Guest: Li Xiaofeng, Alexander Brandt, Xiaowen Zhu

Date: 2014-09-14  14:00 ~ 2014-09-14  16:00

Address: Chronus Art Center (Room101, Bldg18, NO.50 Moganshan Rd, Shanghai)

LANGUAGE: Chinese

reservation via membership@chronusartcenter.org (please indicate your full name, contact information and the number of reservation).

ABOUT PANEL DISCUSSION:
Documentary became a film genre in early 20th century defined as “a factual film which is dramatic” by the American film critic Pare Lorentz. The practices and theories of documentary filmmaking have evolved gradually over the past decades, from the traditional linear narrative that organizes a story in a both informative and entertaining way to multi-media documentary that values the viewer’s participations by creating a collaborative reality wherein the filmmaker’s role as narrator is put in question. The concepts of “negotiation of reality”, “choice and control” and “multiple reality” are thereby emphasized and explored along the lines of evolution.

In 2002, artist and scholar Mitchell Whitelaw noticed the rise of the terminology ‘interactive documentary’. He stated that digital interactive documentary is a concept yet to be defined due to the lack of writing on such subject and the fact that new media artists do not consider themselves documentary filmmakers. In today’s world, the majority of independent documentary productions are hybrid and multi-media in the sense that web, social media, Youtube, Vimeo, and other media platforms are largely incorporated in the marketing strategy and even the narrative itself (e.g. multiple versions of narratives).

How do we perceive and present reality as filmmakers and media artists in today’s world? What are the challenges and opportunities? How does digitalization, new media, and technological advancement affect the logic of documentary making? What is the future of documentary? Moreover, how do we interact with reality, mediate it through filmmaking, as it actually reflects on how we construct knowledge and beliefs around it?

ABOUT SPEAKERS:
This talk invites three speakers to discuss the topic above.

Li Xiaofeng is an experienced and renowned documentary filmmaker and educator. His practices are rooted in traditional documentary making but have spanned over non-traditional forms by facilitating academic conversations, discussions, as well as organizing film screenings over the past decade.

Alexander Brand (Fei Pingguo) is a multi-media artist. He works with unconventional and innovative media and is a pioneer in the field in Shanghai.

Xiaowen Zhu is a media artist, scholar and writer. She works with both multi-media documentary and traditional form that mix fiction and reality. She is interested in investigating how people perceive reality and their relation to it.