Origin stories from all subjects and places tend to become shrouded with mythology. It seems to be typical of us as humans to determine the value of thoughts and expressions long after their initial conception. So it is with documentary film. Its history is not singular and its origins are murky due to its evolution through many heads and hands. Though it could be claimed that documentary films owe in great part their heritage to the Lumiere mode of production, I must agree with Nichols' proposition that this may be undue credit. The Lumiere brothers didn't invent documentary, though they did make cinematic documents. Nichols explains that it would take leaps before filmmakers would make self-aware films that were institutionally recognized and purported as 'documentaries'. The Lumiere brothers simply made films. They were void of genre in their conception since no such thing existed at that time.
The murky evolution of certain film practices becoming established as documentary-esque was made evident when viewing Drifters and Coal Face. Both films undertake to provide a like-minded perspective of reality. Both have a similar interest in national identity and industrialization and seem to follow similar conventions in structure and form (though the advent of sound gave Coal Face the ability to narrate the 'intertitles', its narration is quite similar to the purpose of the intertitles in Drifters). Seeing the similarities between these films helped me to understand that 'documentaries' were born, in a sense, only once there were filmmakers in proximity to agree on an established idea of documentary. Before a common vocabulary had been established, it may have been purely experimentation and exploration that characterized the creation of films with 'documentary' qualities. Once proximity is established, we can see very soon after the creation of self-aware 'documentary' films such as Nanook of the North (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHbU2LdStwk) and Land Without Bread, which relied on the audience's trust to successfully tell their story. The establishment of a vocabulary set the stage for a genre to be born and the audience's assumption and acceptance of the veracity documentary. This allowed filmmakers to truly give an indexical representation of the world with their own voice, or poetic expression/experimentation.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Sunday, May 5, 2013
The Documentary Idea
Defining a subject, particularly a subject that deals with art and creation, is often very difficult. I found as we discussed the topic in class, and as I began reading in our texts, that finding a definition for 'Documentary Film' is quite slippery. It clearly has evolved, and will evolve. I feel that understanding this facet of documentary makes thinking about the genre so much more exciting. It really is an ancient form of expression, but now made accessible with extremely powerful tools. I enjoyed the way that Nichols compares documentary film to the indexical image. (Paraphrasing)It is an imprint of things made by instruments that have the capacity to reproduce with high fidelity. He mentions cameras and sound recorders. I found it helpful to start talking about documentary in that most basic of terms: simply an imprint of things, but given a unique perspective/interpretation.
Ai Wei Wei was a recording of events and organized to deliver a unique perspective and interpretation of the world. The film excellently unveils human struggles both ideologically, and physically, as we observe the lives of the film's subjects. Though the film in reality consists of physical imprints of light and sound frequencies made by instruments, it is delivered in such a way that is is so much more than just an indexical thing. It is a 'documentary'. And an effective one at that. This seems to be due in part to the way the film engages and deals with conflict. Ai Wei Wei is clearly struggling for his intellectual and arguably his physical freedom. We sympathise -- potentially empathize, with his struggle and desire his success. We can recognize his strengths and shortcomings thanks to careful and honest filmmaking. This allows for his imprint, or portrayal to be more rounded and human.
Ai Wei Wei was a recording of events and organized to deliver a unique perspective and interpretation of the world. The film excellently unveils human struggles both ideologically, and physically, as we observe the lives of the film's subjects. Though the film in reality consists of physical imprints of light and sound frequencies made by instruments, it is delivered in such a way that is is so much more than just an indexical thing. It is a 'documentary'. And an effective one at that. This seems to be due in part to the way the film engages and deals with conflict. Ai Wei Wei is clearly struggling for his intellectual and arguably his physical freedom. We sympathise -- potentially empathize, with his struggle and desire his success. We can recognize his strengths and shortcomings thanks to careful and honest filmmaking. This allows for his imprint, or portrayal to be more rounded and human.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Fireside Chat
The Fireside Chat was an enjoyable experience. It may have been my favorite assignment of the semester. I initially worried that the night would drag on, however I found it to be very entertaining and revealing about my peers. Hearing their stories and experiencing their various methods of storytelling was enlightening and bond-forming. It reminded me in many ways of the Pinkhassov Portfolio in the sense of the potential for such a wide interpretation of a singular notion or idea. In the case of the text, it was a wide view of communication with deity.
I chose to share an experience I had while living in California. At the time it felt like a rather small experience, but with time and evidenced through repeated reflection, it has proven to be quite meaningful to me. It developed into ideas that eventually led into beliefs.
I think this class has been very useful in helping me understand previous experiences with storytelling. It has made me reevaluate the art that I have created in the past and consider it in new contexts. More importantly, it has influenced the way I feel a story can and should be treated.
In a way the experience reminded me of a comment made by Ross McElwee while he was visiting us. He explained that revisiting his films is a strange experience for him, almost as though they are no longer really his own, but someone else's story. When we shared our stories and beliefs, they became communal and part of a whole, no longer isolated.
I chose to share an experience I had while living in California. At the time it felt like a rather small experience, but with time and evidenced through repeated reflection, it has proven to be quite meaningful to me. It developed into ideas that eventually led into beliefs.
I think this class has been very useful in helping me understand previous experiences with storytelling. It has made me reevaluate the art that I have created in the past and consider it in new contexts. More importantly, it has influenced the way I feel a story can and should be treated.
In a way the experience reminded me of a comment made by Ross McElwee while he was visiting us. He explained that revisiting his films is a strange experience for him, almost as though they are no longer really his own, but someone else's story. When we shared our stories and beliefs, they became communal and part of a whole, no longer isolated.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Concerned Citizen
The filmmaker has a unique vantage point of community and society. This vantage point comes from the benefit of having an object, such as a camera, to obscure himself. It makes it easy to observe and learn about those around us. With a heightened or perhaps even privileged view of community, the filmmaker should, as should any artist, be engaged and concerned as a citizen of a community.
We found that many of the community members who were most active and concerned about the welfare of others, were filmmakers. Particularly we found that filmmaker Dean Duncan and collaborators have made significant contributions to the Latter Day Saint community with their series Fit for The Kingdom. Dean privileged us with an interview where we asked him more about his decision to make the series. We discovered that his motivations came out of a sincere interest for the ‘neighbor’ and the importance of using documentary film to help promote positive self-reflection.
The reading by Arlene Goldbard, entitled Human Rights and Culture, says, “Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.” I feel our video coupled with Dean Duncan’s voice over relates to the reading because it represents that we should be involved with our neighbors. The video also shows art and the advancement of technology from the beginning of filmmaking to the present.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Protest Poster
My poster addresses what I have found to be a very odd part of the contemporary American experience. I don't feel that I am isolated in the experience of forgetting that our country is in the middle of a war. It seems the only time I hear about it is when a politician is promising to tone it down and roll back the thousands of US Soldiers. On any news network the war seems to be largely forgotten. I find it very strange that American involvement in past wars occupies much of our history classes, yet when we are living through a war we are encouraged not to think about it.
My poster emphasizes the role of media in making the American occupation of Afghanistan a reality for Americans and the message that these media organizations are sending through their silence. It is a dangerous message to be sending, especially when one considers the risks of 'a single story' discussed by Chimanda Adichie in her Ted Talk address.
I enjoyed the protest art of Alexandra Clotfelter, and felt that her pieces were extremely well aesthetically designed, whilst being quite functional. My experience of posting this to Facebook was mild. It received few comments, most being humorous. I was able to witness my co-workers reactions, who glanced at it, asked me if it was serious, then continued scrolling through their feeds.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Webspinna: Retrospect
The webspinna experience is a culmination of a wide spectrum of prior texts. It is serendipity mixed with perhaps a small amount of resourcefulness. It isn't an isolated moment, but is rather a pervasive experience. The resulting remixes, though focussed by interest, were distilled through many years of engaging with the internet. I found that as I began engaging with the internet, not for mere consumption or research, but as a mine with maleable material, the internet became much more of a living environment. I've always thought of the internet as being an organism of sorts. However, by using it for a live performance, it felt more of a living and moving repository, much more like a community of individuals with voices, than a library of knowledge I've usually associated with it. The communal aspect of sharing our internet remixes with our peers was revealing. It exposed our engagement with internet media, and its influence on us. The Webspinna became engaging when we as an audience were aware of the origins of the sounds and the juxtaposition of these familiar items with the obscure and unexpected. The experience promoted conversation with peers that explored our aspirations and vulnerabilities as artist and creators of media.
My particular remix was comprised with voices of artists and writers that have been large influences in my life. Additionally it featured sounds from other artists who have been influenced by people of interest to me. For instance it featured music and performances inspired by H.G. Wells, and Stanley Kubrick. There was a nuance that emerged when I juxtaposed these sounds. It was a collection of contemporary artists engaging with artists from generations past.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
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