but also serve as mirrors for self and world cognition, thereby stimulating profound reflection. Notably, the fictional techniques employed in the creative process—including but not limited to scene reconstruction, role-playing, and event reenactment—essentially represent multidimensional presentation strategies for truth. Such artistic processing does not dissolve authenticity but rather strengthens the expressive power of essential truth through creative narrative means, enabling audiences to achieve deeper cognitive experiences.

1.3 The Reconciliation of "Truth" and "Fiction"

Since the birth of documentary, "truth" and "fiction" have existed in a state of binary opposition. Although the pursuit of truth has always been the essential appeal of documentary, discussions about the nature of truth have never reached a definitive conclusion. Truth itself possesses multidimensional attributes: it encompasses both objective reality and artistic expression; it exists both in textual narrative authenticity and in the sense of reality constructed through fictional narratives. This cognitive breakthrough presents new possibilities for documentary creation—integrating dramatized narratives into real events or revealing deeper truths through fictional techniques, allowing the two to move from opposition to dynamic equilibrium. This innovative creative concept breaks traditional documentary boundaries, providing creators with broader narrative space. When truth and fiction are no longer mutually exclusive choices, documentaries can transcend single-mode documentation and enhance narrative tension through artistic techniques such as situational reenactment and animated interpretation while maintaining core authenticity.

Kang Rinpoche, directed by Zhang Yang, exemplifies this reconciliation. The film employs unique documentary-style shooting techniques to package fictional content, enabling the authenticity emphasized in documentary to achieve a harmonious coexistence with the fictional elements inherent in narrative film through their collision. Flaherty's 1922 masterpiece Nanook of the North, though a reenactment of Inuit life, shares a similar approach with Zhang Yang's Kang Rinpoche in building a bridge of reconciliation between truth and fiction.

1.3.1 The Interweaving of Pilgrimage Truth and Narrative Fiction

The Kang Rinpoche crew lived with all the pilgrims for a year, capturing authentic scenes of prostrations and childbirth, demonstrating the film's truthful elements. Unlike traditional fiction films with predetermined scripts, Kang Rinpoche had no fixed screenplay; instead, it followed the pilgrimage improvisationally, with the final film edited from captured footage. This approach reduced directorial presetting and presented more authentic pilgrim experiences. However, since the pilgrimage itself was initiated for the purpose of filming, it was not, strictly speaking, a purely spontaneous pilgrimage, thus giving the narrative a certain fictional quality from a storytelling perspective.

1.3.2 The Fusion of Real Characters and Amateur Actors

The film's cast consisted of eleven villagers from Mangkang County's Pula Village, all non-professional actors without performance experience. By establishing specific character backgrounds—for instance, requiring an elderly person in their seventies who might die en route, a pregnant woman giving birth during the journey, or a butcher seeking redemption—the director both preserved their authentic identities and served narrative needs. This dual identity unified in the actors, achieving reconciliation between real characters and fictional roles.

1.3.3 The Harmony of Authentic Filming and Montage Editing

Director Zhang Yang, discussing the relationship between truth and fiction in film, stated that one could choose to observe life dispassionately or immerse oneself in it, with this choice directly affecting camera methodology—for example, employing detached long takes or handheld camera work that participates in the actors' breathing rhythm [4]. Kang Rinpoche exemplifies this approach. The film underwent a year of authentic shooting, traveling over 400,000 kilometers to capture interpersonal dynamics and emotional changes through experiential creation. While pursuing authenticity, the film masterfully integrates both narrative and expressive montage techniques [5]. Narrative montage advances the story chronologically, while expressive montage conveys specific emotions or intellectual depth through shot composition. These two methods intertwine throughout the film, constructing a framework that is both authentic and artistically expressive.

The film centers on the pilgrimage group's journey from formation to circumambulation, interspersed with pivotal scenes such as Tsering Chökyi's childbirth, a road accident, and the death of elderly Yangpei. These scenes possess strong visual and emotional impact, demonstrating characteristics of expressive montage while naturally embedding within the overall narrative. Particularly, the birth scene of Düzhi Danda, a real-life miracle that cannot be recreated, was faithfully recorded and skillfully integrated into the fictional narrative framework, becoming a crucial element for story development and thematic deepening. Although Kang Rinpoche adopts a realistic approach, its story is meticulously orchestrated, with plot points derived from authentic life and characters, thus possessing strong internal authenticity. The film's use of documentary techniques to shoot a narrative film achieves reconciliation between truth and fiction, opening new avenues for fiction film creation. In contemporary contexts, combining truth and fiction represents a new path toward creating artistically valuable documentaries.

2. Balancing the Active and Passive Dynamic in Documentary Creation: The Case of Man with a Movie Camera

The relationship between active and passive in documentary creation can be understood as the relationship between the creator (camera) and the filmed subject. During shooting, a game-like relationship often exists between creator and subject, reflecting both the creator's agency and the subject's passivity, as well as their bidirectional interaction.

2.1 The Creator's Agency: Camera as Tool for Observation and Guidance

In Man with a Movie Camera, director Dziga Vertov regarded the camera as an observational tool surpassing the human eye, directly recording and capturing the inner emotions of real life. Without artificial sets, professional actors, or subtitle assistance, the film presents a day in the life of a Soviet city—the cinema preparing for screening, the city at dawn, the busy daytime, and the leisurely night. The entire work constitutes an authentic capture of urban life. On a deeper level, from the moment the cameraman steps out of his home, the film embodies the principle of capturing life's fleeting moments, which the Kinoks (Cinema-Eye group) vigorously advocated: the camera as an indispensable tool for reflecting social reality. This agency lies not only in selecting subjects but also in precisely capturing timing and angles, emphasizing the documentary authenticity that the Kinoks championed. The entire film represents an authentic capture of urban life, demonstrating the creator's powerful ability to actively observe and guide through the camera.

2.2 The Passive Presentation of Subjects: Balancing Authenticity and Artistry

During filming, subjects often occupy a passive position. Facing the camera lens, they may experience nervousness, discomfort, or other emotional reactions. However, this passivity does not imply a lack of authenticity or expressiveness. On the contrary, under the creator's guidance, subjects often reveal more genuine and natural emotions and states. The crucial challenge for creators is how to maintain subjects' authenticity while achieving artistic quality and viewership appeal. This requires creators to focus not only on subjects' inner emotions and states but also on artistic elements such as composition, lighting, rhythm, and editing pace. Through skillful narrative and shooting techniques, they combine subjects' authentic emotions and states with artistic elements to present a unique artistic style.

2.3 Balancing the Active-Passive Dynamic: Interaction Between Creator, Camera, and Subject

In documentary creation, balance between active and passive is crucial. Excessive active guidance may compromise a film's authenticity and objectivity, while excessive passive recording may render a film monotonous and lacking artistic quality and appeal. In Man with a Movie Camera, Vertov employs clever editing and narrative strategies to combine the camera's active capture with subjects' passive presentation, creating a unique artistic style. He respects subjects' authenticity while using creative wisdom and technique to make the film more vivid, three-dimensional, and engaging. Achieving this balance requires creators to possess keen observational skills and solid shooting techniques while maintaining respect for authenticity and pursuit of artistry.

In the evolution of contemporary documentary imagery, the development of the "direct cinema" movement has engendered aesthetic paradigm innovations in observational documentary. This creative philosophy has gradually constructed a unique cognitive schema for objective aesthetics: creators systematically eliminate intervention in narrative progression by implementing an ethics of "presence as absence"—avoiding reshaping event processes, refusing to guide character behavior, and maintaining spatial-temporal continuity, thereby forming a methodologically significant principle of non-intervention. The game process between creator and subject is dynamic, and their relationship is not static but may be a cooperative "partnership," a "competitive" relationship for discursive power, or a consciously evasive "parallel" relationship [6]. Timely identification and grasp of this relationship enables creators to make correct judgments and choices during filming, thereby better controlling documentary creation.

3. The Contradiction of Power and Limitation in Documentary Creation: Feminist Realism and Dilemmas in the French Documentary Woman

The power of documentary lies in its ability to use direct visual language to present nature and society, history and reality, stimulating public emotional resonance and action, thereby exerting strong social influence. However, this power is not invincible; it is constrained by multiple factors including funding, technology, cultural differences, and political movements, resulting in certain limitations. Power and limitation essentially reflect documentary's social responsibility and dilemmas—a documentary necessarily possesses real-world value, yet as an audiovisual work, it cannot decisively transform reality.

The French documentary Woman, co-directed by Ukrainian filmmaker Anastasia Mikova and French director Yann Arthus-Bertrand, spans 50 countries and authentically records the perspectives of 2,000 women on various life aspects, covering themes from childbirth to female growth and physiological phenomena. The film employs a group portrait interview format in enclosed spaces, allowing subjects to look directly into the camera for one-on-one exchanges, resembling dialogues between soul and divinity. Each woman is presented in equal close-up shots, highlighting often-overlooked emotions and experiences.

"I believe love will change the world. I view the world with open eyes. Rather than crying pessimistically in darkness, I prefer to illuminate light. I want to use film to illuminate light, while needing billions of people to act together to illuminate light" [7]. The film directly focuses on female groups experiencing injustice across education, family, workplace, and multiple dimensions. Their revelations expose the harsh reality that gender oppression remains widespread in contemporary society, with their lives devastated as if by tsunamis or earthquakes. However, breaking silence is merely the starting point for seeking change; the subsequent path of repair and reconstruction requires extraordinary courage, rare opportunities, and broad social support.

The production team was female-led, ensuring dialogue authenticity. The directors hoped the film would transform gender perceptions, calling for gender equality and social justice, prompting audiences to re-examine women's inner worlds and denounce gender oppression and discrimination. The film does not adopt extreme feminism but demonstrates women's interdependence with men, society, and nature. Its social significance lies in guiding audiences to contemplate gender relations and learn how to interact with the opposite sex. Women's shared sensibility, resilience, and flexibility shine brightly in adversity, witnessing the development of feminism and promoting free expression of female subjectivity.

Although documentaries as audiovisual works can provoke audience reflection and resonance through authentic stories and profound emotional depiction, their influence remains limited. Viewers may experience empathy and reflection after watching, but relatively few may transform these thoughts into action. Moreover, even those willing to act may be constrained by social structures and cultural concepts, causing feminism to oscillate between liberalism and conservatism [8]. In the future, as female directors rise in the documentary field, feminist documentaries will strive to become a perceptible and resonant force, injecting rich texture and diverse possibilities into feminism, making it more realistic and constructive.

The three pairs of contradictory relationships—truth and fiction, active and passive, power and limitation—constitute the complex ecology of documentary creation. Understanding and properly handling these contradictions not only enhances artistic value but also effectively conveys documentary's social responsibility and humanistic care. In future documentary creation, we must continue exploring how to find equilibrium among these contradictions to produce works with profound meaning and social value.

As Bill Nichols observed: "To accurately define the concept of 'documentary' is as difficult as defining 'love' or 'culture'" [9]. The reason for this definitional difficulty lies in the fact that documentary creative practice exists in a dynamic, changing environment. The contradictions of "truth and fiction" in the filming process, the "active and passive" relationship between creator and subject, and the "power and limitation" of documentary thematic influence have always existed. However, we must clearly recognize that documentary is an art about "people." Only when creators fully understand the "person" beneath the lens [10], achieve deep empathy based on value identification, and construct an emotional community through intersubjective interaction can they generate high-quality image texts. The vitality of this artistic form precisely stems from the plasticity of its boundary settings—dynamic narrative thresholds constitute both its aesthetic tension and endogenous driving force for media evolution. Under continuous morphological innovation, documentary art forms will inevitably present a more inclusive ecological diversity landscape.

References

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Author Information

Wang Shitian (2004—), female, Han ethnicity, from Fuzhou, Fujian, undergraduate student at Fujian Normal University, research direction: broadcasting and hosting arts.
Peng Biao (1970—), male, Han ethnicity, from Baoji, Shaanxi, undergraduate, associate professor, Director and Program Coordinator of Broadcasting and Hosting Arts Department at Fujian Normal University, research direction: broadcasting and hosting in the converged media era.

(Executive Editor: Li Yansong)