The Uncertainty of Documentarism Blog
Article: The Uncertainty of Documentarism
Written by: Hito Steyerl
Blog by: Nina Chen
- 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 the fiction? How might fiction inform the truth?
By “unbroken belief” she meant that documentaries always have had a sense of “it’s the facts, it’s the truth” to those who read or view it but it is also always able to be put out for other’s own assumptions of the media.
Truth is able to inform the fiction because sometimes what is the truth is not very realistic and hard for people to comprehend if they are someone who is very logical.
Fiction is able to inform the truth because it is able to tell the truth about our surroundings in a way that is more acceptable and more subtle than let’s say just flat out saying facts to your face. Fiction is also overall just a more easy way to convey informations since we are able to make up situations that shows it than compared to real-life since it is very unlikely to remake the very scenario that showcased the newly found information.
Overall I would say either way it is hard for us to really tell what is true and what is not due to the nature of how some things are shown to us. For example horror movies based on true stories are always hard to wrap my head around since they are very supernatural and fictional in my opinions. However, this doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a real experience someone has had.
- 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?
In today’s media, we are unable to trust the information in it because these medias that we consume are almost always manipulated by the uploader. The role of a live broadcast is a way for us to be able to consume information that hasn’t been manipulated and is in the most authentic way.