Narrative Structures

 “All great fiction films tend toward documentary, just as all great documentaries tend toward fiction . . . One who opts for one necessarily finds the other at the end of his journey.” “A story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end… but not necessarily in that order.”

These quotes are from Jean Luc Godard, most influential director of the French New Wave in the 60s which brought life into film with visual experimentation, included fragmented, discontinuous editing, and long takes.

The narrative is hence a two-way relationship between documentary and fiction, between reality and the imaginary. Stories are divided into sequences to give the rhythm but also to convey the meaning. Some photographers and filmmakers like Duane Michals and Chris Marker are known for their interest of sequencing still images.

This showcase is about the practice of narration by photographer Quang Lam.  By using all these combinations in an unusual way, he explores different logics trying to reveal the specific properties of his medium which is “between cinema and novel “- Roland Barthes.

His method relies on the “objective hazard” as Documentary but also on some shootings carefully planned and staged as Fiction. Links between Documentary and Fiction as well as the temporal relations can be distended in purpose. These great degrees of freedom will allow the appearance of the narrative specific to Photography that he is looking for.

 “The scream” Sequence

• Shooting elapsed time: 20 seconds
• Type : Documentary / Location : Hanoi

“After seeing of the sun” Sequence

• Shooting elapsed time : 1 hour
• Type: Fiction / Location : Hue

 “Patterns of Thought” Story

• Shooting Elapsed time : 1 year
• Type : Documentary and Fiction / Location : Saigon