How Did Documentary Photographers Set the Stage for Direct Cinema?
Documentary filmmakers such as Albert Maysles owe a debt to the many outstanding documentary photographers that introduced the idea of capturing real lives in still photographs. Notable exemplars of this art include the Depression-era Farm Security Administration (FSA) photographers, such as Dorothea Lange, whose job it was to record the poverty and despair of poor farmers. Walker Evans, whose photography graces the pages of LET US NOW PRAISE FAMOUS MEN (with text by James Agee), was another great documentary photographer of that era. Watch (or read) the NOW interview with Maysles and then share with students some of the work of documentary photographers. Discuss the art of black and white photography and look particularly at the way these photographers use framing. Are these photographs exhibiting the kind of “heart to heart” technique that Maysles advocates? Some useful resources on documentary photography: Documentary Photography About.com provides a directory of resources linking t
