Eldon Booth creates films which experiment with traditional ideas of reality & illusion via the techniques and editing processes he employs. He is interested in the idea of television portraying a 'reality', whereas, in actual fact, it portrays an illusion of a reality. He considers and draws attention to the line between reality & illusion. This is a strong theme throughout his work.
John Fiske comments that "television is seen either as a transparent window on the world or as a mirror reflecting our own reality back to us." Booth considers here the contrast between seeing 'reality' on television through a window, and the concept of creating a world, a reflection. Various techniques highlight the difference between these two perceptions, and his work is strongly influenced by low budget, reality tv of the 90's, reflecting these techniques in his film Withdrawal, 2001. Booth comments in his blog "I’m interested in our perception of reality via the media, including the camera ‘persona’ that reality television or documentary subjects inhabit and ethical concerns regarding the potential exploitation of those participants for entertainment purposes – especially if a programme documents the actual death of a real person."
He encompasses the "camera 'persona'" and denies traditional cinematic conventions via use of amateur techniques & technologies such as hand held cameras, low quality equipment, purposefully roughly editing, panning and blurred focus. These are evident in Withdrawal, 2001. Booth creates a non linear storyline and films with cheap VHS tape. This reflects a medium which would be available to the society portrayed in his films, emphasising elements of realism. The film is written, directed & edited by Booth, yet it displays intentional characteristics of an amateur production. The characters are filmed in mundane situations of transition. They are being directed, yet interact with the public in reality, who are not acting. The grandfather is in hospital in reality, yet he is playing a character who is in hospital. These further blur the lines between reality and illusion. A split screen forces the viewer to consider the lives of both characters at once, and the supposed reality of their everyday actions, rather than sensationalised storylines. Booth says of his characters in his blog "these aren't imaginary friends, they ARE real people.."
Although there is not much information available on 90's TV shows referenced by Booth such as When Animals Attack! and World's Dumbest Criminals, and reality TV has changed dramatically over recent years, one can compare this viewing of a mundane activity to portray realism in more recent Reality TV shows such as Big Brother - this is more available due websites such as youtube.com now being widely used. The official premise is that the show is a 'social experiment' but it provides sensationalised entertainment for the public. This is an interesting portrayal of the theme of reality versus the illusion of reality. It attempts to portray a reality in that the characters are not 'actors', they are real people in a real situation. However, it is an unnatural social situation and they are aware of the cameras, this awareness is reflected in their behaviour, hence it becomes an illusion of reality. The show is edited at the whim of the creators. The techniques employed are not similar to Booths in all aspects. However, the viewer is very aware of the fact that they are almost spying on the actors, from the angles and positions at which the cameras are placed, similar to a CCTV setup (referencing the shows inspiration - George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four). The viewer is always looking on, never included. This reflects Booth's manner of following his actors in Withdrawal, rather than interacting with them. Such use of camera angles & lack of interaction with the characters are evident in Gus Van Sant's Elephant, 2003, a movie also looking to create realism. The Big Brother characters are screened to the public performing mundane acts such as cooking, cleaning, chatting, etc., & this conveys a realistic element, mirrored in the work of Booth when his characters wait for the bus, smoke a cigarette, etc.
Big Brother 3, 2006 (UK) - Alex brushing his teeth
Big Brother 3, 2006 (UK) - Jade & Jonny talking in the garden
Still from Elephant (Gus Van Sant) 2003 - a CCTV style high angle shot conveys realism through lack of interaction, as though the viewer is looking in on the characters, who are unaware of the presence. Booth employs this technique of following the characters in Withdrawal, 2001.
Elephant - the characters are followed by the camera/viewer
Big Brother demonstrates an interesting contrast between reality/the illusion of reality as the lines are blurred & the audience is invited to buy into the truth of the happenings on screen, even though the 'reality' they view has been created by the programme's creators. There is also this interaction between direction of the characters through tasks created by Big Brother, and their improvised/natural reactions. The characters are not actors, and in Elephant, Van Sant uses amateur actors. Booth uses his family to play characters in Withdrawal, adding to the realism.
Sensationalism of mundane events in reality TV is a theme he explores in Five Good Reasons, 2006. Effective techniques which convey this are close ups and montage. Both these are conveyed in the TV show Big Brother, for example in the images I have included above. However, I think a more relevant example of effective use of montage & panning is evident in the TV show Ghost Hunters. As in Booth's work, the viewer is invited to watch a montage of various scenes which create a dramatic effect, combined with interviews. These scenes would otherwise be mundane clips of the inside of a building. This clip also relates back to Booth's reference to amateur production in hand held techniques to convey realism, when the characters are seeking ghosts in the dark. I think his attitude to the characters & interviews can also be referenced here - he enjoys the natural element of the dialogue, & captured this by filming the entire interview without breaks each time, before editing. Ghost Hunters is also very much about the reactions of the actors, their personalities adding to the sensationalism of otherwise ordinary situations.
Celebrity Big Brother 5 - Best Bits montage, screened in Jade's final eviction episode. Use of montage here sensationalises events & creates excitement & nostalgia
Ghost Hunters, 2010. Booths use of montage & sensationalism is reflected here. The style is much more similar to his in the camera panning & zooming adding to the effect, & editing to cut between the interviews and the action. However, it does not portray the level intimacy that Booth achieves through use of shots & countershots.
Wow! An excellent range of research here, and you have brought in some interesting commentary on reality TV. If this is a particular interest of yours, there is an expert in Reality TV at Auckland Uni, Misha Kavka, who published a book on these issues fairly recently.
Big Brother 3, 2006 (UK) - Alex brushing his teeth
Big Brother 3, 2006 (UK) - Jade & Jonny talking in the garden
Wow! An excellent range of research here, and you have brought in some interesting commentary on reality TV. If this is a particular interest of yours, there is an expert in Reality TV at Auckland Uni, Misha Kavka, who published a book on these issues fairly recently.
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