A superb meditation on the craft of vérité. I thought I already understood it pretty well, but you've added new layers. The part that jumped out is that a vérité filmmaker can't succeed on stealth alone. One needs to be a known and trusted presence as well. I'm trying to think of analogues here ... perhaps a limo driver, whose role is invisible, trusted and understood? Always there, and always expected to be there, but a silent member of a traveling party.
I love how the 2012 Hunger Games went all out with verite techniques when they wanted to. What you explain here about intimacy, storytelling and the core of what it is, is all that I feel when I see that movie too
Thank You so much Sir, You some of the people who are inspiring me to start make my own Shot Film. Pls always guide newbies like me with your knowledge
Hi, Matt. Outstanding description! Thank you so much. Would be interesting to explore the role of cinema verite in fictional movies, like "Faces' and "Saving Private Ryan." Would be interesting to get your thoughts on that. Thanks again!
Thanks for your comment! The answer to this is so dependent on the film you're shooting. Sure, lighting verite is possible and I've certainly done it. But know the impact it'll have on the scene and the subjects. If it makes sense to use it and won't have a big impact on how things play out, then sure. But if it'll take time and augment the subject's perception of reality, then I'd say find a creative way to work with the difficult lighting.
Certainly they do! I think where the difference lies is the interviews in a verite film tend to be directly from the subjects, keeping a singular point of view, as opposed to expert interviews talking about a topic more objectively. Of course, I am generalizing a bit, but thats more or less how I see the difference.
What’s your perspective on direct cinema? I’ve heard people used that term interchangeably with cinema vérité while other view these terms as two distinct philosophies. Also, what’s your thoughts on this notion of cinema vérité not being a showing of truth, but an emerging of truth as the story unfolds?
These are great questions! Technically speaking, "direct cinema" is a different style of filmmaking from "cinema vérité." Direct cinema is a style that's purely observational. You put a camera down on a tripod and watch things happen. In practice, I don't know of that many purely direct cinema films that are out there. I believe, as a storyteller, that vérité is a style that allows for better exploration and understanding than direct cinema - but to each their own. When it comes to vérité and truth, its a tough one to answer. Some truths can be directly told, while others can’t reveal themselves until the story emerges in front of you. In many ways, the process of how the truth is communicated to an audience comes down to editing. Is it something that can explained in a single scene, or is it something that needs a full story to fully understand? I believe it’s a case-by-case basis, but as long as the filmmakers are open and listening, both routes are viable. I hope that helps!
@@DANAMIONLINE Editing for docs is by far the most important stage, even if it does come at the end. I find my job most often is to gather as much useful content as I can to give the editor what they need to find the story. It’s amazing how things come together and shed light on the truth when it starts to have a narrative structure. Such a cool process indeed!
