I was absent for this week’s workshop, but the workshop exercise asked the class to consider and analyse the narrative structure of our Project Brief 3 video. It was an interesting task to look over how we were structuring the ‘narrative’ for our portraits of others, especially as I hadn’t previously considered documentary or any ‘real’ interviews as really having a strong sense of narrative inherent within them. However upon reflection it’s become very clear just how much interviews and documentary style videos do have a narrative form to them.
Here’s my reflection on my video, still a work in progress, as per the exercise sheet.
What is the ‘controlling idea’ (Robert McKee) of your portrait?
The thing that most interested me about my portrait subject was that she was quite unique. When I had put out the call for interview subjects, a lot of people were interested, but they mainly wanted to talk about their hobbies playing amateur sport, or their studies at uni. While these can all be very fascinating topics if shot right and with a clearly considered narrative vision, the concept of interviewing someone who was out of the ordinary and perhaps a little ‘quirky’ to begin with would allow for more interesting shots, questions and overall the portrait as a whole. Maddi is a mother, to both human children and a fur child. I chose to focus on Maddi’s favourite past time of running a (quite successful) Instagram account for her dog, a Jack Russell called Koenig, and how through Instagram she has connected and networked with other people running Instagrams for their dogs, with whom she now meets up with almost every weekend for dog birthday parties, play dates and beach days. The concept of someone running an Instagram for their dog to begin with is interesting, but it was more her motivation for doing this as well as the relationship with her dog that I want to emphasise as the ‘controlling idea’.
How is your portrait film structured? (Remember there might be multiple forms of structure employed) E.g. Discussion and depiction of an event or process? A Journey? Use of voiceover narration? Other?
My film incorporates a mixture of voiceover narration and just a simple interview form interspersed between the narrated shots. The film will begin discussing how Maddi came to adopt Koenig as well as then how she began the instagram, what it has changed and what is happening now because of it, before finishing on what she hopes for the future. In this sense it is a fairly linear story discussing the past, present and future for Maddi and Koenig’s Instagram.
What do you want your audience to make of your interviewee?
I want the audience to realise that they shouldn’t take life too seriously and that we all need to do something fun and different every once in a while, because trying new things and getting yourself (or your dog) out there may lead to new, exciting opportunities.
How is your portrait being narrated?
My portrait subject will be narrating the video, through voiceover and on-screen dialogue. My voice is not present in the video as Maddi repeats my questions in her answers. This affects the structure as it makes the portrait all the more personal and to some degree informal, where a sit down, 180 degree rule style Q+A interview would detract from the controlling idea and the portrait as a whole.
What role will the ‘found footage’ play in your portrait?
Found footage is proving difficult to find, as I’m anticipating using it as a form of reinforcement for the topic on which my subject is speaking about. I had a very clear idea of what kind of footage I was after but even when using all sorts of archive and creative commons websites, there has either been too little to work with or too much to realistically go through to find the right footage, and when I have the licensing has been vague or missing. I’m hoping to have the footage (once I find it) interspersed through the video to also create a bit of contrast to just the sitting down and talking, and footage of my subject.
Does your portrait have a dramatic turning point? When does this turning point in your portrait and why?
I’m still editing as of yet and filming some more footage tonight, so I’m not sure where (or if) there will be a dramatic turning point. I’m intending to keep the video quite light and ‘fluffy’ for want of a better word as my subject is a very upbeat, positive person and I feel this would be better communicated by keeping the narrative quite even throughout. The only moment (as far as I can see right now) that could be considered dramatic or quite emotional is when she discusses adopting dogs and the benefits of saving their lives, so that could be a semi dramatic moment which would probably occur towards the end of the portrait.
How does your portrait gather and maintain momentum?
I’m still editing and sifting through the large amounts of footage I have but I’m planning to have the portrait start of slowly and simply with Maddi introducing herself, before delving into the more personal side and gaining momentum through the audience slowly learning more and more about her and what she thinks and hopes for.
Where will your portrait’s dramatic tension come from?
I’m still editing so I’m not sure I can really answer this, but as stated two questions above I’m not sure there will be much dramatic tension beyond the gradual exposition of Maddi as a person, if that can be considered a ‘dramatic tension’.
Does the portrait have a climax and/or resolution?
The portrait climaxes in the discussion of how much the Instagram account has changed Maddi’s life for the better, with the resolution or denouement being through the vocalisation of her hopes and wishes for the future.
