New new media has opened the door for anyone to vocie an opinion in an open platform. As we all aren't michael moores or Morgan Spurlock we don't have financial backing nor the leisure to use our own money to fund such projects of passion. By using sites like youtube which contain more than 120,000,000 of videos and services two billion videos to users each day*, documentaries can find their space in the online world.
Documentaries are commonly found on the television, with commissioned pieces and the 'odd music or celebrity-related documentary was considered for mainstream theatrical distribution' (Vicente, 2008). In 2002 and onwards documentaries peaked having documentaries like Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11, Touching The Void and Super Size Me finding mainstream box office acclaim. However with the growing topical issues with documentaries such as licensing, political issues and cultural sensitivity have led to documentaries to become considered more 'independent' in release. 'There is little doubt of the existence of many untapped audiences that occur due to a lack of exposure or access to the product' (Vicente, 2008)
With all of these pressures, the documentary industry has taken a hit. But with the internet and its video streaming capabilities through sites like youtube and pay video on demand documentaries can reach their niche audiences all over the world. Documentaries allow the middle man and the average woman to speak up and send a message. Not just with words but with a visual aesthetic which communicates to a larger audience. Working in the same direction as blogs and websites, documentaries offer another medium of communication, which at times are more interesting and attractive than written forms. Documentaries are changing in more ways than one. From the film documentaries becoming more adaptive to reach their audience, but also the homemade local documentaries created to
LGBT Rights Part 1
Above is a homemade 4 part documentary created by the Youtube user Insomninja explores Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual and Transexual rights. Her documentary, though not of the standard of a film documentary still informs but most importantly brings a need for action and awareness on the issue. Online documentaries expand the capabilities and the amount of content spread around the world, working to help complement other documentaries both film and homemade. It helps to lower costs, the need for licensing and trademarks and makes it easier and more inviting to create and share ideas.
The Cellutoid Closet
Comparing the Insomninja Documentary with a snippet from the Cellutoid Closet, they both offer insights to LGBT rights and the injustice of prejudice complementing each other.
