What video truth?

1. What video truth?
So, I filmed Maksim Kalashnikov in his cross-country bicycle trip: riding, eating breakfast, singing, asking people for directions, joking with Devin and other riders, etc. While at it, I couldn't help asking myself one question. The question that every video amateur, like I, probably asked himself -- am I going to show people the truth of what happened?

2. If It Happened -- It Must Be True
The answer seemed easy enough at first -- of course it's the truth. I didn't stage anything. I didn't ask Maksim and his buddies to "act" for me. I merely followed them and begged to ignore the camera.

3. Forget The Camera
But, did Maksim and others change their behavior just because the camera was there? Maybe. Why would they? Let's forget the camera for a second. Let's pretend that Maksim and others didn't know they were videotaped. What if all they knew was that I would go with them, record their trip in some way, and present what I saw to their family and friends? Would they subconsciously behave the way they wanted to be seen? Would they be mentally tired from riding all day next to a "spy" and not be themselves?

Questions, questions... I'm a poor thinker. All I can come up with is questions and no answers.

4. Wikipedia Is My Friend
Apparently, all these questions were raised by professional filmmakers long before I was born. There is even a name for this type of documentary filmmaking -- "Кино Правда" in Russia, "American Direct Cinema" in the U.S., and "Cinéma vérité" in France. No matter where they come from, most filmmakers, who tried to record events as they happened, seem to agree on one thing -- what they show us on the screen is not the truth, but a subjective selection of recorded situations.

5. What Do I Know?
Well, if many smart people agreed on this, I won't go on arguing unless I know something they didn't. There is no doubt that my camera affected the people I videotaped. I can only say that Maksim's trip was extraordinary and I tried not to interfere, but to simply capture interesting moments as I saw them unfolding. Thanks to Maksim, Devin, John, Troy and others for putting up with me all that time I pointed the annoying camera right into their faces.