What distinguishes a "documentary" from a "narrative feature"? You might as well say, what distinguishes Michael Moore from Brad Pitt? Moore has made three of the top five grossing docs since 1982; the other two featured penguins and global warming. We tend to associate "documentary" with "truth," though the "facts" presented are often disputed, and some highly-regarded "documentaries" have staged some or all of their content. Ronald Bergen in The Guardian argues that "there has always been 'cheating' in documentaries." He concludes: "Isn't it time we drop the word 'documentary' for good?"

Filmmaker Frederick Wiseman is cited in the article as a "leading figure" of Direct Cinema, whose proponents "believed the camera could record the truth unobtrusively. But even Wiseman recognised that there is no pure documentary but all film-making is a process of imposing order on the filmed materials." Yesterday I watched part of Wiseman's The Store (1983) at AFI Dallas, and his skills as a filmmaker are evident: capturing a Neiman-Marcus salesman casually mention a $45,000 price tag, saleswomen being led through "finger calisthenics" and practice smiles, the opening and closing of elevator doors to signal location and time changes. Even if none of the footage was staged, Wiseman decided what to include in the finished film and in what order it would appear. We don't know what he may not have been permitted to shoot.

Some people think a "documentary" sounds like medicine: good for you but not fun to watch. I think the term itself has created a ghetto that keeps people from seeing great movies. What do you think? Is the term "documentary" archaic and out-of-date? Has the line between documentary and fiction become blurred beyond recognition? Is it time to drop "documentary" from our cinematic vocabulary?

Here are some pointers for future documentarians. 1) Don't do that thing where, if the subject starts crying, you discreetly keep the camera rolling, and then use that footage in the final film. If your cutting is otherwise neat and smooth during the rest of the film, then if you suddenly pause over a weeping shot for the first time, it's annoyingly obvious why you're doing it (see My Architect). 2) If the police or someone else tries to make you turn your camera off, pretend to comply and leave it on. It's very cool and it gets the audience on your side (see Street Fight). 3) No fancy graphics, unless your movie is funny (see Bigger, Stronger, Faster). Animation is still cool -- see Chicago 10 and Waltz with Bashir (208 screens) -- but it could get old, fast, so approach with caution.

• St. Claire Bourne (1943-2007) - Filmmaker who directed the documentary John Henrik Clarke: A Great and Mighty Walk and was the unit manager for When We Were Kings. He also appears as himself in the doc How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It), which is about Melvin Van Peebles. His most familiar work, though, is likely Making 'Do the Right Thing', which can be found on Criterion's DVD release of the Spike Lee film. He died after an operation to remove a brain tumor December 15, in New York. (Daily News via The Reeler)
• John Clark (? - 2007) - Art director for Jesus Christ Superstar, Tommy, Secret Ceremony, The Railway Children, Performance and Sidney Lumet's The Offence. He died December 12 in London. (IMDb)
• Philippe Clay (1927-2007) - French singer and actor who appears in Bell, Book and Candle, Jean Delannoy's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (the Anthony Quinn/Gina Lollobrigida one), Jean Renoir's French Cancan and Roger Planchon's Lautrec, in which he portrayed the painter Auguste Renoir. He died of cardiac arrest December 13, in Paris. (Find a Grave)
• Freddie Fields (1923-2007) - "Superagent" and talent manager who co-founded Creative Management Associates, the precursor to International Creative Management (ICM). He also produced Glory, American Gigolo, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Victory, Poltergeist II: The Other Side, Millennium and Crimes of the Heart. He died of lung cancer December 11, in Beverly Hills. (Variety)
• Jillian Kesner (1950-2007) - Actress and karate expert who starred in Beverly Hills Vamp, Raw Force (aka Kung Fu Cannibals), Firecracker (aka Naked Fist) and Student Body, which is familiar to fans of Errol Morris' documentary The Thin Blue Line, in which it is featured. She later became a production coordinator and associate producer. She died of a staph infection December 5. (Voy.com)
• Tom Miller (1922-2007) - Unit publicist for Shaft, Alex in Wonderland, The Cotton Club, The Last Dragon, Blow Out, The Happy Hooker, Easy Money and Paul Newman's Harry & Son and The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds. He died of an embolism following surgery December 6, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Tuscaloosa News)