Technical

Cinematography and how the film was shot, presented by Billy Latta

     Cinematography is commonly mentioned when discussing films; however, the term can be lackadaisically referenced without a proper understanding of the topic. Cinematography encompasses a broad range of filming techniques. How the film is shot through the use of narratives devices, angles, sequences, editing, and other technicalities are all a part of cinematography. Suruchi Puri of Read & Digest states cinematography as “the process of creating picture images in motion.” The process presents itself as an art in discovering what means are required to create a cohesive, intentional, and convincing display of motion picture images.

Steve Lee of Yahoo! Contributor Network adds, “The Cinematographer is responsible for the work of the lighting and camera crews, working with the films [sic] director to achieve his vision of the film prior to the editing process. He can create the look of different periods in history and change the mood of the film as it is created according to notes made to the ‘Shooting Script.’”

The extend of understanding a film’s cinematography depends on the amount of released information about the topic in addition to what viewers can determine after watching a film. One can find numerous sites, books, and additional sources of cinematography content pertaining to acclaimed films such as Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings, George Lucas’s Star Wars, and James Cameron’s Avatar. Meanwhile, small documentaries that are scarcely known to the public, such as Gail Dolgin and Vicente Franco’s Daughter from Danang, will require viewer observation to understand the cinematography.

Presented with eight different awards¹, Daughter from Danang has displayed commendable cinematography. The film is a documentary style with an approach that intends to emotionally touch viewers with both sentiments of joy and sorrow. Dolgain and Franco achieve their heartfelt experience through the use of original footage, “pseudo-flashbacks,” individual narratives, and audio-video layover.

ORIGINAL FOOTAGE

     Throughout the film viewers will notice the use of footage from the Vietnam War era (circa 1955-1975).  Viewers will see scenes from the original airlifts, troops patrolling, and soldiers fighting. This footage is noticeably different than the footage that directors Gail Dolgin and Vicente Franco capture. Majority of Dolgin and Franco’s footage was strategic; whereas veteran footage was unforeseen. Newsmen and other cameramen were recording “on the run.” Footage was happening with no thought toward camera angles, shot type, lighting, or composition. The film was meant to be captured for the sake of broadcasting current events to the world.

Filming Heidi’s current story (now dated to 2002), although similar in it being filmed as it happened, demonstrated planned filming. Cinematographers had time to register events and make decisions on what and how to film. The decision to subjectively portray the story through handheld camera shooting helps convey a documentary style and intimate feeling. The most significant crossover is the breakdown scene where recorders could not have anticipated coming events. Heidi changed location, her mood, and her position so dramatically that the camera angles had to adjust the best they could to capture what was happening.

The use of both original and current (Dolgin and Franco’s) film contributes to other cinematic devices that help to create an intentional, emotional experience.

FLASHBACKS

     Original footage is not only used to display images of the Vietnam War events, but to also portray simulated, particular flashbacks of Heidi and her Vietnamese family. Since Dolgin and Franco did not have footage of Heidi and her Vietnamese family’s actual past, they used that I call “pseudo-flashbacks.” In other words, they used original footage of other children, families, and events to depict what actually happened to Heidi and her family. For example, as Heidi described her father as a military man, the directors would put in video of soldiers from the war to imply that one of the soldiers may have been Heidi’s father. The directors would include video of a child being taken away from her mother. Although it may not have been Heidi and her mother, the video implies it was them being separated and this makes more of an impact than just hearing Heidi, or her mom, say they were separated. Providing the audience with a visual context in the form of pseudo-flashback helps to enhance an emotional response by viewers.

INDIVIDUAL NARRATIVES

     Flashbacks require a story being told. The directors accomplished this through individual narratives, particularly those of Heidi and her mother, Mai Thi Kim. Documentary styles are notorious for director’s impasse interaction with their subject(s). Nevertheless, it is common now that directors conduct interviews with their subjects in order to include that point-of-view/story with their film content. The mesh of unhindered, natural, action with progressive feedback helps create 1) a genuine account of what is felt by the subject(s) of the film and 2) an emotional experience for viewers watching the events and emotions unfold on screen.

Each interview is meant to enlighten and expressively move the audience toward understanding the people on screen. One of the most significant interviews was when Heidi’s brother, Do Trong Tinh, still felt the need to explain the Vietnamese culture about money and support. He was sorry and did not mean for it to inflict pain or harm, but that apology needed to be shown to communicate the misunderstanding and sympathy. The language barrier makes communicating challenging which ultimately makes it more difficult for audience members to empathize. The interviews provided the audience with a more verbal understanding because of the translations of what people’s thought processes were at the time. A director’s decision to include certain components, such as interviews and translation, try to move viewers to an understanding perspective of what is really happening.

AUDIO-VIDEO LAYOVER

     Adding to the visuals of original footage, pseudo-flashbacks, and individual narrative, the conscious decision to overlay audio into different video shots helped to optimize understanding and emotional response. Narrative would begin with the camera focused on the person speaking. The shot would then transition to a completely different scene but continue the dialogue into that new picture. Again, this is intended to heighten the emotional depth of the words and story being spoken.

Two examples are when 1) Heidi’s brother expresses the happiness of his family reuniting with their father and 2) Heidi is overwhelmed by continuing her stay in Vietnam. In one interview, Do Trong Vinh expresses the joy in his father’s return from the war. The words of Do Trong Vinh continue as the shot switches to modern, color footage of the 22^nd Anniversay Parade in Vietnam celebrating the war’s end; crowds cheering; and people patriotically waving flags. Likewise, cheerful music plays at such moment in the film. Meanwhile, an eerie and trilling mandolin plays when Heidi is being overwhelmed by the thought of remaining in Vietnam. The audience does not only hear Heidi talking about her discomfort, they see it. As Heidi narrates, viewers get glimpses of Heidi walking by herself, large pans of the Vietnamese landscape, and people working the crops and fields of Vietnam. The scenes and narration communicate a feeling of distance in a foreign environment.

Works Cited

Lee, Steve. What is Cinematography?. Yahoo! Inc., 25 Mar. 2006. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.

<http://voices.yahoo.com/what-cinematography-26012.html?cat=40>.

Puri, Suruchi. What is Cinematography. Read & Digest. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.

<http://readanddigest.com/what-is-cinematography/>.

End Note

¹ Awards may be viewed at the following webpage: http://www.daughterfromdanang.com/about/awards.html