Correction: The original version of this article published on September 24 contained an error. The film “Kids and Money” is shot using stylized cinematic devices.
In Afghanistan, U.S. soldiers’ suspicions of Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger slowly dissipated as the filmmakers spent time with the soldiers. The filmmakers eventually became so deeply embedded that they all but shot guns with the soldiers. They turned their experiences into the documentary “Restrepo.”
The film is one of seven in the Getty Museum’s film series, “Witnesses in Action,” which includes largely contemporary social documentaries that also explore the intimate role of subject and filmmaker, especially in dangerous situations. The documentaries will be screened during two weekends starting Saturday.
While the organizer of this film series, Mara Gladstone, chose films that focus on a wide array of social issues, the documentaries also reflect the filmmakers’ and photographers’ commitment to their film and subject.
“A majority of the featured documentaries involve different struggles and successes of photographic journalism in Asia, war-torn countries and U.S. American youth,” Gladstone said.
“Restrepo” alone encompasses Gladstone’s description of the overall theme of the documentaries. Hetherington and Junger originally went on a journalism assignment to Afghanistan, but commitment to their subject went further.
“They would make tattoos up there. They would tattoo the word “˜infidel’ across their chests because that is what the enemy called them,” Hetherington said of the soldiers’ tattoos.
The close relationship between the mediums of documentary and photography is underlined by Gladstone creating the “Witnesses in Action” film series to complement the Getty’s current photography exhibition “Engaged Observers.”
Featured artist Lauren Greenfield is showcasing her work in both the photography exhibit and the film series. Greenfield’s documentary “Kids and Money,” which highlights the influence of consumer culture and the effects of money on L.A. youth, will be shown Sunday.
“Lauren Greenfield is known for these stylized photos of Los Angeles,” Gladstone said.
According to Gladstone, the stylized appearance of Greenfield’s photographs is also apparent in “Kids and Money.”
Another important way in which the film series complements the photo exhibition is that it animates immovable photographed objects.
Director Martin Bell’s film “Streetwise,” for example, gives voice to the troubled Seattle teenagers who are the subject of Mary Ellen Mark’s photographs. Mark’s photographs were submitted in a 1980s article for Life magazine and are on display in the “Engaged Observers” exhibit.
According to Gladstone, the screening of “Streetwise” on Sunday will be a rare opportunity for those who attend because it is the first showing of the documentary since its remastering.
The “Witnesses in Action” film series’ variety of documentaries exposes the different styles in the tradition.
“All of the films take a unique approach to using the camera,” Gladstone said.
For instance, according to Gladstone, “Kids and Money” is shot using stylized cinematic devices, while other films, such as Edward Burtynsky’s “Manufactured Landscapes,” are more formal, with long, panoramic shots heavily influenced by photography.
Still other films, such as “Burma VJ” and “Restrepo” reflect how advanced technology allows audiences a glimpse of otherwise un-filmed places and events. According to Gladstone, “Burma VJ” was only possible because of small hidden cameras used for filming uprisings against the country’s militaristic regime.
“Witnesses in Action” and “Engaged Observers” work together to explore two closely related mediums.
“In one you have sounds from the subject and potential sounds introduced by the filmmaker, such as music. They are different experiences,” said Brett Abbott, associate curator of the Getty’s Department of Photographs. “Still photographs allow you to slow down a bit more, a slower contemplation of ideas.”