Zapruder Film

One of the most studied films in history is the Zapruder film. The film was taken by Abraham Zapruder on November 22, 1963 and captures the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Zapruder's film is characterized as an observational documentary because nothing is staged and the footage is rough, shaky, and amateur looking. Although amateur and accidental, the Zapruder film has been studied intensely and was even the primary piece of evidence used by the Warren Commission when examining the case.

The Zapruder film was taken with an 8MM camera. These cameras were significant because they allowed people to stop videotaping everything since they could easily be transported and maneuvered. They captured the occurrences of real events which is important because nothing had to be staged and no detailed was left out. Over the years, technology improved. More ordinary people began getting their own video cameras in the 1980s and creating their own homemade videos. In 1992, the Rodney King beating was captured on video. This video was also an observational documentary because an innocent bystander is the one who captured the footage. Later, this video served as the primary evidence in the case.

As time passes and technology advances, more and more devices are created to help people capture certain events. There was the video camera, then we moved to a time of digital cameras that could take videos, and now virtually every cell phone has the capability of taking videos. These videos are amateur and often rough but they do have much importance. People are now able to videotape a crime occurring or a least get a picture of the criminal. And for some reason, our society has a fascination with these homemade videos. A popular show that has been around for years is Americas Funniest Home Videos. There have also been movies and shows made where it shows the footage of actual people dying. Sometimes it is hard to recall every detail of an event and then reproduce it on film. That is why these homemade type videos like the Zapruder film are so popular because they were captured by mere accident and involve no staging or false details.