Capturing Reality (2008)

From cinema-verite; pioneers Albert Maysles and Joan Churchill to maverick movie makers like Errol Morris, Werner Herzog and Nick Broomfield, the world's best documentarians reflect upon ... See full summary »

Director:

Pepita Ferrari

Stars:

Jennifer Baichwal, Manfred Becker, Michel Brault

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jennifer Baichwal	...	Herself
Manfred Becker	...	Himself
Michel Brault	...	Himself
Nick Broomfield	...	Himself
Joan Churchill	...	Herself
Eduardo Coutinho	...	Himself
Paul Cowan	...	Himself
Jean-Xavier de Lestrade	...	Himself
Molly Dineen	...	Herself
Jennifer Fox	...	Herself
Denis Gheerbrant	...	Himself
Serge Giguère	...	Himself (as Serge Giguere)
Patricio Guzmán	...	Himself
Werner Herzog	...	Himself
Scott Hicks	...	Himself

Storyline

From cinema-verite; pioneers Albert Maysles and Joan Churchill to maverick movie makers like Errol Morris, Werner Herzog and Nick Broomfield, the world's best documentarians reflect upon the unique power of their genre. Capturing Reality explores the complex creative process that goes into making non-fiction films. Deftly charting the documentarian's journey, it poses the question: can film capture reality?

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Plot Keywords:

film studies

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Taglines:

The Art of Documentary

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 October 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Capturing Reality: The Art of Documentary

Company Credits

Production Co:

National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

A must for documentary lovers.

This film was quite the undertaking--getting all these documentary makers together for all the interviews. And, on top of this, some were very, very important names in the industry. I am impressed by this and strongly recommend the film to anyone who likes documentaries and wants to find out what these filmmakers think of their craft.

Mostly, the film consists of these interviews as well as a few clips of their movies. Many times, certain topics were answered by the filmmakers--and sometimes they disagreed. For example, one said that the only way to make a documentary is to film everything EXACTLY as it is in life--while Errol Morris (one of the top names in the genre) admits to actually creating the set used by the boss of the cemetery--digging the trophies out of the attic and arranging them to give the office a certain look. Another strongly objected to Michael Moore's style of films and calls them '...crimes towards the art form of documentary'. Even seemingly mundane topics as sound and music as well as the importance or unimportance of narration are discussed. It's like having a microscope that can peer into the minds of these directors--and it's interesting to documentary film lovers--though I could imagine it would be VERY tough going for the average person.