Abstract
Unlike fiction film, documentary occupies a special place in our social world due to its perceived truth function. Documentary films make arguments about the social and historical world through their use of evidence. This thesis examines the way that evidence is manipulated within documentary film to certain social, political and ideological ends.
An analysis of Titicut Follies, The Thin Blue Line and Standard Operating Procedure provide the theoretical framework for the academic component of the thesis. A twenty-five minute documentary Three little Pigs: A Curly Tale was produced as the creative component.
Both the academic and creative components show that the representation of evidence in documentary film provides a number of challenges for both filmmakers and audiences.