Creating a Vertov-Style Montage sequence was a great insight into how the cinema verite style of film making can be used in documentary. An observation I made was that the direction of movement withing the frame impacted the next shot and flow of the montage.  Furthermore the order of shots in the edit also influenced the reading I had of the piece.

In our group we discussed using montage to substitute a talking head interview in our next assignment. We agreed that the poetic feel of the montage style will enable us to be reproduce the atmosphere and character of the museum on screen. For example we’d roll images of the archives and installations while the audio narration plays. We may also conduct the interview by following the staff around the museum, cutting between different images, rather than sitting them down to be interviewed in a formal setting.

The reading this week addresses how documentary is evolving in it’s form and function. We read of examples where filmmakers such as Sadie Benning, are turning the camera back on to their own cultures.  Benning filmed much of her content on a toddler’s toy and engaged with work that is considered domestic ethnography. What Benning does is move away from traditional subject matter and conventional technical equipment. Another interesting example given of the genre evolving, was how real time communication is being used as documentary. The texts discussed a live stream between two different countries and the by-passer’s ability to interact with one another from thousands of kilometres apart. This examines how documentary’s functions have become much more than just to inform, it has become a way of connecting people and provoking self reflection within our own communities.

Link to Vertov-Style Montage: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1MrDX1xD7C-fMX5uZ2iGE3GEVo9AJkHev

Reading Reference: Fox, B 2017, Documentary Media, 2nd edn, Routledge, Abingdon, UK.