An investigation of narrative aesthetics in documentary films broadcasted on Mubi and BluTV through the example of 140 Journos.

Documentary cinema is a significant genre in film history with a deep-rooted past that has evolved continuously alongside technological advancements. Especially in the age of digital communication, cinema technology is constantly renewing itself. The rapidly evolving communication technologies of this era have deeply impacted the cinema industry, introducing new possibilities alongside creative processes. Various innovations and transformations can be observed in the production, distribution, and screening processes of films. The need for traditional communication channels to reach the audience is diminishing each day, giving way to digital platforms like YouTube, Netflix, MUBI and BluTV. Documentary Cinema has also benefitted from these innovations and transformations. Digitalization has not only resulted in technical changes in documentary cinema but has also brought about a significant transformation in terms of content and storytelling. Through digital streaming platforms, documentary cinema has achieved a broader reach to the audience, transcending the boundaries of traditional cinema and evolving. This interaction between documentary cinema and digital streaming platforms offers the opportunity for a more direct, personal, and extensive connection with viewers. By making the cinema experience more accessible and personal, this interaction enhances a deeper engagement with the audience. Therefore, the digitalization process of documentary cinema stands out as a significant factor shaping the future of documentary film making. This study focuses on examining documentary works produced across different platforms, such as MUBI, BluTV and documentaries created for the 140 Journos YouTube channel. The changing narrative structures and aesthetic forms of documentaries on these platforms will be discussed. In this study, a quantitative research method in the social sciences, the Causal-Comparative method, is applied to compare and contrast documentaries produced on BluTV, MUBI, and the 140 Journos channel, which are similar in genre. Differences in form, aesthetics, and production are compared by analyzing the documentaries. Emphasis will be placed on the techniques used in the production process, equipment and the opportunities offered by digital platforms to understand the role of these elements in documentary film making. By doing so, an attempt will be made to comparatively uncover the effects of the transformations in cinema during the digital communication age on documentary cinema.