The keyword phrase functions as a declarative clause, with the central element being the verb "use." This verb signifies the action connecting the subject, the proper noun "Patriots Day" (referring to the 2016 film), to the object, the noun phrase "real footage." The grammatical purpose is to state a fact: the film incorporates actual, non-fictional video material.
Director Peter Berg integrated authentic archival material into the film's narrative structure. This includes extensive use of CCTV surveillance footage of the Boston Marathon bombers, local and national news broadcasts from the event, bystander cellphone videos, and clips from the subsequent police manhunt. This documentary material is blended with dramatized reenactments, a technique designed to create a sense of immediacy and verisimilitude, grounding the fictionalized components in the factual record of the event.
The practical application of this docudrama style is to heighten the film's emotional impact and perceived authenticity. By presenting the audience with familiar, actual images from the tragedy, the boundary between entertainment and historical record is blurred. This method has significant implications, prompting critical discussion regarding the ethics of using real traumatic imagery in a commercial narrative and its effect on the real-life individuals depicted and the audience.
