In asking how we should portray real life than perhaps we have spent too long analyzing what should and what should not we put in a documentary without remember that at the end of the day a documentary is a form of entertainment and self expression and can portray or not portray whatever they want. I think if people believe every thing they see and do not rather gather information from encyclopedias, newspapers, and other more reliable sources than perhaps it makes more sense not to criticize that film but rather to criticize the film goer. Disney can show what they want for we know we are watching Disney, family friendly, talking mice and singing lamp sticks Disney, and if we start putting too much stock into their facts than perhaps we are to blame.
On anther note I also think it is interesting to look at the points raised in this week's reading concerning the point of a documentary. What is the point of recreating a history that has already to happened, why recreate reality when reality is, well, real? Perhaps it is best to stick to fiction as reality is already covered by the records preservation of real life.
This falls short of the length requirement, Adam -- feel free to expand for credit! :)
ReplyDeleteI like what you're saying here. I agree, if everyone takes documentaries as undeniably true then perhaps there is a problem in society. I'm not sure what exactly the film makers want from an audience but I would venture to guess that they do not want a mob of zombies, simply agreeing with everything they say, but rather a group of more enlightened individuals that might view the documentary as a step toward better understanding.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ethan that you have an important point, Adam, about the filmgoer -- this is a two-way street, as they say. Probably many of us (I know I have) have been at film screenings where it appears that the filmmaker is making a point that is misunderstood (or ignored) by the audience -- say, cheering on violence in a film that purports to show the flaws of violence. If we miss the filmmaker's point (or don't grasp his aesthetic, or whatever), it is an open question whether that is our fault or the filmmaker's.
ReplyDelete