Ten Canoes – Some analysis

De Heer uses black and white film stock to show what I would like to call the real documented events of the past. The said black and white film is edited so as to have a somewhat greenish colour that resemble the photographic pictures of the Yolgnu people that he acquired and that inspired him to make this film. The use of this technique is significant as it gives a sense of authenticity to what is seen on screen. It is as if the Yolgnu people were just there at that moment carrying out their usual activities without acting them out for the camera. It also creates a tangible effect, as if implying that these are the events that regular people outside the community can see and take pictures of or document. Where else the culture of the Yolgnu people appears to be on a different level. It is more than what can be seen on photographic images or on everyday tangible documentation. It presents itself in what is known as the dreamtime. This culture is described through a simple tale told by one of the Yolgnu people. De Heer uses coloured film stock for the scenes that depict the Yolgnu people’s story to not only distinguish the different time frames and show us what the emphasis in his film is, but also to suggest that part of the film as being in the said dream time, wherein all that exists are considered more real than reality itself.

Another use of coloured film stock is in the scenes set in the present. These scenes are mostly comprised of wide shots, long shots, bird’s eye view shots and tracking shots. Most, if not all of these are shots of landscapes that are not only used to establish the place and type of place the film is set at, but also to remind us that the Yolgnu people and their story, their culture, is still present among those landscapes. It is also interesting to note that most of these shots do not have any of the Yolgnu people in them. Seeing that all the shots of the Yolgnu people (outside dreamtime) were edited to look authentic as if they were real pictures of real Yolgnu people from olden times, it is possible that de Heer didn’t intend on purposely getting the Yolgnu people to stand in front of his camera for the ‘present-time’ shots as that would have affected the said authenticity of this film. What I am sure though is that these shots tend to suggest that these landscapes are sacred, uncharted territory, and reserved especially for the people who live in them. De Heer’s words are testament to that – “For me (Ten Canoes) is the most difficult film I have ever made, in the most foreign land I’ve been to…”