Driven by their social, poetic and philosophical convictions Flaherty and Grierson each attempted to bring the reality of life to the cinema screen. What each understood by this reality, and what their purpose was in filming it can best be understood through the the men themselves. The fact is however that both Nanook of the North and Drifters involve a high degree of intervention, reconstruction and manipulation.

Nanook	In Nanook of the North Misrepresentation of Reality Staging of Reality Dramatisation of Reality
Filming Drifters	In Drifters Staging of Reality Poetic treatment of Reality

Conclusion