FOURCHAPTERDOCUMENTARYANDAVANTGARDEFILM
DOCUMENTARY AND AVANTGARDE FILM
DZIGAVERTOV（18961954)DavidA.Kaufman(Russian)Kinokiteam-Vertov'sexperimentalfilmgroupElizavetaSvilova(editor),DzigaVertov(director)MikhailKaufman(cinematographer)
DZIGA VERTOV (1896 1954) ⚫ David A. Kaufman (Russian) ⚫ Kinoki team - Vertov's experimental film group Elizaveta Svilova (editor), DzigaVertov (director), Mikhail Kaufman (cinematographer)
VERTOV'STHEORIESVertovsaw cinemaas a closerelationshipbetweenthefilmingprocessandhumanthought.Vertovsawhumanperceptionashavinglimitationscomparedtothemoreperfectible“machineeye"ofmotionpicture camera.Vertov'saestheticpositiondemandedanti-narrative,anti-fictionalforms
VERTOV'S THEORIES ⚫ Vertov saw cinema as a close relationship between the filming process and human thought. ⚫ Vertov saw human perception as having limitations compared to the more perfectible “machine eye” of motion picture camera. ⚫ Vertov’s aesthetic position demanded anti-narrative, antifictional forms
MANWITHAMOVIECAMERA（1929)1.Vertov's two credosDZIGA"lifeasitis"VERTOV'S-torecordlifeasitwouldbewithoutthecamerapresent"life caught unawares"Musie by-torecordlifewhensurprised,andtheAlloyOrehestraperhapsprovoked,bythepresenceMAofa camera
MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA (1929) 1. Vertov's two credos ⚫ "life as it is " —— to record life as it would be without the camera present ⚫ "life caught unawares" —— to record life when surprised, and perhaps provoked, by the presence of a camera
2.Technologyas mediumfor the textthe unique qualities of cinema :"atruly international absolute language"rejecting elements takenfrom other arts:"a film withoutascenario"[script];"without aid of theatre"[sets,actors];"a film without intertitles"[written words]depicting the entire process of cinema from cameratoediting to projection in a theater,including audience reactionsstructuringmetaphorexploitingalmost everytechnique uniqueto cinema,particularlyediting(montage)self-referentiality:the film records its own birth and constantlyforegrounds its filmic nature,including the artificiality of itsconstruction
2. Technology as medium for the text ⚫ the unique qualities of cinema : "a truly international absolute language “ ⚫ rejecting elements taken from other arts: "a film without a scenario" [script]; "without aid of theatre" [sets, actors]; "a film without intertitles" [written words] ⚫ depicting the entire process of cinema from camera to editing to projection in a theater, including audience reactions ⚫ structuring metaphor ⚫ exploiting almost every technique unique to cinema, particularly editing (montage) ⚫ self-referentiality: the film records its own birth and constantly foregrounds its filmic nature, including the artificiality of its construction