Russian Military Documentary Cinema: Functions and Features of the Modern Stage of Development
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47475/2070-0695-2025-57-3-107-115Keywords:
documentary film, war documentary, military operations, special military operation, information warAbstract
The article examines the historical and modern aspects of the functioning of domestic military documentary filmmaking, which has great creative and cultural traditions. On a significant theoretical and empirical basis, the functions of military documentary filmmaking are considered: artistic and creative, moral and value, historical, propaganda, counterpropaganda. Military documentary filmmaking in our country has gone through several key periods of its development: pre-revolutionary, before and during the Great Patriotic War, Afghanistan, the counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus and now the stage of the Special Military Operation. The features of its development and significant changes that influenced the principles of functioning of this sphere are revealed, examples of the author's implementation in this complex genre at the present stage of development are given.
The modern stage is characterized, on the one hand, by following the traditions of domestic military newsreels, on the other hand, by new technical means: portable high-resolution cameras, compact sound recording equipment, drones, – have significantly improved the quality of the films being created, putting them on the same visual level with feature films. Conclusions have been made that documentary cinema is now experiencing a new impetus for development, continuing to be the main source of military action chronicles, analytics, meanings associated with the realities of military operations. At the same time, military documentary filmmaking remains an effective tool for creating images of defenders of the Fatherland, has a pronounced counter-propaganda potential, helps combat disinformation and is an effective tool for waging an information war.
At the same time, this area is outside the zone of traditional legal regulation. Military documentary filmmakers are forced to work semi-legally, relying on personal connections with unit commanders, since the current system of information coverage of the Special Military Operation is focused exclusively on interaction with journalists from media outlets accredited by the Ministry of Defense, which cuts off the possibility of attracting independent film studios to create such films, where the majority of highly qualified specialists in this field are currently concentrated.References
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