- Steyerl talks about how the “unbroken belief” of the documentary form is challenged. What does Steyerl mean by this? Certain movies and films are based on a true story. How does truth inform fiction? How might fiction inform the truth?
By “unbroken belief”, Steyerl refers to the fact that even if documentaries seem to be stating credible facts and stories from life, they can have an “uncanny” effect on people. It is a common picture for us to ask so many questions while we watching the film and our brain auto-fills them with our assumptions, meaning these movies play with our emotions and let us freely interpret them.
There is a saying that “creativity comes from combination”, and I agree with that statement. I think that creative plots and scenarios come from the combination of various images from our life, different people, sounds, and stories. This all sums up the fact that fiction has the roots of truth as it comes from life. And even if fiction might create an effect of ” uncanny” in us, it gifts a new definition of truth to us. A lot of mythical creatures become vital parts of our “real life”, meaning that it is true as well.
- What is the significance of the authenticity and representation of the truth in the media that you consume on a daily basis? What is the role of a live broadcast?
The role of a live broadcast is to share breaking news, and create the effect that the narration is going on at the exact same second to be on the same wave with the audience. I believe that visual content today is too artificial and overly edited which creates an illusion in the media verse. Even a lot of the “on-air” programs are pre-recorded and edited. This is why I think live broadcast still has an important role as it is not fabricated. For instance, during the broadcast on one of the Russian-state channels, one of the reporters interrupted the program and started to reveal the truth. Everyone heard her out because it was on-live, and in case it would be pre-recorded they would not add it to the program.