The Importance of Observational Documentary

When I filmed ‘Sonoita Rodeo’,
I had every intention of interviewing participants, attendees, etc.
But as I was there seeing the wide array of people and practices at this event,
​I decided that I didn’t want the voices of a few to overly inhabit the tone
of the event that I was documenting.

I made a conscious decision to let ‘Sonoita Rodeo’ be an observational documentary.

Observational documentary is an art form no longer commonly used in the mainstream.
That is okay. Narration and interviews of participants
can all be very valuable for learning about the subject matter.
But I believe that observation (and subsequent solo interpretation)
is an invaluable media literacy skill,
​and one that doesn’t get exercised all that often these days.

Of course, inevitably in editing, my “voice” in the form of my decisions of what to cut, what to leave, what to juxtapose together, etc., can still be heard. But I tried my best to keep that voice to a quiet, balanced whisper. You don’t need a narrator telling you what to think. Just observe.

Watch ‘Sonoita Rodeo’ on the Cinizar Documentary page | www.cinizar.com/documentaries