In the age of generative tools, documentary begins with three commitments that underlie any method or style. First, credibility no longer rests on a photochemical trace but on making the process legible—what was actually recorded, what was generated, what is conjecture, and where gaps are left on purpose. Second, responsibility remains human: algorithms can assist, but choices about sources, thresholds of evidence, and ethical criteria are set by the filmmaker. Third, every film addresses someone—audiences, represented communities, curators—and in an environment dense with misinformation, authors must anticipate likely readings and misreadings and shape the work to withstand them. These commitments are not checkboxes; they are the ground on which the article proceeds, informing how we analyse archives, how we use synthetic imagery, and how we communicate uncertainty without surrendering clarity.