The rise of Guerrilla Documentaries

"The rise of Guerrilla Documentaries" evaluates the process of creating documentary films using the 'guerrilla doc' method. It firstly seeks to define documentary through a review of it as a field of practice with its own literature. It charts the history of documentary practice, arguing that changes in technology and the marketplace have seen present-day documentary production determined, not only by technologies of production and distribution, but also by the aggregation of television markets and fragmentation of audiences. Secondly it contextualises documentary as a field of practice by examining the current production work of four contemporary, observational, guerrilla documentarians. It examines in detail their equipment, techniques and relationship with investors and broadcasters, and how the 'guerrilla doc' aesthetic has allowed them greater production flexibility, intimacy with their subjects, and increased creative control over their work. The third section is a critical reflection on the author's own guerrilla documentary - "Family First - A Federal Crusade" which was produced for ABC-TV Australia.