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Genre is based upon the role of formula and convention, stereotypical characterisation and familiar narrative, which are central to Hollywood filmmaking. Discuss
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Documentary filmmaking has long been marred with the idea that it must represent the reality about the subject. There is a social pretense attached to the genre that insinuates that documentaries have a social responsibility to the public about presenting the subject matter in an impartial and truthful light. The word documentary, itself, carries with it suggestions of objectivity and evidence. The British documentary movement of the 1930s was a socially conscious group whose aim and intent was on raising conciousness of the audience. British filmmaker John Grierson was an instrumental figure in this movement and it was in fact was he, who coined the phrase documentary in 1926. In his work ‘The first principle of documentary’ he explores the ideas and concepts behind documentary; he viewed the genre as a very important part of the film spectrum. Grierson set up the National film board in Canada in 1939, by 1945 the bpard was producing 300 films a year. Grierson is responsible for a lot of the development of documentary film. He understoodthe value of non-fiction and saw this as a tool to educate audiences. One of Greisons main concepts was the treatment of actuality needs to be shaped and treated in order to produce documentary. ‘We believe that the cinema’s capacity for getting around, for observing and selecting from life itself can be exploited in a new amd vital new form’ (Grierson) Grierson wanted to offer an alternative to the film culture to the Hollywood American feature film. He explored the idea that while feature films that occupied mainstream theatres were important from an escapist viewpoint, he understood that the construction of real life footage could be just as important. Cinema Verite literally means film truth. It refers to a style of a film that was developed by French film directors in the 1960s. The idea behind the genre was to use ‘real people’ in real locations. One of the many techniques of verite was to use unobtrusive cameras so that the subjects of the film would not be disturbed by their presence. Everything in verite is shot in locations without the use of props or scripts and in this way verite is the polar opposite to Hollywood film. The goal of the filmmaker was to show life as it really is. These techniques make it more accessible to various other locations that bulker camera equipment, and elaborate costumes and props could just not go. Verite is closely linked to realism because rather than placing subjects in escapists environments, verite filmmakers sought to expose everyday people in the social context in which they exist. One of the main pioneers of cinema verite is American filmmaker DA Pennebaker. His film techniques are to use inconspicuous filming to tell a story based purely on edited footage. His 1993 film ‘The War Room’ revolves around Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign. Its centred on the two leaders of the campaign George Stephanopolous and James Carville. Pennebaker filmed without a script or narration. This technique means that the footage and editing techniques tell the story. ‘The War Room’ is shot in black and white and the absence of colour enhances the mood of the film.
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