R.I.P. Richard Leacock

Direct cinema/cinema verite pioneer Richard Leacock passed away a couple days ago.





Leacock is perhaps best known for playing a pivotal role in producing 1960’s “Primary,” Robert Drew’s seminal portrait of John F. Kennedy during a Wisconsin primary election. Leacock helped conceive of an approach involving lightweight equipment, synchronous sound, and also closely advised on the editing process. He continued working with Drew on “Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment” in 1963, and was also involved in several Pennebaker productions, such as “Don’t Look Now.” Leacock fine-tuned a direct sound technique that became a cornerstone of the cinema verité movement, which eventually found its way to television with the PBS series “An American Family.” The tradition continued more recently in 1990s-era reality television, particularly with early seasons of MTV’s “The Real World.”