Saturday night, some of us had the pleasure of taking in Frederick Wiseman's latest work, Frederick Wiseman Presents La Danse -- Le Balle de L'Opéra de Paris.  The film takes us inside the Paris Opera Ballet, which functions not only as a ballet company but also as a school.

Wiseman is well-known for filming institutions and being able to bring us the experience of what is like to be at these places.  In the short video clip shown here, Wiseman talks a little bit about his career; the years he lived in Paris following Hemingway's route; his stint as a law professor to earn some extra money; how he got into filmmaking and his style of filming. 

It was interesting to hear that often Wiseman knows someone that can connect him to the person(s) who are in charge of the institutions he wants to film.  For the current film, La Danse, Wiseman chose to film in the fall of 2007 since the company was rehearsing for both modern and classical ballet styles.  He wanted show the dancers' profesional life without being too intrusive.  The crew consisted of three men: Wiseman, who did sound, a cameraman and another man changing the magazines for the camera.  When asked about the themes or structure of the film and whether the came prior or after filming, Wiseman response was the he has no idea what the film's themes will be.  The themes and structure "come up at the beginning of editing, after deciding which collection of sequences" he'll use.  During editing, he'd get the "internal rhythm" of the sequences as well s the rhythm between sequences.  Even after editing had begun, Wiseman would go back to look at the rushes and he'd find more shots to include in the film.  The result is a fluid composition; very much like a ballet. 

An audience member asked him about the various shots of Paris which are interspersed with the shots of the ballet school.  Wiseman mentioned that the city shots "break up the intensity of seeing the dancers' at work... they're a transition or a pause."  There are several shots of Le Garnier and Bastille buildings as well; this is because there are the two places where the ballet performs.  Wiseman explained that seeing shots of all of Paris also help to transport between these two buildings.  In order for all the shots in the film to make sense, Wiseman has to have a "verbal interpretation of how the shots relate to each other"... they have to make sense to him.

Towards the end of the Q&A, Wiseman shared with the audience that he feels the films he makes "are fair to his experience of his being at the institution" and his studying the material afterwards.  I would say his work is worth exploring, if you're not familiar with it.  He has a very keen eye and a great way of taking us to many places. 

(Photo by Heidy M.)