The label of ‘documentary’ can be applied to a heterogeneous mix of ideas and expressions with often-contradictory modes of address, tone and subject matter. It is for this reason that documentary is a film practice that is difficult to define; there is no limit to the range of styles, techniques and forms that documentary film can encompass. John Grierson, the man who coined the term ‘documentary’, has offered a definition that, while at parts is insufficient, critics consider to be the “starting-point” for defining this flexible type of film (Izod and Kilborn, 1998 p. 427). He purports that documentaries are a product that presents reality in an aesthetically pleasing way in an effort to have a specific impact on the consumer, whether that is to persuade, to be informative, or enlightening (Hardy 1979 p.35-46; Izod and Kilborn, 1998 p. 426-427). Discussion of different modes and features of documentary has shed some light on the genre, however most of the distinctions that have been made are not fixed, and can be manipulated and molded to present a truly unique product. Jonathan Caouette’s Tarnation is one such film as it uses and subverts the fundamental documentary modes to produce a subculture of documentary, the autoethnographical documentary.
A true lack of a subjective input is impossible to achieve. According to Izod and Kilborn, a documentary’s “view is determined… by the filmmakers own preconceptions, by the perspective from which the events are witnessed, and by the structuring principles according to which the material is edited” (1998 p. 428). As Caouette is creating a documentary that centers on his own life, it is inherent that his pre-conceptions ‘colour’ the film’s creation. In an interview with Laurence Hegar...
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...om varying modes and subdivisions such as autoethnography. Caouette utilizes both the observational and interactive of Nichols modes of documentary in order to fluctuate between objectivity and subjectivity. While he attempts objectivity in the beginning of the film, Caouette’s subjectivity becomes clear through the use of the interactive mode and in particular his involvement in the shooting of the film, the pressure placed on the subjects to perform and his poetic and careful editing in order to convey a particular message. This is in accordance to Izod and Kilborn’s premise that true subjectivity is impossible. The purpose of the film lends itself to the autoethnographical, as Caouette aims to discover his own identity in the context of his mother. In this way, the film is a pastiche of not only footage mediums, but also of filmic modes, techniques and genres.
This film captures this class distinction without subduing the atmosphere through the use of a variety of cinematic devices. “A good film is not a bag of cinematic devices but the embodiment, through devices, of a vision, an underlying theme” (Barnett, 274). The audience can see this theme of the realities of the oppression, poverty and despair of this time period through the use of the things mentioned, but also through the character development that is driven by the character’s hopelessness. Each of the characters associated with the lower class is motivated by the conditions, which are viewed through the cinematic devices mentioned above: color, spherical lenses, long shots, and high angle shots. Sources Cited:.
In this documentary, the conventions and techniques included are; real footage, recorded audio, written codes, montages, use of authority figures/experts, facts and statistics, interviews, bystanders, animation, background music etc. The four conventions/techniques that I will be discussing in this essay will be real footage, use of authority figures/experts, sound and bystanders.
Turim, Maureen, and Turim-Nygren Mika. "Of Spectral Mothers and Lost Children: War, Folklore, and Psychoanalysis in The Secret of Roan Inish." Sayles Talk: New Perspectives on Independent Filmmaker John Sayles (Contemporary Approaches to Film and Media Series). Ed. Diane Carson and Heidi Kenaga. Detroit: Wayne State UP, 2006. 134-57. Print.
Such varied reactions serve to indicate that preconceptions had been formed as to what characterizes a Québec film, and that these preconceptions are assumed to dictate what audiences want to watch. The fact that Le Temps D’Une Chasse is open to various interpretations should not indicate a flaw in the film; rather, it should be seen as representing another aspect of the complex and contradictory social context within which it was produced. "An awareness of contradiction and a willingness to allow this awareness to shape the aesthetic experience are essential elements of modern art’s rebellion against the fixed viewpoint of perspective and linearity that created a sense of order and harmony in the past" (Leach 226).
Documentary has been heavily associated as a representation of the truth and reality due to its absence of fictional elements and control by the filmmaker (Chapman, 2009). It aims to entice the audience perception of the information presented as fundamental and legitimate (Beattie, 2004). With today's technology, the question of manipulated facts and proclaimed evidences presented in documentaries has heightened concerns in providing the audience with the truth and the real. Hence, with reference to the documentary on "Biggie and Tupac" (2002) directed by Nick Broomfield, we will explore how the documentary has managed to capture the real in terms of structure, style and modes of documentary.
The script’s opening image defines the film’s POV, by using the camera to subjectively identify our protagonist’s recent affliction as he awakens paralyzed from a stroke induced coma. Jean-Dominique Bauby, a.k.a. Jean-Do, is informed of his condition by the doctor. He is unable to respond to the doctor’s questions, which sets-up the conflict that he will struggle to communicate his thoughts throughout the script. As Jean-Do looks around his hospital room, we are informed by pictures and drawings beside his bed that he was a successful editor of a fashion magazine who led a comfortable and pleasurable lifestyle. There are images of his children alongside drawings that they have made for him. There is a sense of hopelessness and despair expressed through his interior monologue when he asks, “Is this life”? There are several unified themes stated in the opening pages of the script. First, there is a bell heard in the distance which informs the reader that our protagonist is trying to somehow communicate with others, but cannot do so throug...
As a viewer, the documentary’s intention to inform is more completely fulfilled by research conducted beyond the scope of the camera lens. Had I never written this paper, for instance, the reason for all the violence embedded within the subject matter would remain as enigmatic as the documentary itself.
Within the German Democratic Republic, there was a secret police force known as the Stasi, which was responsible for state surveillance, attempting to permeate every facet of life. Agents within and informants tied to the Stasi were both feared and hated, as there was no true semblance of privacy for most citizens. Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, the movie The Lives of Others follows one particular Stasi agent as he carries out his mission to spy on a well-known writer and his lover. As the film progresses, the audience is able to see the moral transformation of Stasi Captain Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler primarily through the director 's use of the script, colors and lighting, and music.
Soviet cinematographer Sergei Eisenstein argues that the basis of cinema is dialectical montage. In his article “A Dialectical Approach to Film Form”, Eisenstein explains dialectics as “a constant evolution from the interaction of two contradictory opposites” (45). These opposites synthesize and form a new thesis, which then may also be contradicted. Eisenstein employs dialectical montage in his films due to its ability to invoke change, an important goal in a revolutionary society. His film Battleship Potemkin is designed to display this theory and create a psychological change within his audience, corresponding to his revolutionist ideals.
This essay will seek to outline my findings on movie and theatre by looking at still image and moving image. I will discuss the relationship between cinema and film, and also compare some works of artists in order to answer the question which how might photography be contextualized as image on the threshold of still and moving – as an object incorporating the temporal and the narrative, the writing of history, or the presentation of documentation as record.
2. Nichols, Bill. ‘Documentary Modes of Representation (The Observational Mode).’ Representing Reality: Issues and Concepts in Documentary. Bloomington & Indianapolis; Indiana University Press. 1991. 38-44
Postmodernism is a vague term that can describe a variety of disciplines that include, architecture, art, music, film, fashion, literature…etc. (Klages). In the case of “Videotape”, postmodern literature would be the main focus or area of study. This type of literature emerged in the era that succeeded World War II and relies heavily on the use of techniques such as, fragmentation, the creation of paradoxes, and questionable protagonists. Furthermore, postmodern literature also exudes ambiguity and critical thinking where the focus is mainly on the reader and his/her experience of the work rather than the content and form. Building upon that, the selected passag...
...ie Calle’s works in the context of documentaries. It bases its arguments on the nature in which Sophie Calle collects her photographs and uses established sources to buttress theories put foward.
Final Doc Paper Spring 2015 Bringing into contact Agnes Varda’s filmmaking and her femaleness, puts forward two aspects of her cinema: her particular insight to the portrayal of a set of geographical locations, and her visual and verbal emphasis on female embodiment within a set space. Making the feminist phenomenological approach to her films particularly tasteful for her viewers. Drawing from the work of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, “it explores haptic imagery and feminist strategy.” In The Gleaners and I, the materialization of space characterizing Varda’s paralleled work of fiction and documentary allows for the relationship of people and their environment to often be observed in cinema.
In this article, Jones discusses the marginalization of motion pictures, yet touches on the great aspects of film, and how these aspects can expect to survive in the future. Major topics that Jones addresses are: developments in video narrative through flawless storytelling, the use of digital tools for film restoration and preservation, and an audience shift from film to digital. These points detail the love and appreciation that goes into filmmaking, and how the narratives, despite having changed formats throughout the years, have been able to survive and appear to be timeless. Jones also further discusses the idea of using audiovisual material to create narratives appealing. He details how the stylistic approach of a film, and the techniques like cinematography and editing, can enhance and provide for a greater narrative. In summary, the sum of the parts of a film are what make the entire experience, which not only makes for a great film, but for a lasting story as