Does Cinema Verite Differ from Documentary Film - Essay Example

? Documentaries and cinema verite, both specialize in bringing forth the realistic format of truth or real events that give validity to it for posterity. They have become highly relevant because they are able to capture the truth and expose hidden facts. Indeed, the boldness and authenticity are hugely compelling and often transform our vision and perspective of events. They are both non-fiction narratives of real situations or events that fundamentally reflect visual realism of events as they had occurred. While the basic motive of documentary and cinema verite is the same, they differ diametrically in the exposition of truth and mechanism of creation or development of the same. Documentary can broadly be described as cinematic expression that reveals ‘fullness and completion, knowledge and truth’ (Nichols, 1994:1). They focus on actual evidence of the events, using real people rather than actors of fictional films who portray other characters. As such, they have minimal editing, reflecting the unvarnished truth. Cinema verite, on the other hand, is a French expression that means ‘truthful cinema’ that records events as they are occurring, often prodding real people to reveal new information in order to showcase new dimension of issue or events (Black, 2002). Hence, it can be defined as documentaries with wide scope of capturing truth. The editing of film makes it more dramatic and, therefore, has greater impact than normal documentary films that are stark in their thematic reality. Documentary films are also accompanied by narratives that highlight events and often inform the public of its relevance by relating it to the history of events. The viewer is, therefore, updated with information about the events and can draw conclusion of truth as he/he sees the documentary. Cinema verite has no narrator and, therefore, the viewer has the freedom to interpret the film as he/she sees. The spontaneity of real characters makes it interesting because they are designed to reveal new aspects of their personality or issues which are often not intended for public. Nanook of the North, made in 1922, is a prime example of cinema verite which documents ethnographic study of Inuits. It has used photographic technics vis-a-vis fade out transition and editing to streamline and emphasize the issue (Renoy, 1993). This is very interesting and pertinent fact of cinema Verite that distinguishes it from normal documentary films. Another very important difference is that textual representation of live events in documentary films are seen as truthful expression of reality. There is little ambiguity because footage of events is not edited and voiceover is just to inform the audience about the issue which they see in the films. Cinema verite is proactive in its depiction of truth because while it captures the events as they occur, it actively provokes subjects in the event to provide new stance to the event. Mamber (1976) asserts that it is not just mutant offspring of documentary technique but tends to highlight the stance of the film maker. It tries to reveal new aspects of events rather than focusing on only one angle of the truth. Very often, the film maker uses editing techniques to showcase truth which could dramatize the events. Thus, it tends to expose paradoxical facets of the true events and makes them more intriguing and interesting. Facilitated by the technology advancements, the world of cinematic documentary has unfolded unprecedented way of unlocking truth and bringing them directly to the public. In the contemporary times, making documentary films has become very challenging because of the diversity of subjects and myriad formats of media tools can be easily exploited to divulge truth. Cinema verite of France, Direct Cinema of America and observatory films of the UK are all varying formats of documentary films that are based on true events. Popularly known as ‘voice’, the reconstructions and structuring tools used in documentary become the vital factor that shift the focus to spotlight and produce realism (Cowie, 2011; Hartley, 2002). Thus, realism of producing documentary on true events become highly challenging when film makers use sophisticated techniques that can combine cinematic devices with actual events (Spence & Navarro, 2011; Rosenthal & Corner, 2005). With advancing technology, development of sophisticated video cameras and digital devices greatly facilitated more realistic film making. Documentary films basically rely on authentic depiction of realistic events and, therefore, filmmakers’ presence at the site of action is a vital element. The heavy equipment of fictional films is replaced by an unobtrusive hand held camera that can easily follow the subject and capture events. Nichols (2007) claims that editing techniques have always been very essential elements of cinema verite that often transformed mundane issues into a work of art. Fading transition, stop frame, juxtaposition, slow motion and other techniques were used to exhort response from the viewers. Indeed, social issues became one of the major themes for documentary films. The smaller, light weight camera used during WW2 had redefined documentary filmmaking and showed its ever widening scope of bringing harsh and perhaps gory details of war (Winston, 2008; Cousins & MacDonald, 2006; Jersley, 2002). Technology had synchronized sound with actions that enabled it to bring the horror of war to the homes. Documentary formats like direct cinema and cinema verite are distinct in their objective display and treatment of issue. In Chronicle of a Summer, the filmmakers, Roche and Morin, gave ethnographic study a new dimension of reality (Dixon & Foster, 2008). External stimuli were used to give deeper insight and glimpse of their city when the filmmakers had become the subjects of the documentary film. Shoah by Claude Lanzmann is another defining documentary that has used war footages, public broadcasts and hundreds of interviews with survivors to tell the story of holocaust in more innovative manner (Keith?Grant & Hillier, 2009). Indeed, the evolving mechanism of documentary making has brought proliferation of new creativity within the film production. It has also ushered in a new crop of documentary makers who bring new themes, subjects and all types of human interaction stories to the limelight (Bruzzi, 2006). The social purpose of documentary movies has evolved to encompass multitude of subjects which draw on interpretative imagination to heighten the impact of underlying reality (Mclane, 2012). The role of filmmakers becomes crucial for the documentary and its treatment of truth as they are supposed to be portrayed. The modern documentaries have evolved to tell stories about issues which need to be responded by the public. One can, therefore, say that techniques and technology have provided cinematic documentary with new meaning that lends an element of authenticity and realism to the subject. (words: 1085) References Black, J. (2002). The Reality Effect: Film Culture and the Graphic Imperative, London: Routledge. Bruzzi, S. (2006). New Documentary, 2nd edition, Abingdon: Routledge. Corner, J. (1996). The Art of Record: A Critical Introduction to Documentary, Manchester: Manchester University Press. Cousins, M. & MacDonald, K. (eds.) (2006). Imagining Reality: The Faber Book of Documentary, 2nd edition, London: Faber & Faber. Cowie, E. (2011). Recording Reality, Desiring the real Elizabeth, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. Dixon, W. W. & Foster, A. G. (2008). A Short History of Film, NJ: Rutgers University Press. Hartley, J. (2002). Communication, Cultural and Media Studies: The Key Concepts, London: Routledge. Jerslev, A. (2002). Realism and Reality in film and media, Copenhagen: Universoty of Copenhagen Press. Keith-Grant, B. & Hillier, J. (2009). 100 Documentary Films, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Mamber, S. (1976). Cinema Verite in America: Studies in Uncontrolled Documentary, Cambridge: MIT Press. Nichols, B. (1994). Blurred Boundaries, Bloomington & Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. Nichols, B. (2007). ‘Documentary’ in P. Cook (ed.) (2007) The Cinema Book, 3rd edition, London: British Film Institute. Renov, M. (1993). ‘Towards a Poetics of Documentary’ in M. Renov (ed.) (1993) Theorising Documentary, London: Routledge. Rosenthal, A. & Corner, J. (2005). New Challenges for Documentary, 2nd edition, Manchester: Manchester University Press. Spence, L. & Navarro, V. (2011). Crafting truth: Documentary Form and Meaning, London: Rutgers University Press. Winston, B. (2008). Claiming the real: documentary: Grierson and beyond, London: British Film Institute. Read More