10 Film Documentaries That Accidentally Uncovered Major Scoops
Government corruption, murder, sex scandals - some documentaries uncover more than they intended.
The documentary film genre is an extremely flexible one. It can be tackled with million-dollar budgets, zero-dollar budgets, and in countless different styles - at the end of the day, all that's required is a camera, and a story.
Some filmmakers rely heavily on reconstructions and dramatisations, while others take it upon themselves to dive head-first into an investigation, bringing a camera along for the ride. Some documentaries might feature personal matters that directly involve the creator, while others choose to explore more globally-relevant topics.
But no matter the style of documentary you're talking about, one thing that always holds true is that the filmmakers can't possibly predict how the story they're investigating will grow, and what revelations they might uncover along the way.
Over the decades, we've seen various documentarians encounter surprising events, shocking turns, and other real-life "plot twists" (if you will) while putting their films together, from smaller reveals that don't affect their respective documentaries in a major way, to earth-shattering scoops that force the filmmakers to completely change the narrative they're attempting to convey.
Either way, the results are truly fascinating.
10. Gimme Shelter - The Death Of A Young Rolling Stones Fan
The original idea for 1970's Gimme Shelter was to follow rock legends The Rolling Stones through the final stages of their 1969 United States tour, showing the band performing at Madison Square Garden, and the Altamant Speedway.
The filmmakers probably weren't expecting the finished documentary to be serious or shocking in any way, but when events took a disturbing turn at the aforementioned Altamant concert, that's exactly the result they got.
While the Stones were performing their track Under My Thumb, 18-year-old audience member Meredith Hunter attempted to barge his way onto the stage, only to be knocked aside by someone who was guarding the band. In response, Hunter pulled out a revolver, only to be stabbed - and killed - by one of his attackers.
By chance, this entire incident was captured by the documentary crew.
When the final product was screened for audiences, Hunter's stabbing quickly became the most talked-about scene in the film, completely changing the much lighter documentary the filmmakers had originally intended to make.