An investigation of the practice and grammar of documentary film editing for ethnographic film
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Manchester
Department Name: Social Sciences
Abstract
Ethnographic film has been a part of the academic discipline of anthropology since the 1950's and has featured prominently as a subject and a style for filmmakers working within the television industry since the 1970's. A persistent and current perception of this genre of documentary is that it has never properly achieved its early promise of producing 'cultural documents' with the same intellectual value as written texts, nor adequately kept pace with the television industry's demands for more popular 'reality' entertainment. This presents a difficult question for ethnographic filmmakers who must answer for 'observational' filmmaking practices that are often perceived as incommensurate with ethical and political sensitivities towards the objectification of others and at the same time accommodate the preference for projects of unrestrained self-revelation among today's broadcasting commissioners.
This study will examine this dilemma by rethinking the process of documentary film production from the perspective of editing, asking how and with what consequences in the intellectual and professional domains, decisions are made in the cutting room.
My personal experience of editing some of the films which make up this canon, and teaching documentary editing to students, has demonstrated to me that it is a contested and negotiated arena which has become ever more important in the production process. As inexpensive digital tape has replaced expensive film stock, huge amounts of raw footage are frequently gathered. Films do not achieve complex or subtle formulations easily and it is during the editing process that we must learn to consider and select material using our interpretive skills to identify the most important themes that will then be translated into a film. This selection process will be the first part of my research, that in summary is as follows:
Archive research - Selecting and reviewing films made with anthropological intent or involvement to see how editing styles have changed over time to reflect not only the changing attitudes of those who made the films but also that of the subjects within these films. I will then investigate films that have been made more recently, of which there is a significant body emerging with different styles and different voices, including some groundbreaking self-representations by people that were once themselves the subjects of anthropological study. Some are in forms and modes that blur the distinctions between fiction and documentary.
Fieldwork - This will involve firstly interviewing those persons who were involved in the making and editing of these 'anthropological' documentaries. Second, I will be spending some of my research time working alongside the postgraduate students and staff at the Granada Centre as they edit their films. This will take the form of fieldwork as I investigate the editing environment itself as a site of creative enterprise snd knowledge production. Finally, I will be attending some of the major film festivals including the Margaret Mead festival in New York where I will be able ot engage in a dialogue around these issues with other filmmakers and academics. I will make film recordings of conversations whenever possible.
Creating a Grammar for Ethnographic Documentary editing - During the last year of my research period, I will produce, direct and edit s set of DVD's. They will contain interviews, film clips and editing master classes which discuss rhythm and pace, storytelling and the creation of a narrative. I will use the DVD format to arrange this material in such a way that it reproduces the technical domain of the editing environment as an intellectual space.
This examination of the practices and possibilities of editing aims to reformulate the creative, intellectual and informational potentialities of film as a medium capable of constructing complex anthroplogical arguments and simultaneously engaging the viewer's attention.
This study will examine this dilemma by rethinking the process of documentary film production from the perspective of editing, asking how and with what consequences in the intellectual and professional domains, decisions are made in the cutting room.
My personal experience of editing some of the films which make up this canon, and teaching documentary editing to students, has demonstrated to me that it is a contested and negotiated arena which has become ever more important in the production process. As inexpensive digital tape has replaced expensive film stock, huge amounts of raw footage are frequently gathered. Films do not achieve complex or subtle formulations easily and it is during the editing process that we must learn to consider and select material using our interpretive skills to identify the most important themes that will then be translated into a film. This selection process will be the first part of my research, that in summary is as follows:
Archive research - Selecting and reviewing films made with anthropological intent or involvement to see how editing styles have changed over time to reflect not only the changing attitudes of those who made the films but also that of the subjects within these films. I will then investigate films that have been made more recently, of which there is a significant body emerging with different styles and different voices, including some groundbreaking self-representations by people that were once themselves the subjects of anthropological study. Some are in forms and modes that blur the distinctions between fiction and documentary.
Fieldwork - This will involve firstly interviewing those persons who were involved in the making and editing of these 'anthropological' documentaries. Second, I will be spending some of my research time working alongside the postgraduate students and staff at the Granada Centre as they edit their films. This will take the form of fieldwork as I investigate the editing environment itself as a site of creative enterprise snd knowledge production. Finally, I will be attending some of the major film festivals including the Margaret Mead festival in New York where I will be able ot engage in a dialogue around these issues with other filmmakers and academics. I will make film recordings of conversations whenever possible.
Creating a Grammar for Ethnographic Documentary editing - During the last year of my research period, I will produce, direct and edit s set of DVD's. They will contain interviews, film clips and editing master classes which discuss rhythm and pace, storytelling and the creation of a narrative. I will use the DVD format to arrange this material in such a way that it reproduces the technical domain of the editing environment as an intellectual space.
This examination of the practices and possibilities of editing aims to reformulate the creative, intellectual and informational potentialities of film as a medium capable of constructing complex anthroplogical arguments and simultaneously engaging the viewer's attention.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Susan Brook (Principal Investigator) |