Authenticity and realism in documentary sound

Abstract

While we expect a dramatic feature film to use creative license in bringing the sound-track to life, does the same carte blanche approach apply for documentary? Does it, and should it, matter? This article highlights some of the problems and questions relating to the notions of realism and authenticity in the production of the documentary soundtrack. The production of the documentary film Gallipoli Submarine is used as a case study to examine the implications for practice.