Documentary's Awkward Turn: Cringe Comedy and Media Spectatorship (Routledge Research in Cultural and Media Studies)

Despite the prominence of "awkwardness" as cultural buzzword and descriptor of a sub-genre of contemporary film and television comedy, it has yet to be adequately theorized in academic film and media studies. __Documentary's Awkward Turn__ contributes a new critical paradigm to the field by presenting an analysis of awkward moments in documentary film and other reality-based media formats. It examines difficult and disrupted encounters between social actors on the screen, between filmmaker and subject, and between film and spectator. These encounters are, of course, often inter-connected. Awkward moments occur when an established mode of representation or reception is unexpectedly challenged, stalled, or altered: when an interviewee suddenly confronts the interviewer, when a subject who had been comfortable on camera begins to feel trapped in the frame, when a film perceived as a documentary turns out to be a parodic mockumentary. This book makes visible the ways in which awkwardness connects and subtends a range of transformative textual strategies, political and ethical problematics, and modalities of spectatorship in documentary film and media from the 1970s to the present. Despite The Prominence Of Awkwardness As Cultural Buzzword And Descriptor Of A Sub-genre Of Contemporary Film And Television Comedy, It Has Yet To Be Adequately Theorized In Academic Film And Media Studies. Documentary's Awkward Turn Contributes A New Critical Paradigm To The Field By Presenting An Analysis Of Awkward Moments In Documentary Film And Other Reality-based Media Formats. It Examines Difficult And Disrupted Encounters Between Social Actors On The Screen, Between Filmmaker And Subject, And Between Film And Spectator. These Encounters Are, Of Course, Often Inter-connected. Awkward Moments Occur When An Established Mode Of Representation Or Reception Is Unexpectedly Challenged, Stalled, Or Altered: When An Interviewee Suddenly Confronts The Interviewer, When A Subject Who Had Been Comfortable On Camera Begins To Feel Trapped In The Frame, When A Film Perceived As A Documentary Turns Out To Be A Parodic Mockumentary. This Book Makes Visible The Ways In Which Awkwardness Connects And Subtends A Range Of Transformative Textual Strategies, Political And Ethical Problematics, And Modalities Of Spectatorship In Documentary Film And Media From The 1970s To The Present-- Machine Generated Contents Note: 1.awkward Aesthetics: Michael Moore And Christopher Guest -- 2.awkwardly Reflected: Mirroring Anticelebrity In The Portrait Film -- 3.awkward Satire: Comedies Of Deception -- 4.awkward Extremes: Reaction Videos And The Reactive Gaze -- 5.awkward Moments, Endless Days: Feeling Time In The Office. Jason Middleton. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 175-181) And Index. "Despite the prominence of "awkwardness" as cultural buzzword and descriptor of a sub-genre of contemporary film and television comedy, it has yet to be adequately theorized in academic film and media studies. Documentary's Awkward Turn contributes a new critical paradigm to the field by presenting an analysis of awkward moments in documentary film and other reality-based media formats. It examines difficult and disrupted encounters between social actors on the screen, between filmmaker and subject, and between film and spectator. These encounters are, of course, often inter-connected. Awkward moments occur when an established mode of representation or reception is unexpectedly challenged, stalled, or altered: when an interviewee suddenly confronts the interviewer, when a subject who had been comfortable on camera begins to feel trapped in the frame, when a film perceived as a documentary turns out to be a parodic mockumentary. This book makes visible the ways in which awkwardness connects and subtends a range of transformative textual strategies, political and ethical problematics, and modalities of spectatorship in documentary film and media from the 1970s to the present"-- Provided by publisher Cover 1 Title 6 Copyright 7 Dedication 8 Contents 10 List of Figures 12 Acknowledgments 14 Introduction: Awkward Moments 16 1 Awkward Aesthetics: Michael Moore and Christopher Guest 38 2 Awkwardly Reflected: Mirroring Anticelebrity in the Portrait Film 67 3 Awkward Satire: Comedies of Deception 98 4 Awkward Extremes: Reaction Videos and the "Reactive Gaze" 124 5 Awkward Moments, Endless Days: Feeling Time in The Office 155 Conclusion: Post-Awkward? 186 Bibliography 190 Index 198 Cringe Comedy and Media Spectatorship This book examines disrupted encounters in documentary film and media: encounters between social actors on screen, filmmaker and subject, and film and spectator, which are all often inter-connected. Through its theorization of awkward moments, it develops original approaches to issues of ideology, affect, and ethics in the context of documentary film and spectatorship.