Archival material plays a prominent role in the narration of historical events, but their use and manipulation can lend them to alternative narratives that may be harmful, especially in the realm of conspiracy. They are often used in communicating personal interpretations of events, acting as proof of the "true narrative", igniting doubt in what is widely perceived and believed. I wish to assess just how effective this material is in the construction and belief of conspiracy theories by presenting a series of images and videos from an event in such a way that sparks conspiratorial thinking in the mind of the audience.

Viral conspiracy documentaries such as Loose Change (2005)¹, Unlawful Killing (2011)², JFK (1991)³ and Bob Lazar: Area 51 and Flying Saucers (2018)⁴ each lay out archival material in such a way that denies official reports on the past ("official" referring to government statements and reports). Here, archival footage is used as a tool to aid in the belief of alternative narratives within wider audiences. It is almost an act of public service, shining light on the consequences of false official narratives in our everyday lives, and bringing to life the internal fears of authoritative corruption and control.

I wish to apply this form of narration using the archival material of another event in order to visually clarify the principles of conspiratorial communication and to further understand the causes of conspiratorial thinking. Can "the creative treatment of actuality" (John Grierson, 1931)⁵ be done so easily in order to construct a believable alternative narrative? Gisele Freund even states herself that "the meaning of a photograph can be changed completely by the accompanying caption"⁶. By testing this out with a complete recontextualised conspiracy, I will ultimately assess how powerful archival material is in retelling and revealing new "truths". Is it really that simple to twist a story?

The event in which I will be reconstructing is the Wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, 1981. This was a widely televised and recorded event that has a rationalised and otherwise comprehensive narrative but I myself was not present to witness it. For myself, this means that everything I know of the event is formed from archival material, leaving the door open for me to interpret it how I wish by closely-analysing and re-presenting all the footage available to me. Hopefully a conspiracy formed from this event will help further understand how conspiratorial thinking is formed and how the visual communication of archival material plays a role in this.

¹Loose Change. (2005) Dylan Avery, Collective Minds Media Company ²Unlawful Killing. (2011) Keith Allen, Associated-Rediffusion; Allied Stars Ltd ³JFK. (1991), Oliver Stone, Warner Bros. ⁴Bob Lazar: Area 51 and Flying Saucers. (2018) Jeremy Corbell, Netflix ⁷Grierson, J. (1931) ⁸Freund, G. (1982) Photography & Society. D.R. Godine