{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.documentary-film","code":"thing-q93204","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q93204/","name":"documentary film","alternateNames":["educational film","industrial video","Recreative movie","sex education film","instructional film","Sittenfilm","popular science film","social guidance film","training film","essay film","Danish sex documentary film","nature film"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.3","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Information and virtual systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"INF","domain":["INF.MED"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A non-fiction film that documents reality, people, events or issues for information, education, record or argument, using observation, interviews, archive material, narration and re-enactment in varying combinations; documentaries range from observational and investigative films to educational, industrial and instructional films, and are made for cinema, television and online distribution.","purpose":"Let an agent explain what documentary film is and its modes, distinguish documentary from fiction, news and propaganda, relay ethics, funding and distribution information, and identify documentaries and their makers from reliable sources.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Claim to represent reality","Range of modes and techniques","Ethical relationship with subjects","Festival, broadcast and online circuits"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"form","name":"Form","description":"What a documentary is.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition and modes.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What defines a documentary, and what modes do scholars distinguish, with attribution?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the film a documentary, a fiction film, a news report or propaganda?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"kinds","name":"Kinds","description":"Kinds.","findings":[{"id":"kinds-finding","name":"Kinds","description":"Kinds.","questions":[{"text":"What kinds of documentary exist, from investigative to instructional?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific film?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"make","name":"Make","description":"Making documentaries.","layers":[{"id":"methods","name":"Methods","description":"Methods.","findings":[{"id":"methods-finding","name":"Methods","description":"Methods.","questions":[{"text":"How are documentaries researched, shot and edited?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits film production?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"ethics","name":"Ethics","description":"Ethics.","findings":[{"id":"ethics-finding","name":"Ethics","description":"Ethics.","questions":[{"text":"What ethical standards govern consent, representation and accuracy?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"circulate","name":"Circulate","description":"Funding and distribution.","layers":[{"id":"funding","name":"Funding","description":"Funding.","findings":[{"id":"funding-finding","name":"Funding","description":"Funding.","questions":[{"text":"How are documentaries funded, from broadcasters to grants and platforms?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits film funding?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"distribution","name":"Distribution","description":"Festivals and platforms.","findings":[{"id":"distribution-finding","name":"Distribution","description":"Distribution.","questions":[{"text":"How are documentaries distributed and where are they seen?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits a specific festival?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"History and impact.","layers":[{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History.","findings":[{"id":"history-finding","name":"History","description":"History.","questions":[{"text":"How did documentary develop from early actualities to modern forms?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits the history of documentary film?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"impact","name":"Impact","description":"Impact and debate.","findings":[{"id":"impact-finding","name":"Impact","description":"Impact.","questions":[{"text":"What is known about the impact of documentaries, and what debates exist about truth and advocacy, with attribution?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the presentation neutral?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Describe documentaries, their makers and subjects with sources.","Explain documentary modes and the difference between observation and re-enactment.","Note when a film's claims are disputed."],"mustNot":["Misattribute a documentary to the wrong maker.","Present staged or re-enacted scenes as unstaged.","Present propaganda as neutral documentary.","Share footage of identifiable subjects beyond its licence or their consent."],"requiresHuman":["Publishing or distributing footage of real people."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Documentaries shape public understanding and can harm their subjects.","Editing choices can mislead audiences about real events."],"affectedParties":["Subjects of the film","Audiences","Filmmakers"]},"owners":{"steward":"The producer and rights holder of each film.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q24960157","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q4164344","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"non-fiction film","type":"related","note":"the category"},{"target":"fiction film","type":"related","note":"invented narratives"},{"target":"film festival","type":"related","note":"documentary circuits"},{"target":"film studies","type":"related","note":"the discipline"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.documentary-film","Wikidata: Q93204 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q93204)","film database identifiers: IMDb and others","ISAN: audiovisual number where registered"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":["length: a few minutes to several hours time - short, feature and series"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Non-fiction claim to represent reality","Modes from observational to reflexive","Fiction films, news reports and propaganda are distinguished by intent and method","A film presenting real people, places and events, often with interviews, archive footage and narration."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain modes and forms","distinguish documentary from fiction and news","relay ethics and standards","identify films and makers"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Misleading editing or staging","Harm to subjects","Blurred lines with propaganda","Misattributed films"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Broadcasting standards on accuracy and fairness","Consent and privacy law for subjects","Copyright and fair use for archive material","Film classification"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Informing, recording and arguing about reality through film.","observational and direct cinema","expository and educational films","investigative and advocacy documentaries","archival and historical documentaries","industrial, instructional and training films","docudrama and hybrid forms","documentary series"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q93204: documentary film","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q93204","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Documentary film","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentary_film","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should documentary modes be separate entries?","How should film databases be linked?","The registry entry has merged aliases for educational and industrial films; should they be split off?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q93204/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q93204/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-12T21:24:54Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-06T19:52:03+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane INF: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}