This week, we have been talking a whole bunch about…wait for it…documentary! Well, obviously. But more than this, we’ve been discussing what we enjoy about documentary, and how this class will be individually beneficial.
I love crime documentaries – stories of crime, murders, mystery, and lies are so interesting to me. I think it’s potentially the human psychology and the way people tick which intrigues me. I love the fact that there is so much hidden evidence that a documentary can uncover – purposefully or accidentally.
In thinking about crime, I also tend to veer towards social justice as an interest point. Social justice issues have plagued my mind since a very young age. In primary school, I would befriend the lonely student, in high school I was school captain and had leadership roles in order to combat bullying and the likes, and in the real world I’m constantly seeing things that trouble me – homelessness, poverty, degradation. My subconsciousness always seems to be on the look-out for a problem that needs solving. Even the people I surround myself with, tend to have colourful pasts that I naturally, aim to repair.
With all that in mind, I would love, love, love to create a documentary that could help some one. I’m not striving to reach a global audience as I am definitely under-skilled for such a task, but I would love if the documentary I create can touch some one – even if that is only 1 person. Through exploring Project Brief 1, I realised that I am drawn to close-up shots of facial features. Expression can tell so much about a person. Furthermore, reading a face (the age lines, the depth of ones eyes, and the crinkles from years of smiles) can also tell a great deal about a person and the life a person has lead.
I would love to make an abstract piece of work that could tell a narrative through images and expressions. Shots of an elderly person’s hands can tell you so much about that person. For instance, the hands may be rough from a lifetime of labour. However, a wrinkled hand with red polished claws may also denote a fashionista from way back.
I’m still trying to work out a way that social justice and fighting for a cause can meld with the abstract. Although, what I’ve discovered, is that the unsaid word, perhaps a stare, or a glance, can say a whole lot more than any dialogue.
August 1, 2017 at 8:43 pm
Hi Bronte… do you have some ideas in mind? I think an abstract exploration could work really well, though of course it would vary depending on your participants and subject matter. You could also use interviews as an audio track and then have imagery that was non-diegetic. It might but fun to play around with a few techniques like this to see what they do.