Ruby

It's interesting how improvement in technology and a gradual change of common practice can impact the subject of ethnographic film. Ruby mentions the "tradition of the victim," and what sync-sound has done to change the traditional views of the subject. When looking back to Nanook, a film that entirely spoke for the subject, more and more ethnographic studies are now focusing on speaking with or alongside the subject to achieve more "accurate" and "professional" findings.

I am most interested in this small, narrow window of time between the advent of sync-cound (when subjects can speak in real-time, for themselves) and when the practice of using "talking heads" was almost standardized. Ruby talks of "expert witnesses" and "voice of God narration" in filming documentaries today (54). This practice is almost mainstream, from ethnographic film, to scientific studies, and the news. The news especially comes to mind, as most stories toggle between, say, the calm-and-collected fire chief explaining what is happening to a burnt-down apartment building, and the frazzled neighbor making little sense/ trying to take advantage of such an event for what they see as their 15 minutes of fame. This phenomenon occurs today, as it did decades ago. For this reason, people love the professionals when they talk. They make sense, appear calm and professional, and can largely go unchallenged. But allowing an "expert" to narrate can be very dangerous, as Ruby explains. Dialogue ends. The subject can feel more like an object than a human. This new practice suddenly becomes identical to the booming, unidentified narrator of Nanook.

I'd like to see Eyes on the Prize one day for the reasons Ruby notes. A successful documentary in which only participants are interviewed, without any "expert opinion" is worth seeing. I can't remember any documentaries like this, really (which kind of proves my point?) People love the intimacy of other people telling their stories first hand, but also seem to require a third-party "expert" for validation. Striking a balance is very tricky.