Documentary

Documentary: Witness and Self-Revelationtakes an audience-centred approach to documentary, arguing that everyday experiences of what it feels like to film and to be filmed have developed a new sophistication in the viewers of the developed world. It demonstrates that the popular perception of documentary films and television has profoundly altered. Documentary: Witness and Revelationis divided into two sections: the first examines aspects of the photographic and filmic process and includes topics such as: taking images being filmed and photographed still and moving images using filmed material while the second draws on a wide variety of evidence to demonstrate the ethical concerns that motivate today#xE2;#xAC;"s viewers. It asks questions such as: Is what I am seeing true or faked? What was the relationship between the filmmakers and their subjects? Did the subjects freely consent to being filmed? Does the filmmaker have a disproportionate effect on the events as they unfold? Are the characters sincere or acting up for the camera? What kinds of material were left out in the edit? Is there something here that the film is not showing but I can nevertheless see? John Ellis demonstrates how these questions are both asked and debated as well as how evidence is drawn from the films themselves and how accurate and inaccurate notions of the filmmaking process affect how contemporary viewers judge documentaries. This book is ideal for students studying film, media studies and visual culture #xE2;#xAC;#x1C; particularly photography.