One-man video verite: thoughts on Scenes from underground

Abstract

This thesis considers the making of a documentary videotape on the Red Line Subway Extension project in Cambridge and Somerville, Massachusetts entitled Scenes From Underground. It traces my initial plans for an expository 16mm film on the Red Line construction work occurring alongside Harvard University in Harvard Square. It then t ells of how the influence of one-person cinema verite filmmaking resulted in the similar use of light-weight video tape recording equipment, and the subsequent utilization of this equipment in the tunnels and subway station construction sites of the Red Line Extension project. The paper asserts that the video medium is ideally suited for a non-preconceived approach to documentary work and that the rules and conventions governing observational filmmaking are applicable to video. The videotape Scenes From Underground is 37 minutes long and was originally shot on 1/2 " VHS and 3/4" U-matic cassette. It has black and white and color sequences, and the sound track is in English.