How to Film Truth: The Story of Documentary Film as a Spiritual Journey

How to Film Truth

The Story of Documentary Film as a Spiritual Journey

Justin Wells

Foreword by Craig Detweiler

HOW TO FILM TRUTH

The Story of Documentary Film as a Spiritual Journey

Reel Spirituality Monograph Series

Copyright © 2018 Justin Wells. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite

3

, Eugene, OR 97401.

Cascade Books

An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

199

W.

8

th Ave., Suite

3

Eugene, OR

97401

www.wipfandstock.com

paperback isbn: 978-1-5326-4033-9

hardcover isbn: 978-1-5326-4034-6

ebook isbn: 978-1-5326-4035-3

Cataloguing-in-Publication data:

Names: Wells, Justin

Title: How to film truth : the story of documentary film as a spiritual journey / by Justin Wells.

Description: Eugene, OR : Cascade Books, 2018 | Reel Spirituality Monograph Series | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: ISBN

978-1-5326-4033-9

(paperback) | ISBN

978-1-5326-4034-6

(hardcover) | ISBN

978-1-5326-4035-3

(ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Documentary films—Religious aspects. | Documentary films—History and criticism. | Cinéma vérité.

Classification: lcc pn1994 w3 2018 (print) | lcc pn1994 (ebook)

Manufactured in the U.S.A.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Foreword: Why I Love Documentaries

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1: From Actuality to Poetry

Chapter 2: From Poetry to Propaganda

Chapter 3: Light Breaks Through: From Propaganda to Empathy

An Example of the Pastoral Voice in a Contemporary Film

An Example of the Prophetic Voice in a Contemporary Film

Chapter 4: Cinema Verité: the Exploration of Confession and Testimony

Examples of Contemporary Confessional Cinema Verité

Examples of Contemporary Testimonial Cinema Verité

Chapter 5: Point of View: The Final Evolution of Verité

Examples of Contemporary Point of View Prophetic Films

Chapter 6: Beyond the Factual: Ecstatic Truth and Illumination

An Example of a Contemporary Point of View Atmospheric Film

Chapter 7: On Looking for Truth: The Task of Interpretation

Conclusion

Exercises/Assignments

Epilogue and Acknowledgments

Bibliography

Filmography

Reel Spirituality Monograph Series

Series Description

The Reel Spirituality Monograph Series features a collection of theoretically precise yet readable essays on a diverse set of film-related topics, each of which makes a substantive contribution to the academic exploration of Theology and Film. The series consists of two kinds of works: 1) popular-level introductions to key concepts in and practical applications of the Theology and Film discipline, and 2) methodologically rigorous investigations of theologically significant films, filmmakers, film genres, and topics in cinema studies. The first kind of monograph seeks to introduce the world of Theology and Film to a wider audience. The second seeks to expand the academic resources available to scholars and students of Theology and Film. In both cases, these essays explore the various ways in which the cinema (broadly understood to include the variety of audio-visual storytelling forms that continues to evolve along with emerging digital technologies) contributes to the overall shape and trajectory of the contemporary cultural imagination. The larger aim of producing both scholarly and popular-level monographs is to generate a number of resources for enthusiasts, undergraduate and graduate students, and scholars. As such, the Reel Spirituality Monograph Series ultimately exists to encourage the enthusiast to become a more thoughtful student of the cinema and the scholar to become a more passionate viewer.

Previously published in the series:

Davidson, Elijah Lynn, How to Talk to a Movie: Movie-Watching as a Spiritual Exercise

Schwartz, Niles, Off the Map: Freedom, Control, and the Future in Micahel Mann’s Public Enemies

Foreword: Why I Love Documentaries

Craig Detweiler, PhD

Why do I love documentaries and consider them the best way to introduce aspiring filmmakers into the complexities of character, editing, and ethics? Documentaries are such an affordable form of storytelling. Anyone with a camera can make a movie immediately. No budget is required. Aspiring documentarians only need a keen eye for places, people, and things. The craft requires patient and careful observation of life. Curiosity is key. Pay attention to patterns, to trends, to anomalies. Listen carefully—whether to people, palm fronds, or penguins. Young filmmakers who struggle to create fictional drama may find all the sparks they seek in their backyard. The resulting project may be poorly lit and crudely edited but if it features compelling characters, we may still find ourselves surprisingly interested in what transpires.

I’ve never been able to find a book that combines the history of the art form, the ethical conundrums inherent in documentary filmmaking, and the robust biblical connections inherent in such a truth-seeking medium—until now. Justin Wells satisfies my search in this potent little book packed with big ideas. He has clearly engaged in a long, thoughtful process of observation and reflection both as a filmmaker and a theologian. His insights arise from encounters he’s had on set, at film festivals, and within religious settings. He has embraced the possibility of revelatory insights and ecstatic insights arising from disparate sources. Aspiring documentarians will learn from Justin’s appreciative eye for beauty and sharp antennae for spiritual truth. Why do I love documentaries? For young filmmakers with limited life experience, the opportunity to interview people underscores the importance of casting. What makes some subjects more fascinating than others? While editing the footage, we develop an ear for how people really talk, in digressions, in allusions, in anything but the crisp and canned dialogue that often populates narrative films or sitcoms. We also discover how personality quirks become endearing. And how much pain and pathos may lurk just below the surface. People confess rather amazing things to a camera, perhaps because it seems to record without judgment. Over time, we hopefully develop empathy, an ability to enter into others’s shoes. These are essential qualities for excellent filmmakers (and faithful followers of Jesus).

Great documentaries are sculpted over time. They arise from editing and re-editing. In a world of abundant images and ubiquitous cameras, getting footage is far easier than figuring out what matters. Making a doc is a master class in editing. There are so many ways to cut a scene. We must study our footage. Listen to our characters. Try out a rough cut with an audience. Return. Reshoot. Re-edit. Repeat. Go deeper. Justin Wells understands this arduous but rewarding process from the inside out.

I also appreciate how documentary filmmaking raises thorny ethical questions. Students need to earn their subjects’s trust. Having developed a relationship, they are forced to think about how they are portraying (or betraying) those who have been vulnerable on camera. There is not a Hippocratic oath for filmmakers, but documentaries take us from the theoretical to the ethical at the speed of light (or maybe even sound). Justin Wells cites so many fascinating historical examples of how filmmakers fudged the facts in pursuit of the truth. Are dramatic recreations inherently false? Is there a pure and objective form of documentary? If we are honest about our place as filmmakers within the documentary, does that somehow absolve us of guilt when it comes to manipulating our characters or audiences? This thin volume wrestles with essential questions.

While it may have been easier to point to a lightning rod like Michael Moore as an example of everything right (or wrong!) about documentaries, Wells instead highlights more obscure and complex models of the craft. I have always been interested in the poetic documentaries of a fellow Charlottean, Ross McElwee. I appreciate his exploration of love and loss, Sherman’s March, as well his experiments with the form, like Six O’Clock News. And yet, I had not read a thoughtful theological reflection of this deeply humane filmmaker—until now. Years of attendance at film premieres has enabled Justin to get the inside story, to go behind the scenes, to understand how 13th serves as an extension of Ava DuVernay’s advocacy and concerns about incarceration that arose in her narrative filmmaking. His extended study of Werner Herzog demonstrates how a relentless pursuit of truth and openness to divine revelation yields ecstatic delights. While this book fits comfortably within a history of documentary film class, I appreciate how it concludes with practical exercises for those who want to experiment with storytelling. This is an invitation to contemplate, to observe, to study, to create, to receive. It is more about a way of being than a how-to guide. Documentaries rise above the clutter when amazing things happen on screen. The moments could be remarkably small, yet telling. We receive such holy occasions as a gift. It results in a kind of humility—waiting patiently to receive. Documentarians (and their audiences) must be willing to be surprised. Like the finest teachers and storytellers, Justin Wells enlightens, entertains, and ennobles his audience. This quest for truth is well worth the journey.

Preface

I want to dedicate this book to my two grandfathers, Jess Glouser and Harold Wells, both of whom greatly influenced who I am today, and consequently, the approach I’ve chosen to take in this book.

I was fourteen years old when my grandfather Jess brought me out on a snowy Sunday afternoon to set up an old Minolta 35 mm, single lens reflex camera to capture and freeze a moment in time. This was essentially my first act of photo-documentation, and while I did not know it at the time, my entire adult life would come to revolve around some form of image capture and subsequent display, either directly, through working on and making