I made my first 16 mm film in 1963. Some of the clips shown in this sequence I filmed in 1964 on the streets of New York city and other cities asking what the word Brotherhood meant to people. That work resulted in a television spot on the subject of brotherhood.
This clip is taken from my documentary made after a fire destroyed much of my archive. I made a film to remember what I had lost for my family and professional colleagues. Here is a link to the full film - • How He Overcame A Horr... .
Filming "man on the street" interviews during the 1960s using a 16 mm camera and accompanied by an audio person with a boom microphone was an engaging and new experience at the time, both for the film crews and the public.
The 16 mm camera was a popular choice for documentary filmmakers because it was relatively portable compared to the larger 35 mm cameras used in studio settings. However, "portable" in the 1960s still meant a bulky and heavy piece of equipment that required skill and strength to operate effectively. Accompanying me as cameraman was an audio person who would handle the boom microphone, which was a long pole with a microphone attached at the end, used to capture clear sound from the subject while excluding as much background noise as possible. This setup was quite conspicuous and could draw a lot of attention on the street.
In the 1960s, the general public was not as accustomed to seeing film crews on the street as people are today. The presence of a camera crew could generate curiosity and sometimes excitement, making some people eager to engage and speak on camera. However others were wary, unaccustomed to being approached by strangers with a microphone. The concept of being filmed and broadcast was still relatively new and some people were cautious about what they said and how they presented themselves.
For the filmmakers like me these interviews were an opportunity to capture the spontaneous and unscripted opinions of everyday people. It required a degree of improvisation and quick thinking, both to frame interesting shots and to engage effectively with people who had no prior media exposure. The interviews could be exhilarating as they provided real, unrehearsed insights into public opinion at a time when such perspectives were less commonly documented.
The 1960s were a time of significant social and political change, with major events like the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and the cultural revolutions happening. Man on the street interviews during such times provided valuable snapshots of public sentiment, capturing a range of opinions and emotions that were reflective of the broader societal context.
2 май 2024
