Theorists

Question 1

Asif Kapadia

Answer 1

• ‘True Fiction’
• went against conventional ‘voice of God’ expository narration and staged interviews
• interviewed hundreds of people who were in Amy’s life both personally and professionally: developed an insight into her troubled life
• purpose was to make the subject feel more real: having a ‘voice of god’ narrator puts the filmmaker as the central figure. Kapadia wanted Amy to be the focus
• Difficulty using archive footage in terms of bulging the narrative - Amy’s songs used as the backbone of the film, with the lyrics to each song mirroring a point in her life. Each song has the narrative built around the meaning of it
• lack of video footage so used a number of still images from both personal collections, promotional material and the paparazzi: provided a personal interaction with Amy as she is looking into the camera directly at the audience
• This intimate gaze is also present in home video footage: allows the audience to view Amy through the lens of some of the closest people in her life and have her gaze back at us with the same level of intimacy
• removes himself from the film and does not put his own subjective stance on the film: spectator is allowed to build their own response without being told what to think or how to feel

Question 2

Kim Longinotto

Answer 2

• British documentary filmmaker
• makes films that highlight the plight of female victims of oppression/discrimination
• went to all-girls boarding school; struggled to make friends after the mistress forbade anyone to talk to her for a term after getting lost at a school trip
• homeless for a period
• studied European and English literature at Essex University
• made a documentary about her boarding school which was shown at the London Film Festival
• observational filmmaker (excludes certain techniques eg advanced planning, scripting, staging, narration, lighting, re-enactment and interviewing)
• Her unobtrusiveness gives the women on camera a certain voice and presence that may not have emerged with another documentary genre
• wants a different mentality in culture
• likes to work with people and make it feel like it’s their film, not just hers
• struggles to film certain scenes as she feels like a ‘monster’ during intense/sad moments

Question 3

Michael Moore

Answer 3

• American filmmaker, author and political activist
• controversial documentaries addressing political and social issues in the US
• started a radical weekly newspaper called ‘The Flint Voice’ in 1976, which he edited for 10 years
• hired to edit the left wing magazine Mother Jones but fired after a few months
• Filmed his first documentary ‘Roger & Me’ in 1989: shows the effects of unemployment in Flint due to the close of two General Motors factories. A hit with critics by mixing humour and poignancy with indignation
• Moved to NYC and established Dog Eat Dog Films: an organisation to finance social action groups and other filmmakers
• major success with ‘Bowling for Columbine’ (2002). Won an Academy Award for best documentary.
• Made ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ in 2004; criticised Bush’s handling of September 11 attacks and the administration’s decision to start the Iraq War. Won the Golden Palm at Cannes
• central to his documentaries
• ‘everyman’ persona disarms and encourages a range of responses
• laidback persona hides a sharp line of questioning which he uses to good effect
• polemical and subjective by the way comedy is employed ie through his own interviews
• concentrates on a certain agenda and expands on a set of arguments around his perspective on these issues
• can be considered a voice of the sorts for the American left wing