Introduction
As mentioned in my tutorial feedback, I've now decided to include elements of postmodernism into my dissertation, ideally so that it helps to contrast against my section on Marxism.
To begin with, I decided to conduct some research into postmodernism in television, rather than specifying documentary.
'Beginning Postmodernism' (1999) by Tim Woods.
To begin with, I decided to conduct some research into postmodernism in television, rather than specifying documentary. Below you can see a list of quotations which I think are useful for my dissertation:
Baudrillard's pessimist view on how postmodernist television programmes has led to an illiterate and 'doomed' culture:
'The Cinema and TV are America's reality!' (page 194)
Pulled from the critic Jean Baudrillard, this quote seemed interesting as Woods describes how this quote is discussing about the late capitalism in America - saying how dependent society was on television construction for a sense of cultural and social identity. This contrasts against my marxist and capitalist argument as it implies how television is growing dominant that the majority of the society use television as a reality guide - despite it often being fictional, thus reinforcing its dependency.'the fact that 'the ecstasy of communication' in the postmodern era has caused 'reality' and 'fiction' to coalesce' (page 195)
This quotation too is interesting as it tackles into how television now is beginning to merge with reality. Such quotation would be efficient for my documentary as this shows how postmodernist documentaries have such a dominant viewing on the audience that everything which is being viewed is the truth. Although this is a key documentary convention, this can be used to reinforce my section on the fictionality and truth of documentaries. Woods then quotes how 'that society has entered an information overload, and that the only powerful mode of resistance left to us lies in a rejection of the commodified images which invade our consciousness. Thus, this concludes how the vast amount of media platforms could be to blame as to why audiences become mediated - Woods feels that this 'information overload' has led to images to become too effective that they almost invade your own privacy.'the televisual media are postmodern in their emblematic status owing to their 'implosion' of meaning. Meaning has 'imploded' because of our intensive exposure to the mass media. (page 195)
Leading on from the previous quotation, this could be used almost as a reason as to why authored producers may make documentaries which intentionally set up hegemonic views. They want to follow this persona/'emblematic status' idea of creating 'collapsed' and controversial meanings so that their production stands out from the others and becoming successful.
Points for postmodernist documentary:
'television as a contradictory medium, a state which allows it to promote the hegemonic ideology while at the same time promoting an oppositional and different cultural value for the marginalised sections of society. (page 200)
This quotation could enable me to begin another debate which instead discusses the benefits of postmodernist documentaries, helping me to balance my argument. Although quite vague, this could be used as an introduction for my new argument.
'In postmodernist culture, it's not TV as a mirror of society, but just the reverse: it's society as a mirror of television' (page 202, taken from The Postmodern Scene: Excremental Culture and Hyper-aesthetics, page 269)
Here Woods begins to explain how the dominance of TV has led to the postmodern audience to use TV to an advantage for creating their own cultural and dependent thoughts, as he quotes that it 'appears to have relinquished any hope that viewers may exercise any autonomous strategic political manoeuvre with regard to television (page 202). Thus, concluding how TV can also contrast mediation, as it has enabled audiences to become more active and independent thinking. This could also be used to engage with audience interpretation - perhaps linking as to why audiences are becoming more active and less mediated.
'Television emerges as an ideologically suspicious surrogate sociality as a result of the total collapse of social unity.' (page 202)
Linking on from the previous quotation, this quote explains how audiences may use TV as an understanding for social and cultural needs. I.e, Woods then begins to explain how we use social soaps such as Emmerdale or Eastenders as a guideline to learning about neighbourhoods. Despite the fact that soaps are fake, they still depict realistic elements which help the audience to build on their expectations of neighbourhoods.
The History Behind Traditional & Pre-Modern Documentaries
It is almost essential to conduct some research on the history of documentaries, so that my dissertation includes a section of what documentaries were traditionally. So below are some books which I've read and quotations which will help me back up my points. But firstly, below is the brief progression of documentaries:- Pre-1900s was the introduction of documentaries, however they are very different compared to
now.
- Originally called 'actuality' films until 1927, these documentaries rarely reached over 1 minute due
to technology limitations.
- The first feature film ever created was originally a documentary, which was called The Corbett-
Fitzsimmons Fight and lasted for over 100 minutes.
- This eventually led to the creation of travelogue films between the 1900s-1920s.
- This then was followed by romanticism documentaries and the birth of newsreel which played a
huge role in this era and still a large role more recently.
- Moving onto the 40s, documentary was then beginning to be used for capitalist and politic reasons;
showing how it is in early stages of taking advantage of the genre itself. A documentary was filmed
and commissioned by Adolf Hitler which was the Nazi Party Congress chronicles.
- Nonetheless, the 50s-70s saw the creation of cinematic documentaries: how films were now
becoming dependent on technical advances such as light, scenery and portability.This era was called
cinema verite and translated into direct cinema and often focused on documentaries which rely on
scenery, for example, nature documentaries. Here directors were beginning to turn around
documentaries by introducing their own stylistics of filming.
- Similar to the 40s, the 60s and 70s saw documentary being used as a political weapon against
capitalism in particular.
To conclude on traditional and pre-modern documentaries, it is conventional that documentaries relied purely on the truth, and always conveyed the truth but eventually allowing the producer to choose their point of view. Judging from 40s and 60-70s, it is clear how pre-modern documentaries have links with postmodern documentaries as they were beginning to be used as a political weapon - almost used as a message however still remained fictional as a documentary.
First Recongition of Documentaries
The first offical documentary was Robert Flaherty's films, the first called Nanook of the North which was created in 1922
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/docexhibit/docuchron.htm
http://www.jou.ufl.edu/faculty/croberts/john_grierson.htm
http://www.filmsite.org/docfilms.html
Modern Documentary History
Modern documentaries started to begin in the 1970s up until the late 90s. Below are some points which help to summarise modern documentaries:
- Box office noticed a clear increase in theatrical documentaries such as Supersize Me, Earth, and
Religious. This was mainly due to the entertainment and surveillance gratifications these
documentaries provided for the audience, plus the fact that documentaries have a much lower
budget compared to dramatic films.
- The stylistic of modern documentaries grew from the cinema verite style in the 60s, as more and
more documentaries were taking advantage of the more accessible and portable camera and sound
equipment. This enabled producers to have a better and easier relationship with the subject.
- Nonetheless, the growth of documentaries led to producers to become very personal as they feel the
need to be original and unique. This also led to documentaries regarding history such as 500 Years
Later and other factual doc's which furthermore led to a criticism as to whether these can be classed
as documentaries if they aren't technically filming the truth.
- The production of DVDs and budgets for films continued to increase however the funding for
documentary production remains limitable.
- Documentaries begin to overlap with television 'reality programs' which is what my dissertation
mainly consists of.
- Documentaries are even being criticised for being used for advertisement purposes, showing how it
has steered away from traditional documentaries.
- The advancement of lightweight and durable video cameras + computer editing enable an extra step
in accessibility in documentaries.
- Nonetheless, a remaining convention which still remains apparent would be the use of a voice-over
narration. Host narration is considerably modern, however was apparent in classic documentaries.
New Documentary: Stella Bruzzi
"whilst documentary theatre 'refrains from all invention; it takes authentic material and puts it on the stage, unaltered in content, edited in form" (The Materials and The Models, 1971)
"it also presents facts" and "takes sides"
- Taken from the German dramatist Peter Weiss, this explores in brief what the original aims of a
documentary are, enabling me to introduce a starting point for when I'm discussing the history of
documentaries.
"documentary is born of a negotiation between two potentially conflicting factors: the real and it's representation"
- This too helps to define traditional documentaries and will enable me to lead into my discussion }
about postmodernist documentaries.
History of Documentaries
A New History of Documentary Film
"It was to Flaherty's second film, Moana (1926), where Grierson first applied the term documentary". (page 59)
This research has helped me massively on understanding postmodernism, especially on how it contrasts against marxism. However, I still have to read a couple of books, which are:- Postmodernism, or, the cultural logic of late capitalism
- Nicholas Abercrombie: Television & Society (read for 6 features of economy of postmodernist
television)
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