Visible Volume: The Multilinear and Database Documentary

Abstract

Two interactive formats of the digital documentary film are explored for their ability to provide a resource to those tasked with introducing progressive new policy and effecting social change. The multilinear documentary shows up in film practice as early as the 1960s, and while theoretically interesting at that time, its lack of interactivity does not make it an engaging structure as an influential communications tool until the digital era. The database documentary proves to be a valuable structure for housing a wide variety of content on a specific theme. Both multilinear and database documentary formats will be examined in this chapter. Combining these two interactive formats promises to enhance the influential power of the documentary film when incorporating a relationality platform for the film units as well as the various metadata affordances of the World Wide Web.