The nouvelle vague directors emphasised non-professional actors, unintrusive filming techniques, the use of genuine locations rather than sound stages, naturalistic sound without post-production. Growing out of documentary techniques the desire was for observational realism rather than 'Hollywood' fantasy.
Films that offer examples of the genre include Breathless (1960), Chronicle of a Summer (1961) and the D.A. Pennebaker documentary Don't Look Back (1967).
The film movement Dogme 95 features similar tenets.