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Film Studies > Stories We Tell > Flashcards

Stories We Tell Flashcards

1
Q

Who directed it? Tell us about them?

A

Sarah Polley, Canadian film director/ actor. Also directed Women Talking, acted in Splice and Road to Avonlea. She is part of a large family with many siblings, she is also an activist for women’s rights.

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2
Q

Production context?

A

Released in 2012.
Produced by the National Film Board of Canada.
Written by her and her father Michael Polley.
It features all of her siblings/ a lot of her family’s members, all listed as “storytellers” in the credits.
Cinematography by Iris Ng.
Editing by Mike Munn.

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3
Q

Who directed Stories We Tell and in what year?

A

Sarah Polley, 2012

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4
Q

What are the six Modes of Documentary?

A
  • Poetic
  • Expository
  • Observational
  • Performative
  • Reflexive
  • Participatory
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5
Q

Which three Modes does Stories We Tell fit into?

A
  • Performative
  • Reflexive
  • Participatory
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6
Q

How does Polley use the documentary convention of actuality footage in Stories We Tell?

A

Polley incorporates actual events and real-life footage to enhance authenticity and connection with the audience.

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7
Q

What is the impact of mixing Digital and Analogue technology in Stories We Tell?

A

It blurs the lines between fact and fiction, highlighting themes of construction, memory, and subjectivity.

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8
Q

In documentary, images often function as evidence, because of their ______ relationship to something that exists in reality.

A

indexical

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9
Q

Stories We Tell encourages us to ______ images rather than accept them as fact.

A

interpret indexical

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10
Q

Which of Bill Nichols’s Documentary Modes does Stories We Tell fit into?

A

Participatory

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11
Q

What is the purpose of the performative mode in Stories We Tell?

A

It uses Polley’s personal experiences as a jumping-off point, making the film highly subjective.

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12
Q

What is the reflexive mode’s significance in Stories We Tell?

A

It exposes the artificiality of the genre, prompting viewers to question the relationship between the film and the audience.

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13
Q

What role does Sarah Polley play in the participatory mode of Stories We Tell?

A

She is a participant in the story, asking questions and interacting with the subjects.

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14
Q

Which moments in Stories We Tell feel staged or inauthentic?

A

The moments where home movies are artificially constructed.

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15
Q

Why does Polley blur the lines between authenticity and inauthenticity?

A

To challenge the audience’s expectations of documentary truth.

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16
Q

Name two cameras used to film Stories We Tell.

A
  • Sony CineAlta HDW-F900R
  • Canon 1014 AZ
  • Canon 1014XLS
  • Nikon R8
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17
Q

What is NLE?

A

Digital Non-Linear Editing Software

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18
Q

How does Stories We Tell subvert traditional documentary conventions?

A

By highlighting its own construction and questioning the notion of objective truth.

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19
Q

What is the main theme explored in Stories We Tell?

A

Truth, authenticity, and subjectivity in storytelling.

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20
Q

What does Polley include in the mise-en-scene to draw attention to the film’s construction?

A

Props such as lights, cameras, and technical equipment.

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21
Q

What is the effect of the film being a meta-narrative?

A

It documents the process of its own creation, making it a reflexive documentary.

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22
Q

What does Polley ask the viewer to do regarding indexical images?

A

To question their expectations of documentaries and their presentation of truth.

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23
Q

What does Harry say about collaborative documentary-making?

A

“I don’t like it… the crucial function of art is to tell the truth.”

24
Q

How does Polley’s feminist form of filmmaking impact storytelling?

A

It democratizes storytelling and counters the idea of objective truth presented through a patriarchal voice.

25
Q

What is a documentary?

A

A documentary is a film that attempts to present ‘reality’ to us.

It focuses on events that have really happened and the people they happened to.

26
Q

What are the conventions of a documentary?

A

The conventions of a documentary include:
* Actuality Footage
* Archival or Stock Footage
* Use of Still Images
* Voiceover Narration
* ‘Characters’
* Interviews
* Montage Editing
* Cross Cuts and Jump Cuts
* Graphics, Titles and Captions
* Non-diegetic music
* Handheld Camera
* Re-enactment or Reconstruction

These conventions help define the structure and style of documentary filmmaking.

27
Q

Who proposed the six different modes of documentary?

A

American film critic Bill Nichols proposed the six different modes of documentary in 1991.

These modes help categorize documentaries based on their characteristics.

28
Q

What is a poetic documentary?

A

Poetic documentaries have little or no narrative content and favor images, sounds, and juxtaposition to tell their stories in an almost abstract way.

Example: Koyaanisqatsi (Reggio, 1982)

29
Q

What defines an expository documentary?

A

An expository documentary constructs a specific point of view presented as the ‘truth’, using factual images and an authoritative ‘voice-of-god’ voiceover.

Example: March of the Penguins (Jacquet, 2005)

30
Q

What is the observational mode of documentary?

A

Observational documentaries, also known as ‘Cinema Verite’, focus on simply observing events without interference.

Example: Don’t Look Back (Pennebaker, 1965)

31
Q

What characterizes participatory documentaries?

A

Participatory documentaries feature the filmmaker as a participant in the story, often interacting with the subjects and asking questions.

Example: Kurt and Courtney (Broomfield, 1998)

32
Q

What is the focus of reflexive documentaries?

A

Reflexive documentaries are interested in the relationship between the film and the audience, often exposing the artificiality of the genre.

Example: Man with a Movie Camera (Vertov, 1929)

33
Q

What are performative documentaries?

A

Performative documentaries are highly personal, using the filmmaker’s own experience as a jumping-off point for the story.

Example: Roger and Me (Moore, 1989)

34
Q

What is a key debate regarding documentaries?

A

The concept of ‘truth’ in documentary is problematic, raising debates about the authenticity and reality portrayed in cinema.

This discussion is especially relevant in a post-modern context.

35
Q

What is the difference between authenticity and truth in documentaries?

A

Authenticity refers to the genuine nature of the content, while truth pertains to the accuracy or reality of what is being presented.

The quote ‘Film is 24 lies per second at the service of truth’ by Michael Haneke highlights this distinction.

36
Q

What is the name of the documentary directed by Sarah Polley?

A

Stories We Tell (2012)

This documentary explores Polley’s family secrets and her own identity.

37
Q

What awards did ‘Stories We Tell’ win?

A

It won the 2013 New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Non-Fiction Film and the 2013 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Documentary.

38
Q

Fill in the blank: ‘…all cinema – documentary included – is highly ________ and ________.’

A

subjective and mediated.

39
Q

What are the two Specialist Areas for the documentary topic?

A

The two Specialist Areas are:
* Critical Debates – The Significance of Digital Technology
* Filmmaker Theories

40
Q

What three aspects does ‘Stories We Tell’ explore?

A

It explores:
* Family secrets
* Identity
* The nature of filmmaking and memory

41
Q

What is the primary focus of Peter Watkins’ documentary filmmaking?

A

Political and historical themes

Watkins’ work is socially-conscious and often critiques the role of mass media.

42
Q

What filmmaking style did Peter Watkins pioneer?

A

Docudrama style

This style blurs the line between fact and fiction to reveal a truth.

43
Q

What are the key features of Peter Watkins’ work?

A
  • Experimental
  • Provocative
  • Controversial
  • Polemical cinema
  • Use of newsreel footage
  • Voice-over narration
  • Roving hand-held camerawork
  • Fourth-wall-breaking sequences
  • Use of amateur actors
44
Q

Which films are notable works by Peter Watkins?

A
  • Culloden (1964)
  • The War Game (1965)
  • Punishment Park (1971)
45
Q

How does Stories We Tell relate to Watkins’ approach to documentary filmmaking?

A

It is experimental and interrogates documentary and ‘truth’

The film uses reconstruction and a collage of styles similar to Watkins.

46
Q

What is a key theme explored in Stories We Tell?

A

Interrogation of the act of mediation

Questions whether we can trust what we see.

47
Q

What is Nick Broomfield known for in his documentary style?

A

Participatory approach

He places himself on camera and into the story.

48
Q

What are the characteristics of Nick Broomfield’s filmmaking?

A
  • Long takes
  • Voice-over
  • Establishing shots
  • Reflexive style
  • Post-modern work
49
Q

What does Broomfield mean by ‘the truth’ in documentary filmmaking?

A

Truth emerges from the encounter between filmmakers, subjects, and spectators

He acknowledges that the filmmaker’s presence alters the situation.

50
Q

What is a significant difference between Sarah Polley’s approach in Stories We Tell and Broomfield’s?

A

Polley adopts a sterner, more serious persona

This contrasts with Broomfield’s chaotic and faux-naive demeanor.

51
Q

What is unique about the way Stories We Tell handles reconstruction?

A

It uses reconstruction as a key component

Broomfield does not typically use reconstruction.

52
Q

How does Broomfield attempt to encourage subjects to be more truthful?

A

By appearing chaotic and faux-naive on camera

This spontaneity disarms the subjects.

53
Q

What is the overarching question posed about documentaries?

A

Can documentaries ever represent the truth about their subjects?

54
Q

Fill in the blank: Peter Watkins’ films often create a _______ between fact and fiction.

A

blur

55
Q

True or False: Stories We Tell is politically conscious.

A

False

It is described as a highly personal piece.

56
Q

What does Polley’s approach in Stories We Tell encourage the audience to do?

A

Interrogate the relationship between the filmmaker and the subjects

This leads viewers to recognize the documentary as a mode of representation.

Film Studies (7 decks)

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