The Evolution of Documentary Storytelling: Found Footage and the Dynamics of Memory

The form of storytelling in contemporary documentary film has undergone profound transformations, largely driven by technological advancements that have redefined the use of imagery. This essay examines the role of found footage—archival material, including official records, amateur films, and home movies—as a cinematic tool to mediate reality. By recontextualizing these images, filmmakers not only challenge linear historical narratives but also reimagine temporality itself. Crucially, this practice turns to the past to interrogate the present through a deeply personal lens, one that reveals both intentional and unintended connections. Drawing on Jamie Baron’s framework of narrative form, we analyze how different modes of storytelling shape the practice of memory. How does archival material transform memory narratives? If cinema is inherently dynamic, how does memory evolve within this dynamism? In an era where media play a pivotal role in reconstructing memory, this article argues that, alongside static ieux de mémoire (sites of memory), the fluidity of media allows memory to regenerate continuously.