The Uncertainty of Documentarism by Hito Steyerl
- 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?
Documentaries should be realistic about things’ authenticity and closely connected to reality. The article mentions that documentaries are no longer about reality as content, but emphasize an uncertainty which generates emotions from the audience, which challenged the “unbroken belief”.
The uncertainty principle of modern documentarism is that: the lack of focus gives the images a sense of reality; the increasingly abstract documentary images show little else than their own excitement; the more immediate they become, the less there is to see; the closer we get to reality, the less focused and jumpy the images become.
Steyerl means that documentary no longer asks whether documentary images conform to reality, their authenticity lies in their expression. Documentaries becomes subjective and constructed, and they may not represent the truth in an objective way.
The documentary form conveys, regulates and manages a huge emotional potential that is both controlled and explosively released. By reflecting real images, documentaries bring a sense of “immersion” that evokes a different mix of panic and excitement than fiction. At the same time, documentary forms can create a false sense of intimacy and even a false sense of presence, the fictional elements may be added for dramatic effects to enhance the interpretation of the truth. Their shocking effects are magnified; they provoke fear and disbelief as much as they bring endless relief and satisfaction.
- 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?
I think that for media like news, its truth should be expressed with the objectivity of the content. The live broadcast in news should focus on showing the events themselves without any emotion involved. They provide a sense of immediacy, and viewers can experience the unfolding of an event in real-time. However, today’s news tends to be exaggerated and compelling, distorts the facts.
For me, my daily attention to live broadcast has actually stopped focusing on the authenticity of the content, the characters. I like to watch Vtubers who appear in 2D form, and are usually made up by fiction. I have the real feeling when they interact with the audience. The authenticity of conveyed emotions has replaced the authenticity of the the characters themselves.