History of Documentary Filmmaking - Essay Example

History of Documentary Filmmaking Jedidah O. Valdez Documentary is an extensive category of visual expression that attempts to portray actualpeople, places, activities, and events ("Documentary", 2005). It endeavors to present reality and facts, not fiction. Documentary film displays life as it is. It is a "reality-driven representation" (Renov, 1993). Nichols (1997) stated that documentary works to identify a "filmmaking practice, a cinematic tradition, and mode of audience reception" that is continually evolving and is without clear boundaries. According to Bruzzi (2000) a documentary is treated as a representational mode of filmmaking. Documentary film initially referred to movies shot on film stock1. Eventually, however, it has expanded to include video and digital productions that can be either direct-to-video2 or made for television series. John Grierson, a film maker, used the term 'documentary' to refer to any non-fiction film medium, including travelogues3 and instructional films. By definition, the earliest moving pictures were documentaries. They were single-shot moments captured on film. Due to technological limitations such as small amounts of film contained in movie cameras, very little information could be recorded and stored. Thus many of the first films are a minute or less in length. Auguste and Louis Lumire made this type of films. They staged the first public film screening on 28th December 1985 in the basement lounge of the Grand Cafe on the Boulevard des Capucines in Paris ("Chronology", 2007). In the early part of the twentieth century travelogue films were very popular. The film In the Land of the Head Hunters (1914) filmed by photographer Edward Curtis embraced primitivism and exoticism in a staged story presented as truthful reenactments of the life of Native Americans. In 1919, Russian film maker Dziga Vertov issues a manifesto (Kinoks-Revolution Manifesto) calling for a new styles of cinma tic reportage that documents real life. He insists that reporting the truth will affect the future of cinema. Also during this period Frank Hurley's documentary film about the Imperial Trans-Atlantic Expedition, South was released. It documented the failed Antarctic expedition led by Earnest Shackleton in 1914. In 1922, Vertov begins to produce Kino Pravda (literally "Film Truth"), a series of news reportage films that foreshadows both later newsreels and later documentary styles, including cinma vrit ("Chronology", 2007). The newsreel tradition is important in documentary film; newsreels were sometimes staged but were usually re-enactment of events that had already happened, not attempts to steer events as they were in the process of happening. For example, much of the battle footage from the early 20th century was staged, the cameramen would usually arrive on the site after a major battle and re-enact scenes to film them. With Robert J. Flaherty's Nanook of the North (1922), documentary film embraced romanticism. The film "employs many of the conventions of later documentary and ethnographic filmmaking, including use of third-person narration and subjective tone, and a focus on an indigenous person as the film's hero" ("Chronology", 2007). Six years after Dziga Vertov started to produce Kino Pravda, he films The Man with the Movie Camera (Chelovek s kinoapparatom). The film uses experimental editing techniques and cinma tic innovations to portray a typical day in Moscow from dawn to dusk. Rather than simply recording reality Vertov attempts to transform and enlighten the film through the power of the camera's "kino-glaz" (cinma eye). During the period between 1950s through 1970s, the term Cinma vrit is coined by Jean Rouch for his own work and as homage to Vertov. Just as "Kino-Pravda" means literally "cinema-truth" in Russian, so do cinma vrit mean "cinema truth" in French. Famous cinma vrit/direct cinema films include Les Raquetteurs, Showman, Salesman, The Children Were Watching, Primary, Behind a Presidential Crisis, and Grey Gardens. IntheBritishtradition of nonfiction filmmaking, a Free Cinema movement developed in the 1950s that revived documentaries about working-class life. This impulse toward social realism carried over into fiction films in the early 1960s in The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962), directed by Tony Richardson, and other films. Innovative documentary work came from filmmakers such as Peter Watkins, who made what he called "reconstructions" of historical events, past and future. His film The War Game (1965) concerned a possible nuclear attack on Britain and generated controversy for its graphic portrayal of a nuclear holocaust. In the 1960s and 1970s, documentary film was often conceived as a political weapon against neocolonialism and capitalism in general, especially in Latin America, but also in a changing Quebec society. La Hora de los hornos (The Hour of the Furnaces, from 1968), directed by Octavio Getino and Fernando E. Solanas, influenced a whole generation of filmmakers. In the last twenty years, Coles (1998) said that remarkable changes have taken place in documentary and nonfiction filmmaking, counting changes in subject matter, form and manner in which documentaries are made. In 1990, the outstanding hit of the season was Ken Burns's seven recounting of the American Civil War. At the beginning of June 1994, one could scarcely turn on a television set stumbling upon yet another recounting or reinterpretation of the events of D-day and the Normandy landings. In 1998, Laurence Rees's The Nazis: A Warning from History is released. The history-mystery subject has become one of the sustaining pillars of the Discovery Channel. All these programs illustrate that history has become one of the most basic themes for documentary filmmaking, especially television documentary. The historical documentary comes in many forms, including straight essay, docudrama, and personal oral histories (Rosenthal, 2002, p. 297). Today an enormous rash of television programs utilising some of the techniques of cinema vrit hit the network and cable airwaves - the so called "reality TV". These include MTV's Real World and The Osbournes, Big Brother, Amazing Race, The Fear Factor, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, Joe Millionaire, The Mole, and Chains of Love. The reality shows Cops (1989), in which camera crews accompany police cars on their daily rounds, and Survivor (2000), which records the interactions of a group of people who are thrown together in a difficult, remote location, such as a desert island have become extremely popular (Marc, 2005). What made these breakthroughs in the documentary filmmaking industry possible Technology is no doubt a key factor in the success of documentary filmmaking. The development of faster cameras in the 1870s spurred scientists and others to use photography in the systematic study of human and animal movement. In the middle of the 19th century, in 1877 Eadweard Muybridge develops sequential photographs of horses in motion. Muybridge subsequently invents the zopraxiscope4 in 1879. In 1883, French physiologist Etienne Jules Marey devised a special camera5 to record sequential photographs on a single plate. The resulting photographs showed an echoing trail of images that recorded the subject's movement in both time and space. Marey used this method to develop insights into the flight of birds, human movement, and the workings of the human eye. His experiments helped prepare the way for airplane flight, motion pictures, and modern athletic training. His overlapping images also were models for the Italian futurist painters in their early-20th-century quest to depict speed and movement (Grundberg, 2005). In the early years of the 20th century further developments in the field of photography and motion picture continues. Sony introduces the first consumer 1/2-inch video tape recorder in 1965. In the same year Philips introduces the compact cassette for consumer audio recording and playback on small portable machines ("Chronology", 2007). In the late 1970s Sony introduced the Walkman, a portable headset stereo system, and later the Watchman, a television small enough to be worn as a wristwatch ("Sony Corporation", 2005). Sony's Betamax consumer videocassette recorder (VCR), with the Beta videotape format, was the first home videotape recorder on the market. The system was eventually replaced by the VHS videotape format introduced by JVC and marketed by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA); the VHS format became the industry videotape standard. By 1980 Sony released the first consumer video camcorder, a portable electronic device for recording video images and audio onto an internal storage device. The camcorder contains both a video camera and a videocassette recorder in one unit ("Camcorder", 2007). Whilst in 1982 Sony's Betacam, a single unit broadcast use camera hits the market. Sony's Betacam system is now the standard in commercial broadcasting equipment ("Sony Corporation", 2005). How are these technological gadgets used in the production of motion pictures Let us take a brief look on the technical aspect of documentary and industrial filmmaking. Preparingforafilmshot involves five main operations: The art department and property master prepare the set furnishings and the props the actors will use; the actors run through their lines and movements; the director of photography selects and arranges the lights; the camera operator rehearses the various camera angles and movements to be used in the shot; and the sound crew determines the volume level and placement of microphones. The director oversees and coordinates all these activities. The first two processes, however, may not be necessary in the filming of a documentary for the words and actions are usually spontaneous in real life situation. Thetechnicalaspects of the filming process include operating the camera, lighting the scene, and recording the sound. Once the film has been shot, it then must be processed and printed. During this process or after it, special effects can be added to the film to create dramatic visual images. The last step in the production of a movie takes place in the film laboratory, where the visual and sound elements of the final cut are combined into a composite print. When the composite print is run through the projector, action and sound together create for the audience the vision of the story intended by the filmmaking team. Thephotographicprocess in which motion-picture film is exposed to light to create an image corresponds to conventional still photography. Camera lenses of different focal length are used to achieve the desired perspective or photographic effect, and changing the lens aperture (opening) controls the amount of light that reaches the film. Shutter speed, which determines how long the film is exposed to light, and aperture together affect the relative lightness or darkness of the image. Themostimportantelements of a motion-picture camera are the lens, the shutter, and the two reels that supply the film and take it up again. When a motion-picture camera is in operation, the shutter opens and exposes the film, which receives an image formed by the lens. The shutter then closes and a mechanism called a pull-down claw moves the film along so that it can be exposed once again. Thesteadinessofthe image the camera records comes from the camera mount and a device in the camera motor called the registration pin, which holds each frame still while it is exposed to light. Three-legged stands called tripods usually support the camera, and a platform on wheels called a dolly holds the camera steady while it moves across the floor or ground. A crane or supporting arm called a boom raises and lowers the camera during filming. A Steadicam is a camera mount for producing smooth shots in places where using a dolly or crane presents difficulties, such as on a staircase. The Steadicam uses gyroscopes and other advanced electronic equipment to prevent the camera from shaking. When the filmmaker does not want the camera to be steady, the camera operator simply holds the camera in his or her hands. This technique is used in documentary films to capture a fast-moving event or in feature films to create a documentary-like feel. Muchlocationshooting occurs outdoors, where unpredictable weather can make lighting difficult. When the shooting environment outside is too bright, film crews use devices such as butterflies, large pieces of silk or diffusion material, to cut down on brightness or to create shadow. Infilmmaking,sounds are picked up by microphone and recorded on tape. Motion picturefilmis manufactured in long ribbons that are stored and handled in rolls. Perforations along the edge of the film help move it through the camera, printer, and projector at a constant speed. Thegreaterafilmstrip's width is, the sharper the image that is projected onto the screen. Filmmakers now shoot most documentaries and some experimental films on digital videotape, because its quality is almost that of film, and it is cheaper to buy and does not need to be processed (Tanis, 2006). Documentary films are "attractive alternative to feature films" (Gazecki, n. d.). Why is that so Because the stakes are not as high since the money allotted for the production is lesser and the risk is not so great. The truth of this statement has been proven for the past twenty years. Filmmakers and even television networks have been earning enormously both in profit and public patronage for filming and staging documentaries and reality shows. So the future of documentary filmmaking does not seem to be gloomy after all. Just like what the noted film scholar Bill Nichols (2001, p. 2) said, the "bond between documentary and the historical world is deep and profound". Documentaries add a new dimension to popular memory and social history. References Bruzzi, S. (2000). New documentary: A critical introduction. London: Routledge. Coles, R. (1998). Doing documentary work: Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press. Gazecki, W. (n. d.). Breaking into documentary filmmaking. Retrieved September 03, 2007, from http://www.mightycompanions.org/cropcircles/advice.html. Grundberg, A. (2005). History of photography. Microsoft Encarta 2006 [CD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation. Marc, D. (2005). Radio and television broadcasting. Microsoft Encarta 2006 [CD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Premium 2006. (2005). Documentary. Microsoft Encarta 2006 [CD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Premium 2006. (2005). History of motion pictures. Microsoft Encarta 2006 [CD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Premium 2006. (2005). Sony Corporation. Microsoft Encarta 2006 [CD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation. Nichols, B. (1997). Foreword. In B. K. Grant & J. Sloniowski (Eds.), Documenting the documentary: Close readings of documentary film and video. Detroit: Wayne University Press. Nichols, B. (2001). Introduction to documentary. Indiana: Indiana University Press. Renov, M. (1993). Theorizing documentary (Afi film reader). New York: Routledge. Rosenthal, A. (2002). Writing, directing, and producing documentary films and videos. 297. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University. Tanis, N. (2005). Motion Pictures. Microsoft Encarta 2006 [CD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation. Wikipedia. (2007). Camcorder. Retrieved September 03, 2007, from http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camcorder. Zahavi, G., McCormick, S., & Taylor, A. M. (2007). Chronology of documentary history. Retrieved September 01, 2007, from UC Berkeley - Media Resources Center database. Notes Wikipedia. (2007). Film Stock. Retrieved September 03, 2007, from http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_stock. Wikipedia. (2007). Direct-to-video. Retrieved September 03, 2007, from http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct-to-video. Encarta Dictionary Tools. (2005). Microsoft Encarta 2006 [CD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Premium 2006. (2005). Eadweard Muybridge. Microsoft Encarta 2006 [CD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation. Sklar, R. (2005). History of motion pictures. Microsoft Encarta 2006 [CD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation. Read More