Lecture 1 – Theorised Making

Ben Evans James

<aside> 💡 Similar to my project idea?

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In a gallery environment films change → people walk in and out and will only see a few minutes
The idea of narrative structure is immediately challenged
Viewers can choose how to interact with films, almost choosing a narrative themselves
He likes making and exhibiting films → but what’s the subject of those films and exhibitions?
Fackety, Inuit community → some things felt right and some felt wrong
He then got the chief to perform as he thought chiefs should perform
By doing this he fictionalises the film → however the film is still not entirely fictional
The fiction responded to the time of imperialism → so it becomes a para fiction
Sons Selei, Chris Marker → essay film (self reflective documentary style where the film maker offers a narrative over the film → translating between the narrative they are seeing and the thoughts going on in their own heads – their own reflections of what they see)
How fiction can be used to reveal facts
Explore the idea that fiction has always been used in documentary to reflect the time in which it was made
A documentary is not a direct translation of reality → the film maker has certain view points and understanding of the world
Ben’s interest → deploying fictional elements such as actors and speculative scenarios → mediate between reality and representation