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Vaughan Ambiguity

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Vaughan Ambiguity

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Cine Latina
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For Documentary Tele Eseys Dai Vaughan UMIVERSITY oF CALIFORNIA PRESS Baicy— nctegin Lone I should like expres my gratitude to Darsid MacDougall and Lucien Tar cabo cbiveed me into anembling this clleton ‘and submiting it for publicaion The Aesthetics of Ambiguity fear tinh xy Sain sl gricton othe ahi atom slid Simin de Bo To Ebi Arg Recent Tet film abou two women snd thei siborban Lane dn nage Af the completion ofthe eng, xm o know ‘hese people pesoally and wie them inter ome. When he ln was eventual rans on television, Hound mel perocving i in an unnevinly bifocal manner, To the extent ‘har fed nthe images my sulnequent knowledge ofthe char sccrs and Jeon, the fl bake down int incoherence. Ta the erent tid core, projected world cha roped any connection with he pople and place Fn ke the, Sich an experince ithe subjective corelative ofthe da mare ie, which exists both record anda angage and his a= iy sure of par, as generated much contin in the "Kats surrounding “observational cinema” The problems we face ae note a principe but the erm ‘nich hey must he resolved have change adel wihin the wt ifeen years Beneath he many tyes in wich documentary fe hsorialy waned elf may he dicersd » enon pose: t enable the character of a rsord to aris, ‘ir a pol, its mtamorphoxs nto lnguage. Bu the ‘kyelopmentofghereght eames and wpe recorder, mobile snd elie inconspicuous, as bronhe documentary tac siwich is bgt oe of confrntaion with is own being. it rf having lang watcha itself approaching were now amas ner enh ofeach ot and shake ely the han. Almost, “The criss has been mos acutely registered in tht realm of subject mater which may be termed the domestic. Ar clea ltd kof qveson- begging Taal oer leather han an ainograpic defikion ofthe domestic realm a8 eompesing tho fs of human aetrty which rea) mos dial shoot ‘ithoutnerfeenc, since hey arena publi, and (es cope wo reenactment, since they ae notin any simple way rept. The pup of this somewhat negative phrasing Yonoe quite dandesine denote an are iersona inmate tho Jehavior in epic conirt with those repenable or publi vents which have formed documentary’ eaiional sources — events on which the parapberala of flaking hasbeen sumed not wo eerie any signe inflaece. Repetitive ac- tions—sch the operating of a athe—ean be performed in 96 1 Toe Anthea of dmbigny ‘ont ofthe mos cumbersome of camer once the bjt has overcome slf-cnsciouses. With pic evens—soch apo lia pecker —it edie. We cannot ty thi the presence ofthe camera necessarily har no fc, for teresa whole ee ory—once known fshionbly but miadingly a mn-vens -vhere the tenon of the media is eld responsible for their ‘very exitenc, An cay example might be the 1934 Nax ary ‘convention, which, we are tl was organised largely with view ‘supplying Leni icfensthl with god shots. But iti ical, inch ess, to charge the camers with “ditorson” Rater, i fin the mare of public evens ochng ther are axordng ‘o expectations of ub reponse. Te vasa consequence of the character of thse eaiional source aterals—materia which consined ley, ing rehearable and/or audence-dnected sonething ofthe ual lgyofeuch evens ar eet only forthe parpse fing lad and of being wholly simiied into the iri ofa diene that, ocareneary seme in i asc period oe conerned onl ‘vith general outs of the human situation a oppo to thei vidual papchlogy” of sted son dubious dinction bing ‘chs impli between people a adidas ands sei ere ‘ares isnot suprising then, thatthe prime enticement eed lyrthe new quent should have been the poss of pen ing op domestic behaviour to he record without tansling icimo something oe han sel, the serpted behaviour, of st len improvised performance, ito which casi cue tury had sometimes gingers ventured in an aempet anes 4 mit thatthe problems entailed should have been see a ‘hscering aroun the dss of “indlnce” or “diortion” within the pro-flic and tha those immediatly exercise by ach, he Antes of Ambiguity 1 57 problems should have ben the eldworkers— decors camera peat and abow all anhropolgis alteady commited tx notion of earl obesity” ‘While mos practioner would elim to be aware that ‘notan open channel oral they have aoaetbuess tended to ste thefts os centring on their cn ates nd he fear haus ay sonichow mar the neutrality ofthe aera Many ofthe prescriptions of dn-antropolgists bave reed upon an asunpin, impli or epi that he neve se- leet of shoocng maybe countered —or perhaps merely toned fry a refs of selec che eng Ua the ‘minimum of strcrring will foe the maximum of rat, Bot theantthess ofthe cts noc the rth een the ob- ject quite simpy the random. We my, indeed, ind it Fle puzing hat anhropogy shou have ake o ready to ‘eeritinal modes of imaking all when itmight, 45 ne, have been expected pefr the eronlpameras whose tight enganiiton of protofctional ort any xe protodemon serve) meri promis to st the general principle above the vate of the parle instance (Flabert'smethod forex Ample with is ey eof construction, may be dt ave been fed on the ides that che beter we fairs oases with the Ieye of or sabes, che more of te elements of ‘hone spe wil be gathered nto the realm of te repeal —repetable by vets of ut-the-flmmaker andersanding of ‘wha constitutes hr seni) Al eves a est i haran ais te eet ered by somebody Wha ay sem to be a stake, fom the makers! Fiewpoit, sto preven thle own perxption from inervening hetween the viewer and the promi. Bue the Sauna in tenon mot within the wewsr han nd hi bdwion tit wil, convert, do nothing to prevet the camera from (romping the word ins wha wl Function fr the viewer imagery. esto the nature of hisimagery chat we mist ook for “The photoraghis physi impia of he wold Like te pho Testy which ha aothing 0 do tograph, fm sakes «dim with ean” in any Hire sense; and i is this cai which Cocumenary ase 0 fll Ft has proven nonrousy i= fee ots constant siting teak define domentry by se the term documentary” propel solic prctos itis eo Ahcrbes nora syl ora method ce a genre of fimmaking baa red te of esgonse to iin material a mode of response f pon the alaoledgment that every photograph 4 porta Seed by its ster. Sate a is sinplxs the documentary re one inone in which the image peeved as sigfying what Fr appears wo reson a docuentary Sn is one which sc, ty whatever means, oe this response; and the docsen the sragis which have Been tary monemen isthe hiswry Mee 0 hited. ‘cucu fic about the defini of documentary a4 mode cof eaponge shat it places te aban of documentary i fcance squarely within the province ofthe viewer. Any fo fs an ales wth diicuy—be perceive a2 documentary tits owa waking Ofconse ts perfeedy possible fora fim 0 “he a documentary in that it wil achieve grees coherence on ‘his shan on any other interpretation and itis cents more than onl forthe makers to haveintended iin this ese Bat The Ae of mbiguy the Gce remain hat documenery i what weasviewers cin cv as efeving to the posi, being spose har we fan chs constr is meaning. However, eae to teat ‘dcamentary a 0 defined by dhe viewer's pereption, we must fice up to certain dficulies which this rises concerning the ienicaton othe mags. The photograph-—once we ae sre cs iia photograph — elle, This led photo annie, Bat ican be wrongly inf photograph of amenne es raphof King George V Tie ace dha documentary i es deined a 2 may of pr ening images we cannot ere she mplition that iis ind 9 ‘he fy ofits Docometary wl be consequent upon what Fe appea co show, rather than spon what ie necessarily does hows andthe rlinshp berwesn the cwo i a mater for the to the viewer, Ye the assump flake ethics, inaccessible tion which the viewer males abou hie elaonsip om the bi ‘sof ignals intended or ninende, wl inform is perception ofthe flim. To make a documentary therefore persuade the Wiewer ha wht apesrto e i ils sno oie in his demand fra repose sed upon seth sumption which i cannot substan Jz, for “mpe, may be eonsidred documentary msiein tacit iso te promis improvised and therefore to represent the a= tual momen of mal cretion. Likewise funesomal archi tar, nt eiremens thas appearance should expres se and ‘arcrrei asmed ott che. What peas tobe la Searing pilr mst not be spy the one facing of vestaion duc. Is posible for documentary tbe abled 2 sachin tal eine muse with some caption oiling oe polity stich, while overt ast sequen se constr the images in (61 The dete dmbigity ts ocumenary sense, cares so te mpc cha they ay sample: be ken on st, ete asi, Faherty may afer sam foe the my of Phere, to which he never gute ved up as taken a an esting of tratwortines” under whose ee denis be fl able wo engage ina degree of maripulition othe he today would consider a wansres pro-fimie which ost pe Son of aneopoogicel ethics) Mos flmaers, aware of the Spi cicalariy of this—"Beive me when Is thas Tel ing yo the ath” —prefr so ely yp nin signals asin ‘tins of how tefl sto be understood. The lal sl Tomed, The tics become haried in che ste ‘Docunenarss racing their genealogy proudly fom Li nite tke w believe that documestary isthe “ar” form of ‘nena But econ iy i pining pd teranare, ress nose ‘ial elaimsypon the provenance fits nguisticelemens. kms Jy be ear thors dacentay which s the paradox, ven secant form, Tru the fs Sins were of “acta” a tare; hut dhe tein was not oof ts ale, one-hoe in fancy when somenne sw the pomsty thai might be em ‘lye o spy something er than that which ic ecrded this ep being taken by Mi, a prestige. From now one war nnftion fms which were tbe dstngused by 2 speci mute stale. “The prem ftent inthe Hs of actly become cam pounded at precisely che point where this name becomes ia fue and mst be spliced bythe more erase one, “door Ineaary" the point a which the peimordial image becomes eric as language (i isntseing, hoop Fale, wo spew bre on ow diferent est of fix night have developed Toe eer f Amba J 6. tad Métis’ revel step—te orginal sn of einem —not been taken) The dices re ofl Fi this the point st bich i becomes posible free atclations to be wed — td paps nevi fo them tobe perceived —s implica tleaons ofthe naar ar sta f the component image. Sec ony theres clery no sense in which the one-to-ne relation fora seucrred of shot prior event ay be aid wold Sequence, let alone fra eie fim. The atv ofan elton sin this espace nore ain c that fx psiater than wo that of hoeographer whose parts may be held to ema a centn “ect” eren when it des noe proce 3 gool—or even 2 recogisable—lienes, ka what en, hen, meaning to Iam any pile al for sch racers? These wo difictics—the stats ipoted by stractres their cements and he sts cimed forthe strctres them ‘eles —inay bese a the vet" and “horizontal aspects of the problem. They arenotentiey spare asone cape wll sufice to demonstrate, Conse group of aynchronca shots “ken fom varios distances, with or withoot simulaneous c- rm ata richer match, An essential tr in thi Teor lee ofthe “atop” ofthe ocson wl eee dy be tween sound and vison a he bl makes contac with the bat “Thilo will ary in proportion wo our dines rom che bats man If then, we wish oc from miso tong shor imme ely fer the basmas stroe, n onder to show whee ee all teh the ound onthe forme dot willbe lost istantaneous wh the image, whist he sud on theater wil be notcay ‘euanle Ths the sound onthe former may occur before the whi that on heater nay oer afer i in which ease me 1 Toe det of Ambiguity should bear the impact twice. Convesely if we eut fom long Shor to midst to follow the subsequent moneme of dhe bu ‘an, we ght not hee tal, What an ioe wil in at ois iron on these antl bylyngall he sounds in ap ren smuaneous ynch withthe pcrrs In doing 0, how ver he isallowing 2 syttaci relaron between bo elements — 2 reason wow im to documentary pesilege might propel be dscosed i the cone of sternite "horizontal satis to determine shin the ctl elton ofthe ig ro the pro-imi. le ec hay beaded that she problem becomes nore vexed when we are ding noe wih tae varitons in cam a pnion but with ariaton inthe eting of om lens from With this proviso in mind, however, let as examine fst che*vertica” quien. To ice ditedy when our washing cof ln, do we “now” tha fe «documentary that fonnttvent image are te ed ina documentary ense—and hom? Whats the ne of thos buried syste signals to which we are responding? Th anon ths qossion wl vary from fi oil ada, perhaps, rom person to perso, but what is probeble is that the sale in ct no more ean ceding instruction psfred to erinsic abel for eet very inepi: inns. wll ake on, trough ourtheviewsr? acquiscence in ther, the mieading and contentious character of guarantees of the ls vera. The reasons for this ein the nature of he ocumentry hom Juss jae an fanctonal architect ae Mente by cs ‘ain characteris consequent pon their ode of manulactre so met of wha one might designate ce sie indices of doc Toe Aaa sf Amity 83 entry have ava en the prac of practi constrains the physi dices of fliing the datas ofa theme not ‘nll lord tothe pregenrechooogs simply ee sual inadequacy ofthe bet. These Sn thir bjetve expression ine a predominance of laction shooting, + graisines de to the absence of sudo igs» customary linking of dives i age thug verbal nario; 4 wondennest in rehearsed per Formances dv to he we of comico, and «consent fn deny for rhea materal to be broken pinto shor anes 2 wobbles in ontanous materi doe wo han-holing ofthe ‘amen and a tolration in sich material foremporary apes of focus o framing and for mperic cant inthe cating of sappvedly aching acon, and endeney to deine cmp meray of shoes ina crosseat convertion, Fr example) 2 onding othe ramings obtained by panning the camers om 8 fixed pion In ftom fil, by contrast che stl characteristic are not huey determine bythe exigencies of production. Thus, fot feample, 2 cnmact onmerson wil ypicaly he constructed {fom an serbson of oer the-shulder sho nvling 3 rh cation ofthe exert, a often sno in merece. Generally speaking, lsc Sion syle wlflly aoe te eowstrstion of its space from what might be though rile poons for one Costa observe, Iie aif the very ahizarine ofthe conven ‘ons were inl an index ofthe Biv disostion ofthe ele ments —a signal hat wha aruly happened daring ling had no priority over theft of Sing, and ned nt concen ‘arith ims of documentary are not arieary, eater ‘wily does ot mesn tht hey resort. Theres scarey 64 1 Th ri of Ambigay oncof hein he only obvious exepion being the unactry per facmance) which has noc at some me ben appropriated yeh fen, in which conta x Becomes a arbirary signe ein, Ided cis fal to ik ofa ste of elm in fetion which does mt ll spon soe quality trast pon Don fection by circumstance. esos verbal ratio wese 10 find it acceary wo sport the mpgs, erasures and shy rammarofa hastily ted dipeth, Bue alfa, oem, fen two-way, Dcutentary ba sally sought ins more Fe rma sequences <0 approximate tothe abiary conven tion eton since hese cose, after al cur resved and ‘Gove ia language forse artclaton of ime and space. The ranges wantin homerer, are documentary’ borrowings from acl. We havea en the shot where reporter noc on ‘doo and is aie camera ak, ke in ptr, and and Fall ight slewing drunk to ahouse whose oecupants show the Sights surprise a chisnvasion. At this point che doo Toca this barn mare senses than one. No dou this thet hing happens ein cadens flaking than in tel ‘om but only inthe mest Utopian of fantasies can we nelet taney the possibilty of ed) Whac tis amounts to a terpe to inves documentary reas with Iiteray sais = pimpoion of ios which, ees aside, can lex ony (04 urring of perepion, "What we hve seni reeet yet pan narrowing ofthe op beenccn the lngwnges of documentary and ion, On the Ahcumenary sie, hi ‘hove tcl developments wich Rave bee hailed 8 opening rergence Ins rele rom peeisly Top the domestic el sri, and fom the sls developed The Aatheis of Ambiguity 165 Iy technicians in sips to ce challenge Thos sae ight sight lee rumning camer and recorder, plus il emu “Noss whose sense obinesthe neo forexrslighsgin mest, sistema, have led to the production of ls whose Aen of Cemnerawork and naturalness of "performances" rl the most Dulahed of suo achievements nd eh high shooting ais ow fequentiy salable for sch Slmaking have opens pan tanprecedentil ange of ye choice forthe etr ‘What “observational technology in ft ofers ws, when we turn on stenion from ts ere dt-gebering aspects 2 film rama almost fre of sch techni nations shaven the pst chaacterised documentary, nd have indeed virally de fined iin contadstnetion o Bion. If documentary ia fort ‘cea y paradox whatare we tothinkof=flGimenc whereby ices il of wha have hero bee, for the vewe, its de Frkve and dling ararex? There hee, feral een Ter eats of the covery that 2st label guarantees thing: witness hat Ymmedaey” which fa cane word in the forma yu feleisn, cared adept hatte qa fay of being ines, rater than simply of looking sox taneous might magical be conveyed acros te airwaves. This Concept id not survive the introduction af deorape recoding. Door docanentary fice a sii dsolaion? ‘Some people woul arg tha any isintion between doc rnenary and tion dines rapidly owar roo ln ‘eases incompleiy and tha such peoblems of language ad teling shave been sesmingly posed or exacerbned by recent tec advanees are po more thin he reaeming ofthis a= ‘dering contradiction. Mthey aright then documentary i 6 | Toe Aes of mbigiy ee le clings ere tha we si frm the “vertical ‘he-horenn” dimension rom he question ofthe abel oF Hements to tat ofthe lao of oad ext nd by impli ‘om of th lemons considered as subrsions ofthat text) © Thepro-fimie. For eormkedocuenaris ist engage with pre al ths puradnu to seckstrocearesin which he apes of second yeti or perhaps resume? ts siicance “The defo of dcumestary i terms he viewer’ peep tion ie, a macerial perio sighing wha it appears 0 trend aid sme of the wilder consequences of tempted . hehe ‘enon: in terms of prodactive method which wit “es oon heats of he pro-Bini,inevtably end wp in de Feral wether hs or hat ety asses be. Te simi that we may understand why te appropriation oF the domenie rai the congue of an ars hither ace ‘Sc ftian— shoul ort bot fle and 2 ia or documentary. The ers unbomabl rom either of theearene vein grounded te once fia thes purely angnge or porey recor sone not piano Sache of how tree bhai vith he iim of rion of bow 10 stracare materi tht wheres thu become ak experience language may in some sense Sep Tat with ts chrater as prolif: fr, wis te atest teeore hinge re wha ey see wil preset it the dren een ar anche probln he iplcaton wile pre roto the sewer only insofar a ehey manifest themsees in reo sesh nthe sense tha the criss she Toe debt of Ambiguity 16 ‘wanton from the filmmaker terms of reference to the ew bits criss oft, fries at this itech he eo ashes been sugges, the repestivenes and pablienture ofthe element of sil docamenary may be sito markshe utc tei oa slfsymboan itis ear tha the ality ea trved upon sch elements mos tae on the characte ich of 1 generation fom a mulrade of pass, superimposed andscarcly dtingishable, or ofa ymbolicetgy toward which ‘he pro-fliie was already in incipient projet Even when vidual bebaion wasessiyed these guidelines were vol re spected. Tested speech ofthe ground cew ning the fe return ofF for Fede wa clear signal (an “iinsc abe") that these were tobe conrad nota carctr (acted) bt people (acting tha chi recond oft atons, though src ‘ured acording othe faa canons of els, wa o be een as areuating a dentro in the Brechin sense— gee tls satemene about their own lives Now deprived of he up poreof those coaentons which no doubtat the te seemed the "ost grievous of imitans condemned to a reacherous id iy bythe spantaneiticn of obnerved behaviot, documentary vst ak ise whit may be the srctirer which wl ares the setting ofthis iii ee ever-acomodating mms of, secre ‘Seen in ths “horizontal” perspective, homers, he prospect isnot encouraging. A mere jutaposton of wo shots wll dem ‘onstrate the proliferation of the difclie Tnan American Sen se commie heating Ssie pblc ofc fces aecustions ‘of missondct Ashe liens tthe development of hole ine 68) Toe Aes of Amtigity of questioning, we cut to his hands playing nervously with a pe pe ip, the vie of his inereogsr continuing ofereen. This imple opens up aang of osties 1. The sound conti ensine, and the second shots loo genuiely synchronous, ¢ was take with a other ier “The sound coninity gens, but he second shot i yey" tae rah sina context elsewhere ithe ruses. Both shot are synshronoas, but ean with one ames snd thre a encealed ct (pethape not eva matching ‘the pit ein the sound "The secon! shot isa eaaway designed vo conceal te face that he wound i conto ‘The cotawa ston fom dinar content laewhere in rhe. "The tay was reenact fr the event bythe care ter inh fi 17. The etavay was sep wth an ator Andsoforth These maybe seo repesencearying levels fet ial proity—souming tht eit some elim hasbeen teplicdy radeon aerate represent a range of ste ‘mont whose verbal euivalene would be somewhat 2 flows 4 ‘Thisman s made nervous tis question. 1 "Titman is made nervous by this type of question, This pe of man sade nervous hy chi ype of question ae hemp signals wherehy we-a-iewers eat the max The ei Ambgiy 69 terial wl, even if we consent tr them, be 00 corset en shew wo dieriminate beeen such alernatives. Not only wll wel urate the tth of he ln sttenent we wl be mabe even to determine wth any pression what sr of sat iment ts Hwee carefully te Snakes may have matched the tre of he ett the nacre of te statement hey wished to beseen as making, however seropeloadly they say under he tne frit hve selected tei opus on fom the pee reaches ofthe abo ats ter the snertes aoe dhe eices nnd insincerity wl be tay eben he prt. rom the Standpoint of the viewer, the prctics of “observational tm cannot be lptmised by the ethics of eldwork, Yi nly fom the sandpoineof the viewer tht documentary ean Be understood, How the, ae we-av-iewers to ake sucha sequence? Ire perceive ita tanspareney (electing, hat from the UppeE rts of the shone His), we standin danger of being cheat: if we perce ia a argument, selecting from the lower ars) then the aspect of lin roc, with es implinton of tniqeness and contageney,dnindles ino isignicance and the paticlr becomes only he excmpa ofthe abrrcion a tales Theater option ares slid ber of han we were inthe days of csi, 35mm docu. This peblem ean enly be compounded bythe use of lin asa mode ofiguston (nd Kam not convinced thatrecet into he fen of fim as mere research woo ay more than an evasion of {nin anthropology, whose whole bit vo egad the eo-fic inthe for of risa, ship, mythic representation, every {Sy behaviours elf suctre for the analaion f socal meanings fan event site element ings suctre, 01 The Acai Amigiy wha he sana of ln which ingies it ino an element of snalogsther deren dicoure and, worse sil rie to make ‘his couse aecesble o those who do not speak the original ‘Consider another example of what oars in the editing po cesta example ten, for simplicity’ aks, fom our cal tare. The vet i an argument beoween two people ina sal ssfor an hour ans al ost wich he fice The argument camer sraning for approximately fy minus, paning be tree the two pple and ocasonlly hing poston to vou? he other, ‘The atts ofthe characters emerge only righ wth grad slew, with much repeion of key pois he emotional temperature. The relernce of ‘hissequence tothe thee ofthe fl does ot asi allowing i ‘more than about mines fen tne: bu thi, some ‘hgh it may be, dots no mare eh tess the inherent sl tity of cating, The problems confronted bythe etor there fore present themscns inthe fran of uch questions a Does this sequence, whilst avoiding und repesion, eprodace the ‘pil naar ofthe interaction? Doss ie do justice to bah pos ‘ons wht ao conveying the sbdeties ofthe pychologil ‘uci in wean both sider? Does it respet she iacgrity of exch participant, nthe sense of not allowing a change of emosonal Stet appear unmotivated a tha anger, fr example, might come across 2 mere plane), or of presenting someone line ‘of argument in form less rainal—or even mare ean than thar wich took nthe eu debate? And Beneath these, ng to be fair othe people a individ oo ie strategies, then course, e more fandamentl quetons Are me station of whose eon they are the smporary embodies? The dete of Ambiguity 17 Are we seeking to demonsrte the arguments td o ify the acral intlloctal positions which these purdy express toe pay mask Is the redo ofthe event’ epeisiowaes— api ie may poses aly forthe observer un to ether viewpoint someting which sald be retained or sve? Sach thing ect be asked njsiaa ier spirit ‘of impartliy, ein a aetempe vo gd the H's parive reanings—even, where appropriate, ts poemie—in a core ppechenson ofthe world Throyghour the proces th eons ‘ngage ina caions mental exec toate, fom theres nd fom the ei nyof thee resent, orm an inte presion of the event sft were Srthand experience (rated ‘thrall such eerie tel pl and selective and he, inserting vpn the prenanpeve happening “behind” the mae a to we that matric yt The dfs with al this ies no in he fc eat isa at ter of person uen (a of cose ci or tat people ae having serps writen for them out oftheir wn word and pr formance drawn fom the repository of town ngurded stares (Gort anmot be otherwise), nar eves tat, nthe pr ces of competion, crtin "ther" may have to be serfced tothe coberenceof other the given Booming the dat but in 9 fh wth the something less obvious. a our ansity 1 event a6 we have underiond if inoue careful ates wo che muta rpc ofthe ewo characters and the Bhavour appro it o thei relive stot ino aesmcn ofthe degre of tye-t-eye contact which may be permitted scros given ct the arity with which ne ary say press home a advantage tor the pase tobe allowed efre the other clin down oe gives ‘ny ur, how much intraption i permis, bow much ye 1 The dec of Aigiy son sequitur il tolerated —in al thes pms we ater sorting to a mkt of sail behavioural codes and we ae resoreng then otin he sens of egiring a encode thes pro-fic mater tobe demonsed, bu inthe sense of er Inthe for se fic cderin be iain fhe sequence. Te dangers of sah ore the poral of nf ascitic, whose codes of ba ngge ene, and pron callie ouside the competence feito and viewer, ned scarcely ‘oe emphasised Ihave myself quired exper elp in hee sation between two Teareg, where the constant Inerosopieajasonens to the Bight ofthe wel eaey’ a reat trig of sci signcance, Bris aot simply «question of wet irigh” What wa in appening here ws that we srerellowing the known conventions of logue carting feed Tleiteance ack, as iter into the gstare whic ad eve he etompetely cs so that these gestures might be under bythe unutoned viewer. And he deper dangers reise in theelson of sach known convenons—concecnng aching of tselnes conto of logue ove eas, ands forh—vith the apicity of il to sallow he wold nt own sya ince these convention ve ben developed specifiy fr the acic- lation of th world reais Betion, nny be tke rom ale about a Amore extreme examp videoraing sevice, Herein sequence where aman watches Sideorape of potenti grend ound mys able wo impae 4 emotional coherence and momentum eo the ation by em onventions fey contact nis lying iniivelyadesto ridance;but in hiscase the itericon thas marae rom the Aloamentary elements bor purely ilasorytlevane to those ‘ements, sae the glances ofthe nian were dicted not atthe Tee deta of Ambigty 1 33 el heel ttle seen, whilst those ofthe gil had been directed not atthe man, nor even ahr unin ntervewer, but a video exmera. What was happening inthis sequence hen, was the delete narra preiring of clash ich wa fon ino tha treacherous teria between dacimentary and Seton which i was our consis intention in this ln o explore, But, while ‘one might sare wo use such metbods in lm lamin cy ‘bseraional tai, we mt fic the ft tha the alerting ‘wing these soc cost inply a elaonsip might have be toallow the, by defi to deny one To pt ic cradely: we hve learned tha, when 2 mio of someone lowering cp is flowed by close-op of cp being ced on sauce, hii ob contre a siafng not tro eparte aetons bat one continous ane. Sich convention — some went jean younge than che cinenatograph ite —fane ‘ont face the pro-lmi (ahe there actualy were wo = jection of hermctic ely, loved degetic ork! defined only bythe narrative which eal int bing tin os) in the p Ibi ian, hough masquerading a everybodss worl nl be only from the endpoint of ts arto. Further, iis argable that recourse osach convestions serves not only o define» quasar ram butt nk the documentary rents akogeter for i dic 0 see ‘what ober than their uma presence, may be sid wale theviewer tothe fect that a aiode—that we are to see not Christopher Lee mounting sme later steps low-key it std bo Count Dracula rearing twists nee dacamentary response, flor to com str an clement signifying whic appear record Ids 0 19 1 The Aettifdtigiy 1 breakdown of meaning, 0 in the Biv reponse, perception tan element s recording other han what appears sige) is consigned to erelvance nother word iis not meray inc ental to bt definitive of tion this mature as reord should te negied and one of the functions of recived Sn yaa is preiely ens sch nepaon. Tour cse,homeve, the fton snot tae tion aco eed hy the viewer sich bt the nsination ofa demons tire postion a prewo-naraiveomniscence achieved by the ‘son of Sica pro-Sicanguages-—into the viewer son= ‘treton ofthe ln’ nang placement of docunenary's once rank demonstrciveness bys demoasuativenes covert and Shy: an ae o pas off tara a a rely of sone transcendent ke, The viewer wil refer ee fl back othe tent imed: br sch retura wil conta othe Bshing out tof anderstanding fam the fund of hi experience bate super postion of etve repeettion upon the dzorder ofthe x filmic One might posits forma erypiogction-amodein which, though he relcign of the material o prior word is illo sully acknowl, sch satonshipcemsins marginal ori relevant tothe meaning we-aeviewers atte to the whol. Converse sponsible that sich meaning ny be reinvesed in the world in ways the material des not warrant dat an age ment may be concealed within the siracrae ofthe dees such tha ur construction of the tr wl el endoremen of the ‘Ought we then co regret the invention of the equipment hich erasing she sigmaes of dacumentary’s resis Gili ted ered, hae enabled ws to weave our dibionsasertons Jno the semblance of unanswerable realy? Pehaps Buc the The Aenbeti sfAmbiaiy 175 problem a we hare sted it ofertas cv to its own oie oa, ining ot seeps which sabe adopted if documentary isto exeape former demonstrate imitations, its confinement tothe gener, without being willl sold nto realm. What are need, broadly speaking are methods whereby the rains ‘trands of dicourse—the referential nate ofthe ages their

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