JESSICA EVANS

BLOG POST 1: Documentary Ethics

BLOG POST 2: Collaboration

BLOG POST 3: Representing The Real World

A4: FINAL ARTEFACT OUTSIDE THE BOX

OUR DOCUMENTARY

 SYNOPSIS

For a portion of Melburnians, a free shopping experience is nothing out of the ordinary. Many rely on food banks not only as a necessity for survival but as a source of community. What used to function as a communal food centre, now operates a delivery service where volunteers respond to economic uncertainty during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. As Victoria declares a state of disaster, OUTSIDE THE BOX is a 5-minute documentary that explores how Donvale food bank volunteers are challenged to overcome ever-changing restrictions and find new ways to show love at a distance. 

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Produced By: Sonja Veljanovski, Brooke Duncan and Jes Evans

Cinematography: Sonja Veljanovski

Editing: Sonja Veljanovski, Brooke Duncan and Jes Evans

Sound: Brooke Duncan

Supervising Producer:  Rohan Spong

Featuring: Maria, Connie, Faye, Antonietta, Lidija, Hannah, Keren, Bill, Charles

Special Thanks To  Maria Moscatelli, Vantage Point Church and Rohan Spong

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

Reflection Of Collaboration

Working collaboratively on this film with Sonja and Brooke was honestly such a joy. It was easily the best and most fair group project I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of so far. At the very beginning of the production of Outside The Box I was a little concerned about how everything would play out and how collaborative we were going to be able to be during COVID. As we decided to focus on the food bank, it was quite clear from the beginning that much, if not all, of the production work, would fall on Sonja’s shoulders, due to the restrictions we were facing at the time. Whilst this wasn’t ideal we came up with a rough plan of how we could share the load, and we all agreed that Brooke and I would try to do as much of the post-production work as we could manage. We were all very good at meeting regularly and ensuring our involvement in the project which made everything run smoothly and effortlessly.

In future projects,  I would like to improve my time management concerning my other subjects. This semester, as everything was online and at home, I felt it was quite easy to let things slip which meant at certain times in the semester my workload was perhaps more stressful than it should have been. This meant that by the time editing came around, I was a little pushed for time and Sonja was kind enough to step in and help finish the rough cut edit. In the future, I will ensure that I am on top of all of my work and ensure I can do the same for other group members should the opportunity arise. I feel I did well at always making myself available and easy to reach. I know from past group projects, the most frustrating thing is when you can’t get a hold of a teammate. As a result of this, I endeavored to ensure I was always communicating and doing my best to make this assignment as enjoyable and stressless as possible for everyone involved. Overall, I am really happy and proud of how Brooke, Sonja, and I worked together on our documentary Outside The Box. Our constant flow of communication made this documentary such a pleasure to be a part of.

Documentary Ethics

For me personally, ethical consideration is something that I hold in high regard, not only in filmmaking but in everyday life. Back in week 4 of Real To Reel, when Rohan asked the class to consider what our own ethics charter might consist of, I took it quite seriously. I believe that ethics are undeniably essential to the production of all great films and is a concept that every filmmaker should not only acknowledge but cultivate throughout the entirety of their careers.

During our class, we considered the work produced by an incredible photojournalist, Eve Arnold. When comprising my own ethics charter, I took inspiration from her famous quote “If a photographer cares about the people before the lens and is compassionate, much is given… It is the photographer, not the camera, that is the instrument.”  Eve Arnold emphasises the need to carry with us, compassion and respect, throughout our careers as storytellers. It is her ability to do so, amongst her many other talents, that I believe sets her apart from other creatives. Throughout my work on our own project, Outside The Box, I aspired to consider her words at all times.

When reflecting on our documentary, we certainly did have a few ethical dilemmas to consider. Whilst a majority of the time, we were dealing with volunteers of the program, we must also, and arguably most importantly, respect the wishes of participants in the food bank program. We were very aware that many participants may feel uncomfortable being on camera. Whilst a few did give us their permission to be filmed we also considered the possibility that they may be feeling obligated. As a result of this, we ultimately decided it was in everybody’s best interest to remove them from the film where possible and instead use shots that are less intrusive of their privacy.

We also ran into a few issues with our interview with Maria. She was clearly very passionate about the topic and often got quite carried away with her answers. Whilst considering the time restraint of 5 to 7 minutes, we decided that it would be best if we cut her answers together. It was very important to all of us to abide by our ethics charters that stated “never misrepresent the participant or what they say.” and as a result of this, we ensured that we maintained the essence of her answers when editing them together.

The final ethical issue I would like to reflect on is the religious aspect of our documentary. We were all very aware that this program is run by a church, however, my group and I decided to produce a film that is as non-bias as possible. Maria (our interviewee) was very clearly proud and passionate about her religion and spoke quite a bit about her faith in her interview. After lots of discussion, we decided it would be best to respectfully leave this aspect out where we felt necessary, whilst also providing enough context to the viewers.

In reflection, I am very proud of how, as a team, we conducted ourselves and made efforts to uphold our ethics charters and constantly considered the words of Eve Arnold throughout the entirety of our project.

References:

Spong, R 2020, Week 1: Getting started/Eve Arnold and the photo essay, Real to Reel, RMIT University

Evans, J 2020, W4 : ETHICS CHARTER, Media Factory, Real to Reel, RMIT University

          TO DO LIST

1. Add b-roll to cuts of Maria’s zoom video
2. Ensure all cuts are smooth and timed well
3. Replace boot b-roll with other shots (more car mirror and location shots)
4. Ensure all cutaways are relevant and intentional 
5. Refine the text (review font, timing, transitions)
6. Smooth over sound transitions from clip to clip
7. Add sound effects where needed
8. Colour grading (create more consistent and warmer colour palette)
9. Use slow-mo/warp stabiliser on shaky footage
10. Consider the use of cinema bars
11. Add soft/basic soundtrack to create a smoother transition between diegetic sounds
12. Add rolling credits at the end
13. Find an impactful end shot (Maybe candid shot of Maria?)

          ROHAN’S SUGGESTIONS

1. Remove shot of sign ‘about others’
2. Add Maria’s name to candid, shaky shot
3. Write transcript from 3:15 and suss out what has been repeated and what needs to be removed
4. Shorten the third act and bring it to the end so the three acts are evenly spaced out with more breathing room
5. Focus on/add more shots framed within van looking out to volunteers
6. Move produce sequence to a more relevant time
7. Lengthen the rain sequence and move it to a moment of breath before COVID is introduced
8. Lengthen spring sequence and add it to a moment of breath before message of hope
9. Add more shots of powerlines at the west campus (put them before establishing wide shot of woman waking)
10. Use more shots of Maria

1. Turn the camera off at the request of the participant (Rachel Boynton, DOC NYC, 2018).
2. Show the participant the finished film before the public (Rachel Boynton, DOC NYC, 2018).
3. Love the people that you film. (Rachel Boynton, DOC NYC, 2018).
4. Never misrepresent the participant or what they say.
5. Always treat my subject the way I’d like to be treated.
6. If you’re not proud of what you’ve created, or feel ashamed of something you did, it’s probably wrong to share it.
7. Give the participant a copy of the film. (Rohan Spong, MELB, 2020)

Assignment 1 Link:

https://rmiteduau-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/s3657541_student_rmit_edu_au/EWKqWVWk3xBHomu-6KAcE5oBhKL9Wl-2CRhFXdJ9_i-hvg?e=f6hVfv

So I didn’t really know what to write about for this weeks task. With so much going on in the world, the only thing on any  Melbournian’s lips is, lockdown lockdown lockdown.

Looking back I wished we would have pick something a little less grim looking, maybe something to take our minds away. What intrigues me about these photos is how hard it is to gage the subject’s expressions.

Are they happy or sad? Are they smiling or frowning? Who knows. If masks have taught me anything, the lesson would be to pay more attention to the finer things. This is my favourite photo of the lot. This is one of my very best friends called Jess. Whilst the majority of her face is covered, her beautiful, soft, kind and vibrant personality still shines through.

You can actually tell a lot about a person by their mask. Is it reusable or disposable? Is it black or is it colourful? Is it made out of an old skirt they haven’t worn in years?

I guess the moral of the story would be, be thankful for your loved ones, be kind to everyone, look on the brighter side of life, it’ll all be over soon enough.

I never thought I would be one of those people writing about COVID-19 and the effects it has had on the world but, inevitably, here I am. After being assigned this photo essay by Rohan, the constraints created by the virus seemed to loom over me like an ominous cloud. But then, almost out of no-where, a ray of sunshine broke through the shadows. It was Buddy (aka Boisey, aka BigBoy) .

 A blissfully unaware, eight-year-old, fudge brown, Dood. I’m sure many of us have had one thing that has made isolation just a bit more bearable – coffee,  Netflix, freshly baked bread. Well Buddy is my one thing. While blissfully unaware of what’s happening on the News, why suddenly he’s been going on seven extra walks a day or why he is unable to visit his Gran anymore, he’s just happy that he gets to hang out with us. In the beginning of the shoot, Buddy was quite confused with my behaviour. Why was I lying on the floor? Why wasn’t I throwing him the ball that he was giving to me? And what is that clicking noise?

Buddy isn’t like most dogs. He’s smart. Sometimes too smart. To teach him to stay out of the kitchen we laid down some tape and simply asked him to not walk passed it, and he hasn’t since then. After sitting him down and explaining to him I needed his formidable good looks to woo my classmates, he agreed, only on the terms that he could play ball and have a Schmackos.