Cinéma vérité

Cinéma vérité referred to, on the one historical epoch of ( esp. French ) documentary of the 1960s, on the other hand, a meta-historical approach to the documentary films that continues to the present day. Features of the historic Cinéma vérité are the direct interaction between filmmaker and filmed, so that a high importance of cinematic self-reflexivity and the provocation of the subject.

Although the concept of cinéma vérité is first mentioned by film historian Georges Sadoul, however, he learns only as a subtitle of the documentary Chronique d'un été by Jean Rouch and Edgar Morin (1961 ) has a greater level of awareness. Here documentary approaches the cinema Pravda Vertov from the twenties connect with the ethnological studies of Jean Rouch. Finally, the development of the portable Nagra sound unit led to a freer use of the medium of film. The light-sensitive film, the need for additional lighting and a small crew ensured additionally ensure that the Cinéma vérité documentary close as possible to the everyday reality and the 'truth' introduce.

Cinéma vérité and direct cinema

Often the Cinéma vérité is equated with the concept of Direct Cinemas. In fact, some common factors: the absence of an authoritarian voice-over, which has just marked even the documentary of the British Grierson tradition of the thirties and forties; the attempt to let them speak for themselves, the people portrayed and to free them from dependence on the interpretation of the filmmaker; as well as the waiver of wanting to interpret social problems in larger ideological contexts, but rather to capture the everyday life, the people and their situations directly.

Nevertheless, some very distinct differences of approach show that the American direct cinema, such as the Drew Associates tried the camera and the filmmakers as possible to fade into the background so that they do not have too much influence on the porträtierende to action. The camera than the Fly on the Wall ' - as unnoticed as possible observer - here's the ideal camera and camera people to the events not influence at best. The aim is the so-called privileged moments capture in which the portrayed person forgets the camera and an " underlying truth " revealed.

This " underlying truth " of course is also the aim of the French Cinéma vérité. However, the strategy is completely different: Here, the filmmakers put directly into the action, making itself as such visible and make its own position thus in question. One only consider the sequence in the aforementioned Chronique d'un été, in discussing the two filmmakers with a potential interviewee in the cozy living room ambiance about what it would mean, then, to involve them in the movie. That moment of " self-reflexivity ", which is missing from the Direct Cinema, the strategy of joins " provocation " to. Not the uninvolved as possible, tacit filming of what 's happening right now, but the direct attack on the Filmed is the goal. The camera is the desired priviledged moments almost provoke, it should serve as a psychological stimulant that attracts the portrayed individuals from their reserve.

The term of cinéma vérité, albeit in first line to be understood as historical epoch of the documentary, but can be also seen ahistorical. Here offers Bill Nichols ' attempt at a classification of documentary films a suitable approach: Nichols distinguishes the Expository Mode, the authoritarian addressed with a voice over the public, the Observational fashion, such as the Direct Cinema not interfere as possible into the action, the Interactive mode in which the film crew interacts directly with the observable world, as well as the reflexive mode, which provides these representations of "objectivity" into question. Cinéma vérité here lines up clearly in the Interactive mode on, because the film crew is not a fly on the wall, but rather the fly in the soup, which integrates into the action with directly.

After-effects in documentaries and feature films

The style of cinéma vérité can be detected up to now in documentaries. Especially in documentary television formats such as interview in movies or in the street- cred - erheischenden documentation formats of youth transmitters interaction, self-reflexivity and provocation always played a major role.

Even movies have made ​​use of this pattern. The best known example is probably The Blair Witch Project ( Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sanchez 1999).