green screen in a documentary

[Bruce Watson]

Netflixed More Than Honey (on blu-ray) a couple of days ago. Interesting movie with some pretty beautiful cinematography in spots. But it used a lot of green screen with the bees.

How much green screen work can go into a documentary before it becomes... something other than a documentary? I mean, if you're using green screen, you're basically making things up. Which is fine for narrative work, but runs counter to the "documentary philosophy" of showing reality. So... how much is too much?

 

[Finn Yarbrough]

I mean, if you're using green screen, you're basically making things up. Which is fine for narrative work, but runs counter to the "documentary philosophy" of showing reality. So... how much is too much?

The "documentary philosophy" is a whole can of worms. Do you mean "Cinema Verité?" That's just one way to make a documentary.
We made "Ministry of the Stove" two winters ago, and it won several awards as a documentary:

https://vimeo.com/32974513

Despite its obvious deviation from "reality."