Thursday, May 13, 2010

Fred Wiseman Interview

Just in case that last entry was not enough writing, I thought I would also share this link to a recent video interview with Fred Wiseman for the UK's Guardian.
His latest film, La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet, is getting a theatrical showing in England. It is the first one he's had! I've never seen any of his films, but it is still an interesting interview. He talks about how he goes in with no thesis or characters and tries to make dramatic structures out of the ordinary experiences that play out around him.
His discussion of his aesthetic for the film was also interesting for me, given my subject matter. He talked about how he does not like dance films that focus on the dancers' faces or parts of their body - something I did a lot of while filming the Tai Chi forms. He feels that it does a disservice to the choreography and the dancers' craft to not show the whole body and movement in wide shots. I can see what he is saying, and I did try to get wide shots to give a sense of the whole form, but I think you lose something by not going in for those sweaty close ups. It grounds the whole thing and, in my opinion, makes what the people are doing more admirable, as it is clearly not as effortless as they make it seem. Two brief write ups on the Guardian's website (here and here) seem to agree, with one reviewer, Phelim O'Neill, saying that the experience is "more like monitoring some very classy CCTV footage than getting captivated by a true-life tale."

1 comment:

  1. thanks for posting this, Isaac. Whether his new film is strong or not, Wiseman is an icon of documentary, and it's good to see what he's working on. I am in agreement with you, though, about telegraphing the emotional state of physical effort through close-ups. Essential.

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