Cinema Verite ppt

A footnote to start this week• The Academy Awards• The Oscar goes to …• Documentary feature Taxi to the Dark Side • by Australian film maker Eva Orner• Beat out Michael Moore’s Sicko

Academy Awards• Taxi … examines torture of prisoners in

Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay• Documentary short• Freeheld• By Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth• A film about an American police officer dying

of cancer and wanting to leave her pension to her domestic partner

Academy Award

• Documentary short for last year• 2007• Ruby Yang• The Blood of Yingzhou District• Will show film later in this semester• Now on to the main lecture

Last Week• Elements of Style• Some original film makers• Ken Burns• Errol Morris• Nick Broomfield • Ross McElwee • The debt to Cinema Verite’ pioneers

This Week• Elements of Style in Documentary Film• Cinema Verite’• Direct Cinema• Jean Rouch• The Maysles Brothers• Frederick Wiseman

This Week• Last lecture before spring break or

reading week• During reading week do 2nd critique• Compare and contrast• Focus on style or treatment• Same or similar subject matter • Examine classic documentary films

Critique 2 due March 14• Compare contrast examples• Night and Fog (Resnais) vs Sorrow &

the Pity (Ophuls)• The Thin Blue Line (Morris) vs Murder

on a Sunday Morning (de Lestrade) • Note: I will e-mail you in the next five

days results of your 1st essay

Cinema Verite / Direct Cinema

Cinema Verite• A fancy French term• “Truth” in documentary films• Central point of the debate about genre• Can you capture truth on camera?• Does the camera affect the subject of a

film• How much structure should a film have• How much intervention by the filmmaker

Cinema Verite or Direct Cinema

• Some features of this style of film• Direct cinema does not usually employ interviews• No narration• Some say: OK to direct film subjects: • To impose, intervene in the pursuit of truth• Others argue:• The camera is meant simply to observe• No intervention in the shooting of the film• Arrangement in the editing process

Cinema Verite• From the mid 1950’s onward • First in film /then video tape• Cameras became smaller • Less obtrusive• More flexibility for the documentary film

maker• Allowing Direct Cinema to develop

Influential CV Filmmakers• Jean Rouch (1917-2004) engineer Africa, journalist with AFP• Chronique d'un été (Chronicle of a

Summer) 1961• Made with French Canadian

cameraman Michel Brault• Note one powerful scene Marceline • Staged ? -- Q. of Truth? [1 Wintonick 3724-4640 9min]

Albert Maysles (1926 - )• Since 1955 has directed/produced more

than 40 documentaries• The Salesman (1969)• Grey Gardens – (1976 and updated in

2006 on DVD)• Gimme Shelter (1970)

• http://www.mayslesfilms.com/

Albert Maysles • Book: Liz Stubbs – Documentary Filmmakers

Speak (2002)• Albert Maysles interview chapter 2 “The Father of Direct Cinema”• Grey Gardens (1976) [show excerpt]

• The Salesman (1969)• Strong, unusual, sad, characters• “uncontrolled cinema”• Albert Maysles speaks of film [Wintonick 113=11737]

Frederick Wiseman (1930 - )One critic said• “Frederick Wiseman is arguably the most

important American documentary filmmaker of the past three decades. A law professor turned filmmaker in 1967, Wiseman, in his most dramatically powerful documentaries, chronicles the exercise of power in American society by focusing on the everyday life.”

• http://www.zipporah.com/

• An argumentative, self promoter & uncompromising film maker

• [Wintonick 11738 – 12104 or start at 77 min 40 secs]

Frederick Wiseman• Wiseman films: (more than 40)• Institutional subjects• Titicut Follies (1967)• High School (1968) *• High School II (1994) [excrpt]

• Near Death (1989) *• [dvd interview 252-1218]

Influential Films & Filmmakers• In Hong Kong and China, Wiseman

has influenced film makers like Tammy Cheung.

• Secondary School (2002) • Also Zhou Hao, Senior Year (2005)• Also Chen Weijun Please Vote For MeAll derivative school films - CV or DC style

Next• Mid term break• Work on 2nd film critique • 2 films – compare and contrast• Due March 14th

• On March 14th – Chinese films Part 1• Films about China• Films by Independent Chinese film

makers – - guest lecturers