The metamorphosis of aesthetics in modern Iranian documentary cinema with a look at selected films of the 80s - practical title Baran Khak

Academic Dissertation in Master Degree in Cinema

Introduction

This research is an attempt to study "the transformation of aesthetics in modern documentary cinema of the 80s of Iran". The reason for choosing this topic is due to the colorfulness of the unconventional tendencies that can be seen in the films of this period and gradually overshadows the previous classical approaches. Trends that have found less room for analysis compared to the classical approaches of documentation; And the necessity of looking at the effects of this new trend in Iran from a research-oriented and aesthetic point of view is very much felt.

In the theoretical topic of the research, define and explain the concepts and theoretical frameworks of the subject based on the theories of "John Grierson" (1), "Bill Nichols" (2), "Paul Ward" (3), "Krakuer" (4) and so on. It deals with topics such as: definition of reality and description of representation in fiction and documentary films, dramatic expression and aesthetics and dramatic aspects in documentaries.

In this chapter, in addition to explaining the mentioned topics and concepts, based on Bill Nichols' analysis and semiotics of documentary films, the films in question are analyzed.

1- John Grierson (1898-1972), an English documentary maker and the father of modern documentary cinema

2- Bill Nichols (1942) American film theoretician and documentary maker

3- Paul Vard (1968) animation studies professor at Bournemouth University of Art, England

4- Siegfried Kracauer (1889-1966) realist film theorist

For a more detailed analysis and to achieve the distinguishing components of the new Iranian documentary works of the 1980s from their predecessors A number of Iranian documentary films of this decade have been selected and their aesthetic aspects have been taken into consideration. Several factors have been effective in the selection of films: firstly, the awards they have often won in specialized festivals; Such as: "Kish Documentary Festival" and "Truth Cinema Film Festival", "Cinema House Festival", "Independent Iranian Documentary Cinema Festival" and so on. The next effective factor is: the opinions of critics and experts about these documentaries who have written appreciative reviews; One of the most important reasons for this reception has been the innovation and innovations in form and style of these works. The third factor is the distinction of the characteristics of these films with the accepted and conventional features of classic and traditional documentaries. Chapter 1: Generalities of the research 1-1 Statement of the problem In the path of Iranian documentary cinema, a new movement has been formed that has special and different coordinates from the dominant movement of documentaries in the country; This new trend is very successful both in communicating with a large number of domestic audiences in festivals and cultural hangouts, and in attracting the opinions of audiences across the borders. The question and problem starts from where the theoretical foundations of this new direction in documentary cinema originate? The need to analyze and analyze the reasons for this change of direction and transformation in the scientific-research structure is very important and worthy of attention, and the differences of this new trend with the main and traditional approaches of documentary cinema should be studied in order to gain a vision of the structure and components of modern Iranian documentary cinema. To achieve these goals and answer the above issues and questions, studying the characteristics of Iranian documentaries of the 1980s as an effective and decisive point can be a way forward and provide an enlightening perspective of this aesthetic transformation. 1-2 research questions 1) In the documentary cinema of the 1980s, what signs were used to represent reality? 2) The distinguishing characteristics of documentaries. What is Iran's 1980s compared to previous works? 3) What are the roots of this change of direction in the narrative documentary stream in the formation of this new stream? 4) What is the role of the narrative documentary cinema components in the formation of this new stream? It is previous. Although the trace of drama in Iranian documentary films is not lacking even before; But in the new works, the story elements have gained more dominance over the documentary aspects..

Apart from the colorfulness of the dramatic aspects in these works, another important and significant factor also distinguishes them from the past; And that is the reason for the current playfulness in the performance and aesthetic elements of the documentary films of this decade in Iran; In fact, the dramatic elements along with these playfulness appear more striking and different, and the human being is placed in the focus of documentary films, and more minor components and tools such as the music of the narration of the text are expanded. 

1-4 research objectives and theoretical value

Investigation of the degree of dramatization of Iranian documentary cinema and an approach to knowledge of contemporary documentaries in Iran.

1-5 research background

By referring to the research background system, Tehran University of Art Library system, Isfahan University of Art Library system and Tarbiat Modares University of Tehran, no research or article has been done in this connection. And based on the goal, it is considered to be of a fundamental type, theoretical. The nature and method are descriptive and analytical; The sources of the research are written and video documents (films).

In this research, in addition to explaining the topics and concepts in the documentary film, based on the analysis and semiotics of Bill Nichols of the documentary film, the relevant films are examined and analyzed. In the meantime, it is worth mentioning that one of the most important parts of this methodology, which has become popular in Iran, has not always evoked exactly the same concepts as Bill Nichols, and based on our culture or any cultural rules and effective social context, it has been adapted to the local environment. (representation of reality and aesthetic elements) should be examined in the structure of the ten films that are introduced below: "Gagoman": "Mohammed Rasulof" Bird": "Reza Behraminejad"

"President Mir Qanbar": "Mohammed Shirva Nei"

"Tehran does not have pomegranates": "Masoud Bakshi"

"Sianuze": "Rokhsara Qam Maggi"

"Tinar": "Mehdi Muniri"

"Days without a calendar": "Mehrdad Skui"

"Old Boy": "Mahdi Ba Qari"

1-8 Limitations of the research

There were problems in the way of conducting this research, some of which are apparently caused by the neglect of documentary cinema in comparison to fiction cinema in Iran. One of these problems was the lack of an archive of Iranian documentaries, especially newly produced documentaries, a problem that occasionally caused illusions in the path and analysis of documentary works of the 1380s. It seems that the lack of available archive of Iranian documentary films can be an obstacle to achieve a comprehensive and detailed research. The luck of the researcher in such a situation depends on his persistence and personal follow-up and of course his relations with the creators of these works so that he can obtain and evaluate the copy of each of these documentaries. Another problem is the lack of Persian sources related to documentary cinema; Comparing the number of Persian sources related to the fields of fiction cinema and the number of Persian references related to the topics of documentary cinema can be another manifestation of the abandonment of this type of cinema. Chapter Two: Theoretical Foundations of Research Introduction In the history of documentary cinema, there is always a major disagreement in all topics related to Documentary cinema, that is, there has been a relationship between reality and industry.