RTVF 375 DOCUMENTARY FILM & TV FILM & TV

Observer/Catalyst New Style of Documentary: Two terms: Direct Cinema and Cinema Verite Cinema Verite

HISTORICAL PRECEDENTS 1. Postwar docs for BBC Television 2. British Free Cinema Group: – Tony Richardson – Karel Reisz – Lindsay Anderson – Guy Brenton

U.S. Networks n Murrow’s See It Now leads to : 1. CBS Reports 2. NBC White Paper 3. ABC Close-UP

Robert Drew’s Time/Life Unit Exploited the new technology: 1. Lighter, handheld cameras 2. Much better sound recording equipment. 3. Faster lenses 4. Much faster film stock.

Drew’s Unit Goes to ABC Eddie (1960) - Race car driver Eddie Sachs Eddie (1960) - Race car driver Eddie Sachs Primary (1960) Kennedy/Humphrey primary Primary (1960) Kennedy/Humphrey primary The Chair (1963) Attorney Louis Nizer tries to save man on death row.

Trained Many Others Donn Pennebaker --- Don’t Look Back ; Monterey Pop Donn Pennebaker --- Don’t Look Back ; Monterey Pop Ricky Leacock -- cameraman Ricky Leacock -- cameraman Maysle Brothers-Albert & David : Maysle Brothers-Albert & David : Salesman (69) and Gimme Shelter (70) Salesman (69) and Gimme Shelter (70)

Totally New Style: n Absolutey eschews narration n rejects prescripting (Barron calls style a “film of revelation” n shoot lots of footage and find film on editing bench n open vs. closed n ambiguous vs. tied up ending

Direct Cinema vs. Cinema Verite Direct Cinema: -- primarily American style -- primarily American style – Maysle brothers – Frederick Wiseman Fly on the wall / invisible

Cinema Verite - French Term Looks, stylistically like Direct Cinema but: Looks, stylistically like Direct Cinema but: Precipitates action (catalyst) Precipitates action (catalyst) Provokes response Provokes response Self-reflexive (Dziga Vertov’s influence-Kino Pravda / Kino Eye) Self-reflexive (Dziga Vertov’s influence-Kino Pravda / Kino Eye)

Verite Films n Edgar Morin and Jean Rouch -- Chronicle of a Summer Chronicle of a Summer n Marcel Ophuls -- The Sorrow and the Pity n George Stoney in U.S. -- You are On Indian Land

Cinema Verite or Direct Cinema ? n Today both styles tends to be described by a single term: CINEMA VERITE

Drawbacks of the Style 1. Boredom of everyday life -- may lead to staging 2. Time constraints -- may limit subjects to events already dramatic 3. Illusion of reality vs. loading of topic through editing

Drawbacks of the Style 4. Difficulty of dealing with abstract & not very visual topic 5. Without narration can totally lose meaning and nuances 6. Don’t people react differently in front of camera? To an extent a style that networks are afraid of ! (too unpredictable)

Albert & David Maysle n Primary exponents of Direct Cinema n Trained in Drew’s Time/Life Unit -- Then ABC Close-Up Unit n Most important documentary: Salesman (60) Salesman (60)

Frederick Wiseman n Lawyer interested power (the way it is exercised) n Institutions vs. Individuals n Hospital; High School; Basic Training; Juvenile Court, Meat, Welfare; Missles, The Store n Probably the most famous exponent of the style today

Titticut Follies (1967) n Prison for the criminally insane n Still held up in courts: supposedly can only be shown to “restricted” educational audience

RTVF 375 DOCUMENTARY FILM & TV FILM & TV