The representation of "me" in interaction with the "other": an analysis of Eduardo Coutinho’s documentary Edifício Master

Abstract

This paper proposes an analysis on Eduardo Coutinho’s documentary Edifício Master, according to Erving Goffman’s statements about self representation conditions on the ways of interaction with the other ones. We observe how people re-invent themselves in front of the camera, in order to interact face to face with the filmmaker and the camera itself, such as in order to interact indirectly with the audience. We aim also to understand the relation between fiction and non-fiction in the film process, just about personage’s performances as much as filmmaker’s and production team’s performances on the way to produce a “the truth of the film”. We try to reflect about questions on documentary films productions from, mainly, Bill Nichol’s theorizing.