The new wave of documentaries that prominently feature their filmmakers, such as the works of Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock, have attracted fresh, new audiences to the form—but they have also drawn criticism that documentaries now promote entertainment at the expense of truth. Truth or Dare examines the clash between the authenticity claimed by documentaries and their association with imagination and experimental contemporary art. An experienced group of practitioners, artists, and theorists here question this binary, and the idea of documentary itself, in a cross-disciplinary volume that will force us to reconsider how competing interests shape filmmaking.

Pearce, Gail; McLaughlin, Cahal

Author

Bristol, UK ; Chicago, IL: Intellect Books

Ingram Publisher Services UK- Academic

Elm Bank Publications

MyiLibrary

United Kingdom and Ireland, United Kingdom

United States, United States of America

Bristol, UK, Chicago, England, 2007

Bristol, UK ; Chicago, IL, 2007

Bristol, 2006

1, 20061101

"Truth or dare: art and documentary was a conference and a set of screenings that took place during February 2006 at the Whitechapel Art Gallery and Tate Modern."--P. 9.
Includes bibliographical references (p. [129]-131] and index.
Electronic reproduction. [Palo Alto, Calif.] : ebrary, 2007. Mode of access: World Wide Web. Title from title screen; description based on content as of May 15, 2008. Access restricted to ebrary affiliated libraries. Also available in print.

MiU

1 online resource
Increased experimentation by filmmakers such as Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock means that the walls between art and documentary are collapsing, generating innovative ideas and attracting an entirely new audience. Truth or Dare is the innovative product of a Whitechapel Gallery conference, bringing together renowned artists, filmmakers, writers and curators. Pearce and McLaughlin's book reveals the debates that flared that day surrounding the binary of art and documentary and the tensions of freedom and responsibility. The ethics of this new wave of documentary are also questioned, since the authenticity of documentary seems to clash with the experimentation and imagination of art. As the distinction between different art forms becomes more and more blurred, Truth or Dare explores the shift from two separate entities of documentary film and contemporary art to the obscuring of boundaries. The discussion extends to new technological developments that allow crossover and opportunities for collaboration. All of these issues are explored in written chapters and edited transcripts of conversation from the conference, illustrated with stills of moving image work and accompanied by a DVD of the artists' experimentation. This is a unique and timely collection of reflection and analysis by documentary makers and artists concerning where they position their art forms in relation to each other, and the shape of filmmaking to come. The cross-disciplinary opinions and mixed media format of Truth or Dare engages the reader, so that they too become part of the ongoing debate
Includes bibliographical references and index
Print version record
'Away from Copying : The Art of Documentary Practice' / Michael Renov -- 'Freedoms and Accountabilities' / Cahal McLaughlin (interlocutor), Sergei Dvortsevoy, Clarisse Hahn, Ann-Sofi Siden in conversation -- 'Documentary, History and Reality : Reflections on Jean Chamoun's Tal al-Zaatar' / Lina Khatib -- 'Dancing to Different Tunes : Ethical Differences in Approaches to Factual Film-Making' / John Ellis -- 'Collaborations and Technologies' / Stella Bruzzi (interlocutor), Gideon Koppel, Jane and Louise Wilson in conversation -- 'Is it Art?' / Gail Pearce -- 'Viewing Spaces and Audiences' / Gareth Evans (interlocutor), Nina Pope, Claudia Spinelli in conversation -- 'Vietnam/USA' / Trinh T. Minh-ha in an interview by Eva Hohenberger

2023-06-28