The art of improvisation
Patricio Guzman explains in his masterclass why documentaries are like jazz, reports Patricia Kaiser of the Talent Press Buenos Aires 2011.
Patricio Guzmán at the 2011 Talent Campus Buenos Aires,
As part of the TCBA, Patricio Guzmán presented a masterclass entitled "Film Documents". As expected, documentaries were at the centre of the discussion. The first item addressed structure. Since Guzman uses the classic three-act structure, he talked about how to organize the chaotic and jumbled material coming from reality. To the surprise of many purists, it all begins with a film script; an imaginary script, as this Chilean filmmaker refers to it. An idea is developed through a storyline, adding those dramatic elements that are most suitable to tell the story, and lots of imagination drawn from extensive subject-matter research.
The imaginary script should be abandoned once the shooting starts, because the shooting is “a trip, an adventure” where the world is rediscovered and the "dramatic atom" is recognized. This atom is the smallest fragment of reality from which the director creates his phrases, and ultimately his poetic vision of that reality. Guzman is convinced that the objectivity / subjectivity debate is not only outdated but also unproductive. Documentary filmmakers shape their views out of the reality being portrayed. This becomes very obvious in all of this Chilean director’s work.
Of course, many questions were brought up by the audience with regard to ethics (respect for the interviewee), the responsibility of the documentary maker (Guzman said: "The ultimate responsibility of an artist is to be creative"), the impact of new technologies (more advantages than disadvantages, though the latter still exist), and of course, comments on Guzman’s latest film, being shown in the Bafici, LA NOSTALGIA DE LA LUZ.
The event was marked by both the filmmaker’s wisdom and charisma, and his professional clarity, something not to be missed in today's world.
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