Experimental film and Documentaries Flashcards
(9 cards)
What’s a documentary?
It’s a type of film in which the person, place or events shown actually exist (may include recordings of events as they actually happen or info constructed by filmmaker)
-documentaries usually take a stand, state an opinion, or advocate for a solution to the problem
Do most documentaries have a narrative or non-narrative structure?
Documentaries can have both; narrative structure documentaries are similar to fictional film in the sense that they both are about main ppl in the film trying to achieve their goals
-Non-narrative documentaries are a lot more common (includes most scientific films, social condition films, industrial films, training films, etc.); most of them either make an argument or present diff info organized into categories
What’s the difference between rhetorical doc films and categorical doc films?
Rhetorical - Works kinda like an essay; filmmaker presents a persuasive argument by introducing the situation, discussions of relative facts, proof of a certain solution, and an epilogue that summarizes
-not consistent w/ scientific truth all the time so it becomes more of an opinion (if conclusion can’t be proved beyond question, it appeals to our emotions; uses arguments from sources like firsthand accounts, expert testimony, and interviews
Categorical - organizes info into categories, making info more straightforward to understand
What are the different points of view in documentary style filming?
- Single POV - through a character in the film
- Multiple POVs - we can see anyone from anyone else’s perspective
- Omniscient POV - camera can move freely within time and space
-Personal POV - filmmaker is the storyteller who’s also the POV character
-Self-reflective POV - The awareness of the process of making a film (filmmaking mirrors its own practice)
What’s an event-centered documentary?
Documentary surrounding the happenings of a specific event; the event has stages and forward movement
-included in this are interviews, backstory, etc
-Usually needs one than one camera
What’s experimental film?
describes range of filmmakers styles that are are generally very diff from, and often opposed to the practice of mainstream culture and documentary filmmakers.
experimentary films usually have:
- absence of linear narrative
-use of various abstract techniques (out of focus, painting, stratching on film, rapid editing)
-the use of asynchronous (non-diagetic) sound
-absence of any soundtrack
What is the French Impressionist cinema?
- Term describes group of filmmakers and films from France during 1918-30
-The idea came from younger French directors after WWI, and it influenced a lot of big genres like horror and film noir - Hollywood also focused on psychological causes, but the impressionists focused more on characters’ internal world, exploring flashbacks, fantasies, dreams, and mental states
What is surrealism?
It was a cultural movement that emerged in the mid 1920s; it welcomed in the dream world, surprises, and juxtaposition
-Surrealism films were very non-narrative in structure; while impressionist films would try to motivate events according to character’s dreams and hallucinations, these films didn’t justify anything
What is dadaism?
It was an international movement that started w/ the outbreak of WWI; the movement was seen as a protest against the brutality of the war, and bourgeois nationalists and colonialist interests; logic was rejected and chaos and irrationality was embraced
