Cinema Verite
Cinema Verite is a style of documentary filmmaking that became popular in the 1960′s. The movement had conventions that had to be adhered to at all times which included using only a handheld camera, no tripods, dollys, lights or external sound equipment were acceptable also the filmmaker was not allowed to ask questions or ask the people you are filming to do anything you are to simply observe your subject. The movement is similar to the fly-on-the-wall documentary which is a popular style that is widely used in todays media. Two well known films from this movement are ‘Don’t Look Back’ a documentary following Bob Dylan during a tour of London in 1965 by D.A Pennebaker and ‘Primary’ which follows the 1960 primary election between John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey for the democrat nomination for the president of the united states. The filmmakers in both films get unrestricted access and this creates a closeness and intimacy that wouldn’t be possible in todays climate. Although the filmmakers don’t ask questions or interact with the people in the film i think that their presence will ultimately have an effect on peoples behavior whether it be positive or negative.
