Motion picture records provide an audiovisual perspective on the persons, events, places and things in our collective history. An audiovisual perspective is an additional dimension of information that cannot be replaced by written words alone. A written transcript cannot replace a sound or visual record of important speeches. A written report cannot convey the drama of certain Congressional hearings or debates. Uniqueness can be applied in the sense of comparing an edited film to unedited footage.
Unedited footage has more comparative objectivity as a source.
It may have greater quantity of footage of the most important sequences, offering more footage for study and analysis and creative research and production possibilities. The application of uniqueness as an analytical tool should take into account the abundance of audiovisual documentation of contemporary society. However, this requires certain assumptions about continued availability and preservation of historical materials outside ones own institution. The third way to ensure informational value is research importance, which means demonstrated or anticipated use by researchers. Potential usefulness of non-fiction film is difficult to appreciate without research room experience.