Jay Ruby on Rouch

Ruby discusses the myriad ways in which Rouch changed visual anthropology. However, his influence was drastic on film in general. He put synch sound in the hands of such able-bodied filmmakers as Godard. He created cinema verite, which is the combination of sharing the filming process with others while constructing filmic truth. This led to discourse on the influence of film on people. Does film alter the way people act, creating ethno-people?

Rouch was not interested in making pretty pictures. He only cared about the content of the films and the method of their creation. This may have been good for Rouch but I, see obvious merit in making the powerfully stimulating information present in Rouch’s films into pretty pictures. It makes the information accessible to a wider audience, if only because people wont turn it off or fall asleep by the films end. Like the Natural History museum’s desire to make exhibits that will draw crowds, Ethnographic film could influence a much wider audience than it is today. It has the potential to make a lot more money than it is today.