The basic definition is: a genre of film, television, and radio programs emphasizing realism and naturalism. The art or technique of filming something (such as a motion picture) so as to convey candid realism. Literally "truthful cinema" is a style of documentary filmmaking. It combines improvisation with use of the camera to unveil truth or highlight subjects hidden behind reality.
Click here to watch the YouTube playlist of all the videos in this article.
Sometimes called observational cinema, mainly without a narrator's voice-over. Direct cinema is largely concerned with the recording of events in which the subject and audience become unaware of the camera's presence.
The vérité style comes naturally to many as a way to just record what is happening right in front of them. With the advent of the phone camera this style is very familiar but not always well done. But, it is those producers who take this style to a higher level by introducing creative editing techniques and turn the vérité video into something more profound — along the lines of the genre’s creators would have liked to see. Here now we see cinematographers making stories from what seems to be everyday events, objects, and lifestyles. Producers are now free to capture their everyday life and turn it into a story. It has now become their life.
For us at TikiKiti the vérité goes hand-in-hand with the music video — they are especially suited to one another.
In the opening video here we have Isaac Garcia filming the street people in Los Angeles. Maybe he had the song in mind, maybe not. But his video to Nirvana’s “Polly” became a story when he started editing. It is in the editing where his vision takes shape. In the process he created a masterpiece of filmmaking, showing us the humanity of a people who are usually invisible.
Vérité music videos all have a story, but that story isn’t a narrative. If there was no story it would be an abstract. (We have a few of those here as well.) It is in the editing of Garcia’s video that we truly become aware of the humanity he brings to life.
To see more of Garcia’s excellent editing skills check out his Instagram and watch his video for all his 2023 works. He has been busy.
For Mike Krumlauf his stories also come with the editing. For Krumlauf he has an idea for a video because of a song he hears, then goes to his vast collection of video to build a story.
In this masterpiece video he titles "Element," Krumlauf uses “Mad World” by Gary Jules. This is an example of how the vérité video take on some qualities of a narrative video. Then you realize the story he’s telling is a very personal one. The story is created with found objects around his home, and done in slow motion so we see how the music blends with the lines and shapes we are seeing. Visit Mike's YouTube channel to see all of his incredible videos.
This video is one example of Krumlauf’s editing skills, but not the only one. To prove he has a fun side, he uses “Crimson” by Pogo, and we see how his editing condenses his year into this video he matter-of-factly calls My Life (2023) with this vérité boarding on the abstract — and it can work as a director’s reel for 2023.
The vérité video can be the perfect vehicle for an abstract video. Such as this from SapBap to “Hotride “ by The Prodigy and filmed in Fukuoka Japan. This video is more documentary then it is abstract, however it is the editing that makes it seem more abstract. This needed to happen to work better with the music.
Here is the winner of the 2022 TikiKiti International Film Festival. Red Oka shows a classic vérité production through big city streets. A difference here is that our main subject is not only aware of the camera but seems to perform for it as well. Set to Sakanaction's “Eurynome,” we are told this was a university student project. With the music being somewhat abstract, it’s only natural the video would seem that way as well. But that is not what happened. The final video production brought together the music and the visuals in such a way they seemed made for each other — as if the music became the soundtrack to the visuals. This is what a music video should do: meld the two aspects into one. Now the viewer will always see the music through the eye of the video producer.
The best skating videos transports the viewer on a ride around a place — usually a city. Produced by expert skaters and video producers, they know how to manipulate a selfie stick so it because another appendage. They are also excellent video editors because they know how to erase any remnant of the stick in their final video. In this way we are not distracted with the mechanics of the video production. Instead, we are all along for the glide of our lives as we float around with them.
In this video done by skater Nicola Torelli he takes on a trip through parts of London. Sometimes hair-raising as he enters into traffic and jumping over the many obstacles in his way. Set to “Pan's Frolic in Hamlyn” by Shrewsbury Music, we become lost in the city and don’t mind. Because we know Nicola will get us through this while making it into an adventure.
The life these skaters lead can be remarkable. They try out different brands of skates to promote and make a video of them using the skates/skateboards/whatever other type of similar mode of transportation. Here we see JP Valentine from Florida. His video is more of dance performance than a hair-raising roller coaster ride. But just as exciting. On his electric skateboard we float down city streets with him. We know he’s a professional because he makes this seem so effortless.
It is that sense of professionalism that makes these skating video so enjoyable — we can just glide with them and not be concerned about the world.
The vérité video highlights a place, or, it creates a sense of place. Sometimes that place becomes a character in the song. Such is the case with these two videos.
This video is from Izzy Snow (or Izzy Lavender on his YouTube channel). This video — shot on 16mm film with a Bolex H16 Reflex — we see a highly stylized version of downtown Vancouver that leads us to his performance of “Oh Yeah, You Gonna Cry?” by Lovejoy.
In his video to his song “Ghost Train Through the Freestate,” Dave Starke takes on a ride through the "Freestate" province of South Africa. Listening to the lyrics you can hear how he included the places he went through — “…passing Clarens, Bergville, Ladybrand, Bethlehem and Harrismith….” Released around the time the pandemic lockdown in March of 2020, he shows us scenes that became all too familiar to the world as we traveled to places without people. This video and song inadvertently became a representation of that time. Even today, it reminds us all of that time with the beauty and bleakness of the countryside.
“I know that there were people here — not just silos and steeples — I know that there were people here.”
Vérité in its purest form is the documentary. Taking a trip to the end of the world — be sure to film it. Maybe it’s because the promise is to tell the truth. This is the essence of vérité — its journalistic promise — we are seeing the real world.
In his video to "Freedom Feels” Sean Tobin brings that story of the open road and the promise to find America. (Incidently, much of his music does the same.) He builds a modern covered wagon for he and his wife as they go west. We travel to learn about the world. The reality is we learn about ourselves when we travel.
Taking this very American theme to the next level we have this video from Waste Of Time Productions. Here is the life and story of an Canadian long-haul truck driver. His story and his music videos show us a side of the United States most never see. It’s beautiful and gritty. It’s long stretches of empty vistas contrasted with crowded cities. And it's work — very hard work. Of his videos, his most recent, and likely his best, was released in January of this year. We see all the beauty and all the grit here, and we love every minute of it. He creates a view of the country and reminds us of how truckers are its backbone.
The video is set to “Devil’s Gonna Come” by Raphael Lake & Royal Baggs. The style and camera work here are so well done. He give this world all the color and vibrancy it deserves.
…aka Kingsley Ndukwe. He is from Finland and his passion is showing us his world — and our world as well. His videos all seem to have a sense of magic about them. All of us here think he’s on a quest to make a film on every continent. His video to Norway is one his earlier music videos, ...
... however it was his video to Fleurie’s “Soldier” that the Barclay Award winner — video he called Inspire and, as he says, it’s about “Paths that crossed in the city of Helsinki.” This video is a story built around images taken at random. Although, we suspect it was well planned out. This, of course, is the secret to great filmmaking. EKEST has taken the vérité style and made it something very different and captivating.
Over the years we have had the distinct pleasure of finding this outstanding artists who make some of the most incredible music video. The Vérité video is one of the most flexible styles and leaves so much room for individual creativity as we can see here.
