I have always thought of documentarians as striving to
maintain objectivity (regardless of personal bias) but this reading made me
reevaluate the degree to which a filmmaker can assert bias and opinion. While
documentaries can be purely observational they can also have an agenda that
specific shots and editing choices help to reinforce, manipulating viewers on a
subconscious level. I was excited to see The Man With a Movie Camera cited as an example of how realities can
be constructed through visual associations and montages, as I have seen this
film and experienced its effects. I was also glad to see the mention of Triumph
of the Will, as it too uses a historical
reality as a base of construction to plant seeds in viewers’ minds. This
documentary style opposes the aesthetics and purposes of observational
documentaries. Narration and voiceovers are another way documentarians more
overtly insert their opinions. This reading comments on a documentary style I
especially appreciate, documentaries that make me question a certain status quo
and leave me thinking after the credits roll. I also connected the discussion
of participatory observation to my interests in film and anthropology,
imagining the combination could create powerful understandings of new cultures
and environments and allow these enriched perspectives to be shared with a
wider audience.
Man With a Movie Camera:
Triumph of the Will:
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