Last class, we only watched 2 films, but they were both rather lengthy. The first one was the first documentary film ever made, Nanook of the North. And let me just tell you. Nanook is the most badass man who has ever lived. Seriously, my jaw was dropped almost the entire film. It's hard to believe people not only live like that, but thrive! Watching Nanook kick ass in the harshest environment made me well aware that I would never survive if I got lost in the arctic. That and he was 10 times more successful at this whole living thing than I'll ever be. Seriously, I don't think I've ever seen anybody build a house on the spot like that. To have to do that every night is beyond my comprehension. That and ya know....the whole breaking a fish's neck with his teeth, and spearing a seal in the face through a hole the size of a quarter thing. That was pretty impressive too.
I guess I'll move on to the filming aspect of it. I can't imagine having to shoot something like that. I mean, I guess the documentary makers were able to set up camp on the side or something, but the thought of having to go through that harsh weather for an entire year to make this film would be enough to make me head back to brainstorming. And not only that, to do the whole thing on film! Every shot looked perfect. Every exposure spot on. I don't know how he did it, but more power to him! The entire project was impressive, and I applaud every aspect of it.
The second film we watched was The Man with a Movie Camera by Dziga Vertov. This film was a documentary of making a film in a sense! The entire thing was inter-spliced shots of a man setting up a video camera and the things going on in the city around him. This went on for an impressive 70 minutes or so! Now if I went out into the city, I don't know if I would be able to get over 10 minutes of footage to compile before I got bored! In an impressive, (and most likely painful) display of editing, Vertov created an incredible montage of countless sights. Not only was the editing of the entire thing painstakingly organized, every shot was so carefully planned out, that nothing seemed out of place. It was a very impressive display of both editing and mise en scene.
