Have you ever watched a movie and found the acting or dialogue to feel stilted? Maybe the action was all over the place or felt unmotivated? This happens when a story is removed from the reality of life, the honesty of our experiences and it is almost a little too "staged". That might partly be because filmmaking took a lot of its cues from the theater, and many of those stylistic choices and conventions have stayed in the process. It's not always bad, it's just a method like any other. But when Jean Rouch and others began to develop the idea of "Cinema Verite" things began to change again as a new raw ingredient was being mixed into the cinematic batter.Let's dive in. Cinema verite definition Cinema verite, which translates to "truthful cinema," is a manner of capturing the story on screen. It is a style of filmmaking characterized by realism, most often associated with documentaries, avoiding any artificial or artistic embellishments. Perfect examples of French cinéma vérité are Jean Rouch’s Chronique d’un été (1961; Chronicle of a Summer) and Chris Marker’s Le Joli Mai (1962). What are the key elements of cinema verite? Verite films tend to have these specific qualifications: Filmed on location with non-professional actorsFeaturing handheld shotsFocusing on everyday situations and lives of characters Unscripted action and dialogueFocusing on social and political issues Always using natural lightingOften featuring some overlap between filmmaker and subject How did the verite film expand across the globe? As cinema verite...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Tuesday, 27 August, 2024