Includes bibliographical references (pages 228-230), filmography (pages 221-227), and index.
Contents:
Clearing customs. 15. The practice of documentary -- 2. How the visual makes sense -- 3. Observational filmmaking : a unique practice -- 4. Ethnographic film : evolution of a concept -- Part II: 5. Structuring nonfiction films -- 6. Filming in a closed community -- 7. Seven types of collaboration -- 8. Microstructures of film editing -- Part III: 9. Films and feelings -- 10. The life of others -- 11. The strangers within us -- 12. How children see -- Part IV: 13. An encounter with Robert Gardner -- 14. The percentage of disaster -- 15. Clearing customs.
Summary:
"The art of the observer is a personal guide to documentary filmmaking, based on the author's years of pioneering work in the fields of ethnographic and documentary cinema. It stands in sharp contrast to books of academic film criticism and handbooks on visual research methods, being based extensively on concrete examples from the author's own filmmaking experience. The book places particular emphasis on observational filmmaking and the ways in which this approach is distinct from other forms of documentary. It offers both practical insights and reflections on what it means, in both emotional and intellectual terms, to attempt to represent the lives of others. The book makes clear that documentary cinema is not simply a matter of recording reality, but of artfully organising the filmmaker's observations in ways that reveal the complex patterns of social life."--Page [4] of cover.
Series:
Anthropology, creative practice and ethnography (ACE)
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.