Documentary Lecture 2

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Documentary Lecture 2

• Observational/Interactive and Reflexive
  Documentary

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• ...use of real people in undirected
  situations...By real I mean not only the
  avoidance of professional actors (unless, of
  course, we see them as actors) but even to the
  extent that non-actors are not placed into roles
  selected by the filmmakers.
• Stephen Mamber

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Observational Guide

• Stresses Non-Intervention
• Relies on editing to give perception of lived or
  real time
• Usually tries to eliminate
• -- Voice-over
• -- External sources of music
• -- Intertitles
• -- Reenactments
• -- Interviews

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Ethical Considerations

• Has informed consent truly been given?
• Has the filmmaker intruded upon peoples lives in
  ways that will irrevocably change them, perhaps
  for the worse, in order to make their film?
• Does the film convey a sense of respect for the
  lives of others or have they merely been used as
  signifiers in someone elses discourse?
• When something happens that may injure or
  jeopardize one of the participants, should the
  filmmaker intervene? Or should they even continue
  filming?
• To what extent and in what ways shall the voice
  of the people be represented?

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Interactive Documentary

• A much greater level of directly addressing the
  camera/ viewer or interviewer.
• Images may illustrate validity or doubtfulness of
  what witnesses say.
• The participants may be selectively chosen for
  what they will say.
• A greater use of dialogue or monologue.
• The subject matter may involve filmmaker/Interview
  er interacting with Subject/Person to gain
  knowledge.
• Different editing techniques may be used to give
  individual treatment to individual subjects or
  persons.
• Use of intertitles or images to
  complement/contrast what the speaker is talking
  about.

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Todays Films

• High School, Frederick Wiseman, 1968/9
• The War Room, D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus,
  1993
• The Thin Blue Line, Errol Morris, 1988