Harry's comment (in the previous post) about the cinέma vέritέ elements of so much of the footage coming out of Iran is true, even as there is nothing intentionally cinematic about the videos. They of course are tragically real: sheer vέritέ, and to speak about them as belonging to the history of moving images is in no way intended to diminish the terrible human destruction they document.
Three frames from the video in the previous post. For me, the most haunting and unforgettable sequence occurs when a woman picks up a few pieces of concrete and hands then to the men walking bravely toward the sound of gunfire. If we watch until the end, we know there will be blood:
The whole world is watching.
I'm pretty sure the person behind the camera is not an amateur, and probably a skilled filmmaker/documentarian.
Apart from the missing steady-cam, it is aestehtically very well handled. It would deserve a prize in a Short Film competition.
Posted by: HarryTuttle | June 20, 2009 at 08:49 PM
When we speak about verite images through the history (and theories) of moving images we must also remember that cinema verite and direct cinema have been challenged in relation to truth claims. As you say, this is "in no way intended to diminish the terrible human destruction they document," but to remind us to remember that these are always constructed representations of reality.
Posted by: alex | June 24, 2009 at 04:05 PM
Thank you for this important caveat, Alex. However, while all representations of reality are in some way a construction, I believe it is important to use that word--"constructed"--in a careful and qualified sense. For many, the word "constructed" is equal to false. Unarmed people dying in the streets of Iran is not false.
Posted by: Nick | June 24, 2009 at 07:50 PM