TECHNES Encyclopedia Database

“Direct cinema,” “cinéma vérité,” “candid eye,” “living camera,” “cinéma vécu”: in the field of non-fiction cinema, the early 1960s stand out for the period’s many technical innovations (silent and lightweight 16mm cameras, synchronous sound recorders), but also for their terminological and theoretical innovations. Whichever label one chose, this new generation of filmmakers, and the commentators of the day, argued for and theorized a singular connection to reality capable of restoring its dramatic potential for the viewer.^[1]