Why do Documentaries seem more 'realistic' than other media forms?

Question

Why do Documentaries seem more 'realistic' than other media forms?

Answer 1

well tashnatjuly, if you google documentary on wikipedia you will find that it is because documentaries use a convention called actuality:

Actuality -

Actuality is the term for film footage of real life events, places and people. Unlike fictional films which use actors, scripted stories and artificial sets, actuality is a record of real events as they unfold.

By using real footage of real life events this makes it seem more "realistic" than fictional forms of media.