Reflections in an Unblinking Eye: Negotiating Identity in the Production of a Documentary

Abstract

The presence of a motion picture documentary team during a Green Tortoise adventure trip created a variety of unique opportunities to evaluate the construction of identity in a postmodern, 'cinematic society' (Denzin, 1995). While, the 'gaze' (Nichols, 1991) of cameras often participated directly in the production of 'spectacular' events, the 'simulating' (Baudrillard, 1988(Baudrillard, , 1994 gaze of the cameras also served as a 'reflexive mechanism' through which to expose cinematic influences that construct contemporary reality.