While many reality television shows provide more of an escape from reality for viewers than an actual immersion in it, documentaries - the thoughtful side of the reality business - have been booming.
Recent documentaries like "Fahrenheit 9/11," "Outfoxed," and "Super Size Me" have received a considerable amount of recognition for their subject matter and film styles.
Many university students are trying their hand at the business of documentary filming.
Gregory Tedesco, a senior film major, said documentaries often paint a picture for their viewers, giving them a choice of which angle to pay attention to.
"It's good for students to understand why they believe certain things," he said. "You can just represent something and let the audience decide what they draw from it."
Bruce Jackson, a professor of American studies, has made documentaries that have been viewed throughout the world. Jackson said he believes documentaries do a great service to society, especially these days.
"In recent times we have a glut of media information. From the Internet to the television, it's become increasingly difficult to tell the authentic from the bull," he said. "Documentarians aren't afraid to say somebody was lying. It's often important to say when the president was lying."
According to Sarah Elder, a professor of advanced documentary production, the documentary genre has often been in the shadows of other forms of films.
"In the 1960s and 1970s, documentaries were very popular. When multiplexes took over, the smaller film had no venue anywhere. The big distribution companies cut them out," said Elder.
Elder said she is pleased with the recent surge in interest in documentaries and credits much of the growth to the increasing availability of equipment.
"Digital video has democratized video making. Lots of people with lots of creativity can make a documentary," said Elder. "People can buy the whole thing for $5,000 to $6,000 as opposed to 10 years ago when it would be $50,000 on 16 mm of film."
Gail Eilat, a senior communication and media studies major, is currently enrolled in DMS 404, a course that teaches advanced documentary.
Eilat is in the process of making a documentary for the course and said she is learning about the difficulties involved.
"A lot more thought needs to go into the pre-production of a documentary than you would normally think," said Eilat. "I'm having trouble picking a topic because everything that I really care about is not in Buffalo, and to do a documentary on something that you're not passionate about will ultimately result in an unsuccessful film."
Eilat said when she had to make a documentary for one of her DMS courses last year she decided to focus on the military. She said this topic jumped out at her because of her family's connection to the military.
"I didn't realize how involved it would be, but I was still happy with the results of my first documentary, because it showed people how much of a culture the military really is," she said.
Elder said the difficulty involved in a making documentary often helps students realize the impact of non-fiction film.
"Students get a little surprised when they see how hard it is to make (a documentary). It's more difficult to make that than to make a fiction film, which is completely controlled. You can't control reality," she said.
According to Tedesco, Elder had a few words of wisdom for him during his filmmaking process.
"One of the things she taught in our class is that cameras are a great tool to document the world against oppressive forces. Cameras are power," he said.
Jackson also advocates the importance of the documentary maker's work.
"Because documentaries are about presenting the real, they use the power of film and artistic devices of fiction film to look at the real world," said Jackson. "It helps to see our world in ways we could not otherwise."
