Moving Images, Understanding Media

222 Moving Images: Making Movies, Understanding Media

editing in comparison to videotape. Many fi lmmakers have taken advantage

of such opportunities throughout these decades, which in turn has helped

motion picture technology to be introduced into the public sphere more

quickly and aggressively than ever before.

Roles of the Documentarian

When we think of documentaries, particular impressions might come to

mind: hearing an authoritative voice presenting a topic illustrated by a

series of dissolving photographs; following a person around as they go about

their daily life; seeing jittery images fi lmed in a crowd or on a battlefi eld or

amidst dangerous natural conditions. Th e approach to fi lming and editing

moving images and audio molds the perceptions and reactions of viewers.

Some non-fi ction motion pictures follow conventions and formats that are

quite familiar, while others depict their topics in unusual or inventive ways.

In order to appreciate the range of formats and styles seen in documentary

fi lm, we will investigate a variety of representative examples.

You have learned about how the fi rst documentary fi lms followed in the

tradition of presentations accompanied by projected lantern shows for audiences.

Many of the speakers delivering illustrated lectures were recounting personal

exploits, adventures, and scientifi c discoveries. Th eir intimate relationship to

the subject matter was one of the primary attractions of the event.

Entering the Picture

One of the fi rst options to consider is the place of the fi lmmaker in the content

of the motion picture. Very oft en in journalistic non-fi ction fi lmmaking, a

key member or members of the creative team will be a part of the movie. Th e

viewer will see this person during interviews or walking in the settings of the

movie. On some occasions, the voice of the director will be heard delivering

narration and analysis to the images. Another option is for fi lmmakers not

to use oral commentary but to include titles throughout the fi lm to provide

contextual information or explanations.

In television formats, the journalist oft en will be highly present in the

material. For example, in the long-running news magazine Sixty Minutes,

individual journalists who are heard and seen throughout the segments present

the pieces. Th e perspective of the fi lmmaker and his or her involvement in the

• Can you think of examples in which filmmakers
  have played an inappropriate role in the depiction
  of events through moving images? Can you think
  of examples in which they acted appropriately in
  a difficult situation?
  
  
  • If events are occurring as filmmaking is taking
    place, what are the responsibilities of the
    filmmakers to the unfolding of these events?
  
  
  
  

Framing the Discussion

VIEWFINDER

“They pushed me up

against the rocks, and I

just started swinging to

keep them off of me... The

cameraman, Hart Perry,

was yelling, “The camera’s

broken, the camera’s

broken,” and that’s all

they really wanted to do

was to make sure that we

weren’t functioning.”

–Barbara Kopple–

In this quote, Barbara Kopple

is describing one of the violent

incidents during the shooting

of her Academy Award-

winning documentary Harlan

County, USA (1976); her other

features include American

Dream (1990) and Shut Up &

Sing (2006)

Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).