Ever since Moore shook the world with Fahrenheit 9/11, mainstream documentary films have discovered a fool proof formula – pit the protagonists against a mighty yet despicable Goliath, then wrap the central motif around a conspiracy theory or a promise of some shocking truth unveiling. Not only does this structure able to bring the mundane slightly more bearable, it helps to inject a sense of familiarity in the generally soap soaked audience, carefully keeping their interest levels from dwelling throughout the two hours.

Documentary films have therefore evolved from the hardcore BBC style where authenticity and university professors take center stage to the makeshift blockbuster thrillers they have become. While effective in grabbing headlines and generating controversy, one sometimes can’t help but think whether the tradeoffs are worthwhile. Tension and drama are no doubt effective emotion provoking vehicles, but when the dosage gets too frequent, fatigue and detachment can kick in just as quickly. As easy as that is to grasp, film distributors have never been so keen on pushing the noise stirring documentary race to more ridiculous heights.

The argument is not against producing good quality documentary films that are both thought-provoking and dare I say – entertaining. Few would think that Ric O’Barry’s compassion towards dolphins was an excuse for putting night vision scenes in The Cove. When executed appropriately, the tension helps to put the viewer in the epicenter of the depicted event and make him as involved in the subject matter as the film makers themselves.

However, the abundance of subpar documentary films relegating to shock and gore as cheap marketing tricks have inflicted enough damage on the genre already, making viewers and critics much more skeptical and “rational” than before. On the other hand, right wing critics with a self-proclaimed sense of responsibility to balance the opinions of the world would pour out lengthy counter-arguments with the sole purpose of muddling the original message of the documentary film makers and showcasing their own moral objectivity. Healthy, serious debate is much needed as it teaches us not to accept everything at face value, but most of the ones I came across were merely pseudo arguments with a rational disguise. At the end of the day, this deranged phenomenon causes a set back as confused and less-knowledgeable viewers at large become less sure of what to believe in anymore.

Not all film makers are able to recruit ILM expertise for camera hiding advices and unmanned aircrafts constructions. From The Cove.

So that’s that – documentary film makers should stop adhering to the Moore formula as their impacts are being increasingly watered-down and no meagre budget boosts would help.