Sourced and Additional Materials

Many documentaries require visual and aural materials outside of what can be filmed. Libraries, archives, personal collections, and websites are just some of the resources at a filmmaker’s disposal. In addition to sourced materials, documentarians may also elect to use reenactments, animations, and artificial intelligence to fill in story gaps. Using sourced materials requires obtaining the proper permissions as well as providing the correct attributions. This chapter covers types of sourced materials a filmmaker might use as well as information about obtaining permission for use of found or produced materials. Exercises in this chapter will assist documentary filmmakers in identifying material they may need and where they might find it.