Documentary Research Examples

Documentary research

The documentary research attempts to obtain, analyze, interpret and compare information about an object of study from a host of documentary sources (audiovisual records, books or archival documents). For example: Nanuk the Eskimo (1922), Those who whisper, by Orlando FIges and Made in L.A (2007).

This type of research must respect the following methodological stages:

Information sources

The sources of information to which an investigator appeals are divided into two levels:

Document types

Examples of documentary research

1. The Vietnam War. The audiovisual documentary that narrates the Vietnam War (1955-1975) for 990 minutes was directed by documentary maker Ken Burns. Throughout 10 episodes, military operations are addressed and, in parallel, the increase in questions and opposition to the war in the United States.
2. The secret decrees of the dictatorship. The Data Unit of the news portal Infobae downloaded and reviewed more than 7000 secret decrees that were dictated by the Military Juntas throughout the last de facto government in Argentina (1976-1983). In these decrees, which are signed by different dictators, provisions and orders of the Junta were found. Military ranging from releases, deportations and arrests to the prohibition of books and commercialization of weapons. All the material was presented along eight notes that were published between March and May 2019.
   instagram story viewer
3. The Russian Revolution (1891 - 1924), Orlando Figes. Using newspaper documents, letters and personal diaries, the British historian narrates the milestones of the revolution and provides a detailed portrait of daily life by that then. Throughout the book, Figes shows that the Russian Revolution was a historical process that radically changed the trajectory of a people and that it had influence throughout the world.
4. Bios. Lives that marked yours: Luis Alberto Spinetta. In this two-hour audiovisual documentary, produced by National Greographic, he offers details intimate and revealing of Luis Alberto Spineta, an artist considered one of the fathers of rock Argentinian. His family participated in his production (both in front of and behind the camera) and it has more than 100 hours of unpublished material, little-known recordings and testimonies of all kinds. The documentary is directed by the artist's eldest daughter, Catarina Spinetta, who reviews her father's childhood until the last days.
5. World War II in Photographs, David Boyle. This book compiles 900 high-quality photographs from a variety of sources to portray World War II (1939–1945). The images show all the scenarios in which the warfare unfolded: the steppes of Russia, the deserts of Africa, the jungles of the South Pacific and the seas of the Arctic. The images were arranged chronologically and each one of them has a detailed explanation of the course of events.
6. The silence of the others. This documentary produced by the Spanish Pedro Almodóvar lays bare the crimes perpetrated during the Franco regime. Directed by Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar, the film also highlights the contribution of the Argentine lawsuit during the search for justice. The making of this documentary took seven years to produce. Its filmmakers collected more than 450 hours of material to shed light on the struggle of Franco's victims who continue to seek justice.
7. The Berlin Wall. The border through a city, Thomas Flemming. Through documents, photos and illustrations, this book portrays the history of the Berlin Wall. It runs from the first wire fence that was placed in August 1961 to the “wall of the fourth generation ”, 3.60 meters high, without overlooking the project to raise the wall of“ high technology". In addition, the work illustrates the daily life of the people who lived to the west and east of the city and the events that led to the fall of the border in 1989.