jun 11, 1922 - Nanook of the North
Description:
Other than the fact that the first films ever made were considered 'documentaries' due to them being short clips of real life, the first ever commercially successful, feature-length documentary was called Nanook of the North. This documentary created by Robert Flaherty explored the Eskimo way of life.
Flaherty spent 16 months living with Eskimos and filming their lives in 1920. His equipment for this film consisted of a 75,000 feet of film, a Haulberg electric light plant, a projector, two Akeley cameras and a printing machine. He had this equipment so that he was able to develop the film while their to show the Eskimos.
Due to the fact the first documentary was an international success, Nanook of the North was a major development. His interpretations of reality lead the way for other filmmakers to create non-fiction films. The film introducing the idea of documentaries later led to the documentary movement in the 1930s.
Sources:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=21&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwi5sbykopfeAhVqJcAKHacrDMwQFjAUegQIChAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.documentary.org%2Ffeature%2Fhow-i-filmed-nanook-north&usg=AOvVaw1fQhl3mNnqex1OZYWONL8q
Added to timeline:
Development of TV and Film
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