To Be and To Have (Etre et Avoir) Nicolas Philibert (2002)

Narrative Staging* + Photography * Mise en scène + cinematography

Umbrella scene 01:18: :20:26 Notice landscape shots The children in the umbrella scene

To Be and To Have Title = vague. Does not construct expectations or a reality The ‘truth’ of the subject is revealed Subject= experience of time and space of the child Story? Criticism: no argument against poverty Explains global success

The time and space of the child “The child is innocence and forgetfulness, a new beginning, a sport, a self-propelling wheel, a first motion, a sacred Yes.” Nietzsche (1883) Thus Spoke Zarathustra Nietzsche: the child as model of philosopher

GLOBAL CINEMAS 70% films viewed globally are Hollywood films World cinema. National cinema. Digital media: ↑ consumption, ↑ production ↑ globalized audience, ↑ migration flows LOCAL DOCUMENTARY? Small village of St.Etienne-sur-Usson (234 people) Village schools in France: 19,000 – 5,000 ( today) Theme: poverty in agricultural villages? France: $10 million. 1.8 million cinemagoers. Worldwide: $15.5 million

EARLY CINEMA 1 st films: direct observation Clip: Lumière brothers (1895) Train Arriving at Station (1895) “Realism” = seems to record and reproduce reality directly, accurately and faithfully TWO VIEWS ON REALISM: (1) Bazin Pure, objective reality They do not manipulate the viewer. Many interpretations possible Against: editing and special effects Pro: use of deep focus, continuity through staging, … Pro: long takes

Lumière brothers (1895) Train Arriving at Station (1895) Does the camera move? How many shots are there? This is a single take. Later this will become a specific technique: a long take.

Deep focus photography in Welles (1942) Citizen Kane Also an example of continuity through staging

THE LONG TAKE (i) real time/space (ii) demands more from the viewer Tarentino (1994) Pulp Fiction

REALISM IN TBATH Real time (long takes) Real space (Deep focus + close up+ off-screen space) No script (non-narrative) No actors Fly-on-the-wall style documentary Non-intervention of director Static camera Natural lighting Natural soundtrack (no voiceover, no narration)

Documentary “Documentaries address aspects of the real world, they feature non-actors and confront social issues, but this means something different … in each time and place.” Bill Nichols, p. 81 in The Cinema Book (quotation adapted) 21 st century = Renaissance of documentary

The documentary genre 1 Focus on actual evidence relating to real events: not fiction 2 Filming techniques used for real people/events are different from fiction films 3 Acts as a representative of the public 4 Provide a particular view or understanding of the evidence

“First” documentary (1922)

Dziga Vertov (1929) Man With a Movie Camera Soviet Russia

(2005) Werner Herzog

Joshua Oppenheimer (2013)

Artistic > Realistic Creates the time and space of the child Space: magic, fairytale or folktale world Time ≠ clock time Time = disjointed but flowing. Because the connection of landscapes + close-ups forces the audience to try to fit how the new shot fits into the ‘story’ chronology “Cinema is the art of the ellipsis.” (Philibert) art of …

Etre et Avoir as a fairy tale or fable Animals Children rule

Narrative “It's constructed as a fable or fairytale in which we feel we get to know the characters well. The shots of the landscape add to the dramatic narrative purpose, suggesting the threatening force of nature.” Nicolas Philibert (2003) Interview in Film Journal International

Conclusion Fly-on-the wall documentary Reveals truth > show facts Artistic creation of time and space of child: disjointed and flowing

FIN