1.The Civil War (Ken Burns, 1990) 2.Know Your Enemy: Japan (Frank Capra, Joris Ivens, 1945) 3.Are You Popular? (1950?) 4.What Happened on 23 rd Street.

1.The Civil War (Ken Burns, 1990) 2.Know Your Enemy: Japan (Frank Capra, Joris Ivens, 1945) 3.Are You Popular? (1950?) 4.What Happened on 23 rd Street (Edison, 1901) 5.Mechanical Universe and Beyond (PBS, 1987) 6.Faces (John Casavetes, 1968) 7.Battle of Algiers (Gillo Pontecorvo, 1966) 8.Grey Gardens (Albert and David Maysles, 1976) 9.North Sea (Harry Watt, 1938) 10.Koyaanisqatsi (Godfrey Reggio, 1983) 11. March of Time (1945) 12. Shark Callers of Kontu (Dennis O'Rourke, 1987) 13. Sink or Swim (Su Friedrich, 1990) 14. Family Gathering (Lise Yasui, 1990) 15. Fear of a Black Hat (Rusty Cundieff, 1992) 16. All the President’s Men (Alan J. Pakula, 1976) 17. Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942)

Docu…what?: Class Definitions “Documentary film refers to a genre that has or has the appearance of conveying themes or subjects in an objective manner. It does or appears to use unscripted "reality" as raw material. It is often used to inform the public about a particular event, group, or time period and gives the impression (often) of objectivity. “ “A representation that consciously tries to present reality as it exists in the familiar world. A reconstruction of reality.”

Docu…what?: Class Definitions “1. Film or television program presenting facts objectively without editorializing or inserting fictional matter as in a book or a film. 2. A work such as a film or television program presenting political, social, or historical subject matter in a factual and informitive manner. “ “A study of a subject by capturing unrehearsed events, interviews, and primary sources, using some technical apparatus, used to inform an audience.” “A creative treatment or representation of our reality (people, places, events, anything that constitutes our environment). “

Docu…what?: Class Definitions “Documentaries are films that start with subjective point of view with a objective goal of presenting the reality of social and political situation.” “A documentary is a non- fiction film whose intention is to articulate a true story, a historical event or a biography. Within the genre there are various levels of documentary truths. Some choose to follow facts while others incorporate re- enactments, scripted moments and manipulative editing.” “An intended objective display of any particular person, place, or thing that exists in reality in order to inform or present to others.

Docu…what?: Class Definitions “The subjective view of one person's or group of peoples documentation of a particular matter or issue. “ “The subjective view of one person's or group of peoples documentation of a particular matter or issue. “ “A documentary is a film that answers a question or poses an issue using footage, documents and other forms of information to prove its point. “ “A non-fiction filmic representation of reality in which actuality is portrayed through creative means, typically, though not always, with the intent of educating or persuading the viewer.”

Docu…what?: Class Definitions “A rendering of nonfictional event, story, or topic, not a written or fabricated story. This can be represented in tons of ways, including re-enactments, interviews, voice-over, animation, etc. “ “A film that does not contain an explicitly fictional narrative and in some way tries to recount a version of reality or history as seen by the director.” “A film that is meant to reflect reality. It is a non-fiction work that is meant to be non-subjective in telling a story or facts on any given issue. It has its own language and target audience.”

Docu…what?: Class Definitions “An interpretation of real events or things. intends to explain the nature of something, or to simply recreate the subject. two chief aims: to inform or to persuade (a visual essay). both aim to influence the viewer. “ “Documentary is a type of media including film, television, mini-series, etc. whose main focus is to present a subjective viewpoint, aspect, or segment of "real" life. Typically this involves education and propaganda to sway the audience versus fiction films whose main purpose is usually to offer escape for the audience.”

Docu…what?: Class Definitions Unscripted "reality" as raw material; Unrehearsed events Others incorporate re-enactments, scripted moments and manipulative editing Creative treatment of our reality Political, social, or historical subject matter Impression of objectivity (Presenting facts objectively without editorializing) Main focus is to present a subjective viewpoint, aspect, or segment of "real" life. Answers a question or poses an issue Intends to explain the nature of something, or to simply recreate; to inform or to persuade Uses footage, documents and other forms of information to prove its point Has its own language and target audience

Docu…what? “An information program that is not designed to be purely entertainment and which may include drama or variety techniques in achieving its information goal” – ACTRA “'Documentary film belongs to a class of social discourses - juridical or historical - that seek to account for actual occurrences in the phenomenal world. They take as their reference events that are perceptible, have been observed, and can be specifically located in time and space. Documentary films are constituted of documents, in the sense by which this word obtains in the human science: faithful representations (here, filmed rather than written) of events that exist outside the consciousness of the documentarist.' --William Guynn, A Cinema of Nonfiction

Docu…what? “Pictoral accounts that would bring to the fore otherwise hidden aspects of nature” --Siegfried Kracauer “Documentary defines not subject or style, but approach…Documentary differs from that of story-film not in its disregard for craftsmanship, but in the purpose to which that craftsman is put.” --Paul Rotha, Cinema Quarterly

“Any film practice that has as its subject persons, events, or situations that exist outside of the film in the real world.” --Film Studies Dictionary “Unlike most fiction films, documentaries deal with facts—real people, places, and events rather than invented ones. Documentaries believe that they’re not creating a world so much as reporting on the one that actually exists.” --Understanding Movies Docu…what?

“ “"All methods of recording on celluloid any aspect of reality interpreted either by factual shooting or by sincere and justifiable reconstruction, so as to appeal either to reason or emotion, for the purpose of stimulating the desire for, and the widening of human knowledge and understanding, and of truthfully posing problems and their solutions in the sphere of economics, culture,and human relations.“ --1948 definition (as quoted in Brian Winston: “Documentary: I Think We are in Trouble”)

Docu…what? "Of course Moana, being a visual account of events in the daily life of a Polynesian youth, has documentary value. But that, I believe, is secondary to its value as a soft breath from a sunlit island, washed by a marvelous sea, as warm as the balmy air. “ --John Grierson, Review of Robert Flaherty’s 1926 film, Moana. New York Sun.

Docu…what? “The creative interpretation of reality” – John Grierson

Docu…what? "Documentary's essence lies in the dramatization of actual materials.” --Paul Rotha

Documentaries of Wish Fulfillment Documentaries of Social Representation

Documentaries of Wish Fulfillment Deal with imagined realitiesDeal with imagined realities Reflections and shapers of culture (fantasies, prejudices, hopes and fears)Reflections and shapers of culture (fantasies, prejudices, hopes and fears) Requires that the viewer suspend disbeliefRequires that the viewer suspend disbelief Ultimate Goal: to entertainUltimate Goal: to entertain

Documentaries of Social Representation Imaginative representation of historical or personal reality Lay claims to representing the “Truth” (unlike films of wish fulfillment) Make arguments/claims about the world outside of the theatre Use of evidence drawn from the “real” world Goal: to have the viewer believe in what is being represented; to act on those beliefs

“We don’t like to use the D word…” --Errol Morris How can [all these diverse films] be in one class? I think they all exhibit a common defining trait: inherent in their stance toward the audience is the claim not so much to educate as to edify. So I call this huge class of films ‘films of edification,’ or “edifiers. At least the label avoids the classic truth claims of documentary and acknowledges the intention to persuade…to raise up the audience to a more sophisticated or refined notion of what is.” --Jill Godmillow

So? What Did We Learn Last Week? Definition of “Documentary” = Like nailing jelly to a treeDefinition of “Documentary” = Like nailing jelly to a tree Varies with viewer, the times, viewing context, etc.Varies with viewer, the times, viewing context, etc. Doc not a genre in a formal senseDoc not a genre in a formal sense The R [Reality] Word: Definitions based on claims of “truth and reality” fall apart under scrutinyThe R [Reality] Word: Definitions based on claims of “truth and reality” fall apart under scrutiny Every Film in Some Sense FictionEvery Film in Some Sense Fiction Doc is a social and artistic constructDoc is a social and artistic construct Reality is in many ways subjectiveReality is in many ways subjective Presence of camera changes everythingPresence of camera changes everything Every Film in Some Sense a DocumentaryEvery Film in Some Sense a Documentary Documentaries of Wish FulfillmentDocumentaries of Wish Fulfillment Recording of the “indexical image”Recording of the “indexical image” Act as social or cultural “texts”Act as social or cultural “texts” Documentaries of Social RepresentationDocumentaries of Social Representation

So? What Did We Learn Last Week? Docs of Social Representation = Discourse of SobrietyDocs of Social Representation = Discourse of Sobriety Not receptive to make-believe or the wholly imaginaryNot receptive to make-believe or the wholly imaginary Claim direct and privileged knowledge about the worldClaim direct and privileged knowledge about the world Use arguments, claims about the historical world based on evidence drawn from that worldUse arguments, claims about the historical world based on evidence drawn from that world Want us to believe (rather than to suspend our disbelief)Want us to believe (rather than to suspend our disbelief) Power to move audiences to action based on this argument/evidencePower to move audiences to action based on this argument/evidence Another Way of Thinking About DocumentariesAnother Way of Thinking About Documentaries A Corpus of TextA Corpus of Text A Community of PractitionersA Community of Practitioners An Institutional FrameworkAn Institutional Framework A Constituency of ViewersA Constituency of Viewers

A body of works characterized by common conventions and norms, e.g.,A body of works characterized by common conventions and norms, e.g., Voice-of-God narrationVoice-of-God narration InterviewsInterviews (general heavy reliance on spoken word) Historical footageHistorical footage Location shootingLocation shooting Reliance on social actors – people in their everyday rolesReliance on social actors – people in their everyday roles Certain technological features and cues (e.g., handheld camera)Certain technological features and cues (e.g., handheld camera) Bill Nichols: A Corpus of Texts

Organizational and structural logic in relation to subject (the historical world), e.g.,Organizational and structural logic in relation to subject (the historical world), e.g., Problem/solutionProblem/solution Social activism / speaking for or aboutSocial activism / speaking for or about Organizational logic (editing, sound, etc.) that supports or presents evidence for claims/arguments being made (often different from narrative fictional film’s continuity editing)Organizational logic (editing, sound, etc.) that supports or presents evidence for claims/arguments being made (often different from narrative fictional film’s continuity editing) Evidentiary vs Continuity EditingEvidentiary vs Continuity Editing Bill Nichols: A Corpus of Texts

Shared sense of purpose: a common, self-chosen mandate to represent the historical rather than imaginary world.Shared sense of purpose: a common, self-chosen mandate to represent the historical rather than imaginary world. Often committed to social action: the use of film as an agent for social or cultural change.Often committed to social action: the use of film as an agent for social or cultural change. Move in the same circles…share common audiences and exhibitions venues (and funding sources)Move in the same circles…share common audiences and exhibitions venues (and funding sources) (…but what about those who straddle the line? (e.g. Werner Herzog) Bill Nichols: A Community of Practitioners

“Documentaries are what organizations and institutions that produce them make.”“Documentaries are what organizations and institutions that produce them make.” Production and exhibition context as cue to documentary status.Production and exhibition context as cue to documentary status. Context establishes audience expectations and assumptions.Context establishes audience expectations and assumptions. Bill Nichols: An Institutional Framework

Institutional framework imposes institutional agendas: ways of representing the world, filming conventions, points of view.Institutional framework imposes institutional agendas: ways of representing the world, filming conventions, points of view. Independent doc distributors – distribute documentaries outside of Hollywood mainstreamIndependent doc distributors – distribute documentaries outside of Hollywood mainstream Institutions that support doc may also support other types of filmInstitutions that support doc may also support other types of film Bill Nichols: An Institutional Framework

Sense of a films documentary status lies in the mind of the viewer.Sense of a films documentary status lies in the mind of the viewer. Audience assumptions and expectations about the relationship of the images on the screen to the historical world:Audience assumptions and expectations about the relationship of the images on the screen to the historical world: The primary assumptions: The events represented possess a historical basis, something we can point to as actually happening or having had happened down the street or across the sea. Images and sounds are accurate recordings of this historical world with minimal manipulation. Expectation that the film will make an argument, raise questions, provide unique insights into the historical world…Edify and educate. These expectations are based on previous experience, both with life and with other films; context in which film is viewed. Do we (the audience) expect OBJECTIVITY from docs??????Do we (the audience) expect OBJECTIVITY from docs?????? Bill Nichols: A Constituency of Viewers

Bill Nichols Documentary Modes PoeticPoetic ExpositoryExpository ObservationalObservational ParticipatoryParticipatory ReflexiveReflexive PerformativePerformative

Poetic Style first developed in late teens and 1920s Images from the real world shaped into subjective impressions Emphasis on texture, rhythm, mood, visual associations (often fragmented or multiperspective) Less emphasis on time/space continuity Bears relationship to other modernist arts (e.g., cubism) Bill Nichols Documentary Modes

Expository (Griersonian Documentary) Represent the world in terms of arguments and rhetorical stances. Make arguments/tell history using visual evidence drawn from the historical world Heavy reliance on the spoken word to make arguments Address the viewer directly Voice-of-God Voice-of-authority Emphasizes the impression of objectivity or authority Bill Nichols: Documentary Modes

Documentary Modes Observational ( Observational (“Fly on the wall“ filmmaking )   Came of age in the 1960's with movements known variously as Cinema Verité or Direct Cinema.   Reaction to the earlier expository styles   Response to new technological developments (portable cameras and synchronous sound)   Concentration on   Direct engagement with the subject   Minimum directorial intervention or editorial manipulation   Spontaneity...no scripts, voice-over, no music, no interviews, no second-takes

Documentary Modes Participatory (Interactive)   Filmmaker as social actor in his/her own film   Direct and obvious engagement/interaction with film subject   Filmmaker’s voice or physical presence is part of the subject   Presence of filmmaker may reveal “truths” which would have not existed otherwise.   Interviews – another, more formal, form of filmmaker interaction with subject

Documentary Modes Reflexive   Acknowledge the problems and issues of representing the historical world on film.   Call into question traditional documentary evidence.(question the “transparent window” demands of traditional doc)   Make the filmmaking process a focus of attention: self-conscious and self-questioning.   Call into question relationship between filmmaker and film subject   Attempt to readjust audience assumptions and expectations about the documentary, about historical truths and the representation of reality in general

Documentary Modes Performative   Recognize that knowledge about the world is built on more than objective fact & visible evidence: meaning is often personal and subjective.   Stress emotional complexity of experience from the perspective of the filmmaker   Can include combination of actual and imagined images and event to convey sense of subject   Poetic liberty, unconventional narrative structure (rather than realist representation)   Mix of methods to convey texture and depth of experience.

The Pre-history of Movies, The Pre-history of Documentary Film Eadweard Muybridge: sequence photography Etienne-Jules Marey: Photo gun and sequence photographs

The Pre-history of Documentary Film Thomas A. Edison Black Maria

The Pre-history of Movies, The Pre-history of Documentary Film Auguste and Louis Lumière

Films of Travel and Exploration Robert J. Flaherty Edward S. Curtis

Films of Travel and Exploration Herbert Ponting

Origins of Soviet Documentary Dziga Vertov Sergei Eisenstein

1920’s Experimentation: Dada and Surrealism A Young girl commits suicide. Because of What? DADA The spirits are telephoned. Who invented it? DADA Someone walks on your feet. It's DADA If you have serious ideas about life, If you make artistic discoveries and if all of a sudden your head begins to crackle with laughter, If you find all your ideas useless and ridiculous, know that IT IS DADA BEGINNING TO SPEAK TO YOU

1920’s Experimentation

British Documentary Movement John Grierson

The Great Depression Dorothea Lange Ben Shahn Walker Evans

Documenting the Depression Pare Lorentz Paul Strand

Documentaries go to War: Britain Humphrey Jennings

Documentaries go to War: Spanish Civil War Ernest Hemingway & Joris Ivens

Documentaries go to War: Germany

Documentaries go to War: US Frank Capra 1.To foster a firm belief in the right for which we fight. 2.To foster a realization that we are up against a tough job. 3.To initiate a determined confidence in our own ability and the ability of our comrades and leaders to do the job that has to be done 4.To instill a feeling of confidence, insofar as is possible under the circumstances, in the integrity and fighting ability of our allies 5.To create resentment, based on knowledge of the facts, against our enemies who have made it necessary for us to fight 6.To foster a belief that through military victory, the political achievement of a better world order is possible.

Post-War Documentary Edward R. Murrow Italian Neo-Realism British Free Cinema

Jean Rouch Al & Dave Maysles Fred Wiseman Robert Drew Cinema Verite / Direct Cinema Ricky Leacock

War in Vietnam 1965 to 1968 —Escalation of the war; mass protests at home. 1968 —Tet Offensive; US embassy compound in Saigon seized by NLF 1968 —Lyndon Johnson declines to run another term; Nixon elected. "The greatest honor history can bestow is the tittle of 'peacemaker'... after a period of confrontation we are entering an era of negotiation." 1969—Draft lottery instituted 1969-72 —“Vietnamization program: gradual withdrawal of US troops; military aid to South Vietnam. US invasion of Cambodia and Laos; renewed bombing of North; mass protests at home. 23 Jan 73 - President Nixon announced an agreement "to end the war and bring peace with honor in Vietnam and S.E. Asia."

Feminist Documentary: Reclaiming History

1.The Civil War (Ken Burns, 1990) 2.Know Your Enemy: Japan (Frank Capra, Joris Ivens, 1945) 3.Are You Popular? (1950?) 4.What Happened on 23 rd Street.

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1.The Civil War (Ken Burns, 1990) 2.Know Your Enemy: Japan (Frank Capra, Joris Ivens, 1945) 3.Are You Popular? (1950?) 4.What Happened on 23 rd Street.

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Presentation on theme: "1.The Civil War (Ken Burns, 1990) 2.Know Your Enemy: Japan (Frank Capra, Joris Ivens, 1945) 3.Are You Popular? (1950?) 4.What Happened on 23 rd Street."— Presentation transcript:

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