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| SAMANTHA MOTHER |
Most often, making of a documentary is akin
to the process of feature filming in
the sense that ideas are preconceived, scripts are made in advance, shooting and
editing are done accordingly. Most of the documentaries are meant to generate
messages serving the ideologies of the funding
sources. It is no surprise that
the masses are averse to these packages of propaganda.
Ethnographic film as a genre seeks to reveal
one society to another creating an
environment for trans-cultural understanding. It is loosely bound by
perspectives
in anthropology and supposedly far from ethnocentrism and
propaganda. Here, the camera becomes an instrument of observation
and record in the hands of an anthropologist. Events and social cultural phenomena are
candidly recorded and interpreted
with knowledge gained from participant
observation.
Visual Anthropology admits the validity of different
documenting styles and
objectives for a variety of purposes like research, teaching, broadcast etc.
There is a tremendous
need for the potential use of film and photography in
anthropological research. Also, there is an urgent need to document
the rapidly
vanishing diverse tribal cultures.
A picture contains thousand words. It might
represent an aspect of reality. But
it is only a construction. A word is not the thing. It is only a representation.
Symbols
are not the things which they represent. And realities are relative.
Absolute reality is beyond our intellectual enterprise.
Physics proves that the
deeper we penetrate the matter the far are we from the truth because our
instrument of observation
intrudes and alters the spontaneous behavior of the
subject. As long as the observer is separate from the observed, the
paradox
remains. It is only when the observer ceases as a separate entity, the total
understanding is possible.
It is evident today that ethnographies are not
considered as scientific studies.
They are also not fiction. These are the times when determinism in science is
paving
way to probability. As Nietzshe put it – there are no facts, only
interpretations. Facts or symbols or representations
– they never make sense
when are in isolation. Integrating them is a creative process. Ethnography and
art are
creative constructions. They need not claim scientific objectivity. As
Robert Redfield put it – in advancing social
science, we invent and practice
technique and cultivate a humanistic art.
Anthropology thrives on cultural relativity
and holism. If not a "science" in
traditional sense, it is a rational enterprise. It aims at uncovering the
governing
principles underlying human diversity. It seeks to comprehend the
unifying features that constitute human nature. Visual
Anthropology blurs the
distinction between science and humanities. It paves way to an understanding of
human cultures
in a holistic way. Many works of art are anthropological in this
sense. As understanding increases, specialization decreases.
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| SAMANTHA SHAMAN |
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