COMM 231 1st EditionLecture 19 Outline of Last Lecture • Documentary definitions and examplesOutline of Current Lecture • Realism and Formalism• Essential Elements for Filmmakers• Examples of Professor Anderson’s worksCurrent LectureReminder: Exam 3 is scheduled during final exam week: December 11th, 10:30 am, S240 at ILCNon Scripted Filmmaking and the Foundation of Film ArtWorking with non actors, no story out there so you need to go find it, the filmmaker makes the story, takes comments from people, footage of different things, and turns it into a storyRealism and FormalismNonfiction filmmaking uses formalist elements (music, narration, montage, even animation) in its effort to achieve a sense of realismBut, it needs to be a delicate and justifiable use of formalist elementsStrategies for working in the field without a script-working with non actors: people can freeze up in front of the camera, good strategy is to have aconversation, have your camera person rolling the whole time and just help them and get to know the person and keep the camera rollingneed to be polite but forthright in getting interviews-shooting coverage for unscripted sequences: always have other shots to cut to, need a lot of extra footage if you don’t have a script-flexibility on the ground: you can plan on shooting somewhere and have it be too loud, too different looking; need to be quick on your feet-editing terminology and its role in filmmaker-performative and creative nature of non-fiction film: those you film are going to be aware of the camera being there, so it is going to affect how they present themselves Essential Elements for filmmakersCuriosity: need to be curious, question why things are the way they areOriginal thinker: turn something you find interesting into a story, needs some originalityResearch and communication skls: filmmakers are mmi experts are what they are filming on, need to do a lot of research, be able to articulate with other people why this film needs to be made, and with your crewTechnical proficiency: how cameras work, lighting, sound, editing, you can work with professionals who are very good at certain aspectsEye for aesthetics: what is visually appealing, on set and in editingAttention to details: mise en sceneMotivated worker: no filmmaker is lazyAbility to find and tell a storyProf. Anderson’s interests and approaches to filmmakingCuriosity (like international locations)Flexibility (like cross cultural encounters)Agility (collaboration)Visual storytelling (the senses)Showing of his work TokunboShot in Lagos, Nigetia (late 2009)Most populated country in AfricaBooming middle classEveryone wants a carVirtually no automobile manufacturingUsed cars (or, tokunbo) are imported. But not just from anywhere.Preparation and Flexibility: from a simple question to narrative device, flexibility on the ground, finding narrative structureCollaboration: director as midwife work for spontaneity and authenticity, get everyone’s permission, go beyond the “authorities,” attentive to issues of “power” and “access”Example clip from Tokunbothemes: conditions of working in these car lotsmotif: wear and tear of hands and feet, basic elements (earth, fire, dirt, water)Example clip from Layers of Pompeii, (six weeks of filming, July 2012, 2013)Themes:Ancient and modern PompeiiCultural identityArchaeology and tourismSensorial PompeiiMediated
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