Representing The ‘Real World’
The topic of ‘real world’ in film making is a very interesting one, particularly when it comes to documentary filmmaking. I personally believe documentaries should always be as honest and transparent as possible, although this can be rather challenging to achieve at times. When I approach a documentary, I like to think of it as a medium for us to share and tell stories from all around the world. Whilst viewership is evidently incredibly important, I would argue that, ethically, it is more important, to tell the truth.
However, this is easier said than done. Exaggeration of the plot for audience enjoyment at the expense of the truth, versus, adjustment of the plot structure in order for the story to read clearer, is a fine line to walk. Drawing back on our discussion surrounding The Wolfpack, I didn’t ultimately realise the power we, as filmmakers, have. In short summary of our discussion, we considered how Moselle essentially tampered with the timeline of events and whether or not this affected the film’s ability to depict and place its characters within the ‘real world’. I personally believe it was done in a manner that was not malicious, rather, a tasteful way to present the story in a way that was more apprehensible for the audience.
This argument of timeline was an issue that was actually quite relevant to our own documentary Outside The Box. In reflection, whilst ideally, we would have loved to have the privilege to document the food bank’s journey through COVID from the beginning it was something that, unfortunately, was just not possible for us. In order for our film to make sense to the audience, we had to play around with this idea of timeline. Ultimately, we decided it would be in the best interest for us to backtrack to before COVID hit the food bank to provide context to the situation, however, I don’t believe this aspect hindered the film’s sense of real world. If anything, I would argue, the changes we made to the timeline conveyed a more honest depiction of the food bank’s struggle through COVID.
Another element to our film that I believe adds to this sense of ‘real world’ is its observational film style and the exclusion of a complex soundtrack. This fly-on-the-wall style of film making that we chose really allows the viewer to explore the situation for themselves while the silence provides them with the time to think and form their own opinions, rather than persuading them to think or feel a certain way. Overall, I feel as though I can say with confidence that, my group and I worked hard towards achieving a documentary that represents the real world well and places the characters adequately within it.
Reference:
The WolfPack, 2015 [online], Crystal Moselle, USA, Kotva Films and Verisimilitude, Kanopy