Reflection #1

Think for a moment about working with a living, breathing, human participant.  Now imagine you were to complete a similar project in the future. What would you emphasise, change or add to the Ethics Charter?

 

In reflection on the ethics involved with creating a film similar to this assignment, there is nothing that stands out as needing large adjustments within my own personal ethics charter but some points which I would tweak in the future. One which proved to need adjustment in my experience is that of alerting the participants of the consequences of their involvement (Rohan Spong, 2020). As somewhat of a personal reminder, in the future, I will adjust this to include not only the consequences but also the requirements. Whilst this seems a more important step in planning exactly what will be filmed (where possible) it does further feel relevant to ethical practice. To elaborate through an anecdote, during filming this piece I found Paul’s responses to a few shots I asked him to participate in to resemble that of surprise. This was not necessarily in a negative manner as I had made it very clear to him that at any point he could request the camera to be turned off or to not participate in any given sequence I asked him to.

This was largely as a result of my planning for this documentary piece being somewhat on the fly, changing from a one on one filmed interview to audio only, as well as being unfamiliar with the location in which I was filming. Whilst this felt something only relevant to my effectiveness in the few hours that I had to film it did seem to put Paul at a slight level of discomfort. Admittedly not to an extent that became a problem, especially due to Paul’s laid-back nature and my prior relationship with him. Despite his response in handling my off the cuff approach to this piece, it is something which I will find a valuable thing to consider in future work as not all subjects will be as welcoming and willing as Paul has been through this experience.

References

Spong, R 2020, ‘WEEK 4 – Molly Dineen’s kind cuts/ Ethics/ The Interview’, lecture notes, REAL TO REEL, RMIT Unversity, viewed 17 November 2020, <https://rmit.instructure.com/courses/84205/modules/items/2798604>

Reflection #2

reflect on what attributes are required of a solo media practitioner. Were you a good solo practitioner?  Reflect on what you did well and where you may improve if you were to work solo on future productions.

 

Reflecting on acting solo throughout this work I find it necessary to consider past pieces in which I have acted solo, especially when considering what went well. What stands out most to me as a success in this piece was my ability to slow myself down on the day of filming. By this, I mean taking the time to consider things a little more deeply before diving into a shot or recording. In a few previous assignments, I have found I tend to rush and this invariably has a large influence on the quality which I can produce. This piece certainly suffered to this however on a much smaller scale (especially as I had a very short window to get everything I needed) but on the day I found myself recalling where this perceived need to act quickly had brought me unstuck and as a result, I felt I achieved a higher standard of production.  

One area in which improvement could have been made was my preparation and communication. As discussed in the previous ethics post, at times I think I made Paul feel slightly uncomfortable as he could visibly see me being indecisive and somewhat unsure of what exactly I wanted to achieve. This could potentially be avoided through communicating with him exactly the thought processes which I was having rather than just requesting things of him. This is further hampered by a lack of preparation, especially in relation to where and what I was filming. Ideally, in future projects I will be able to view the location I am filming before the day of production, assisting me both in planning and my ability to clearly communicate the vision I have for the project.

Similarly, an area in which I feel improvements must be made is in my time management. Without making excuses, I fell into a job and returned to Melbourne during post-production of this piece and allowed distractions to hinder the amount of time I spent on the piece. This is something that I regularly find myself doing and moving forward, especially in a professional setting. I need to produce a schedule of exactly the stage I want my piece to be a week by week to avoid falling into the same pattern of distraction. 

 

Reflection #3

We’ve talked a little about the way that recorded images and sound can convey a sense of authenticity and/or persuade us to think about the real world.  Is there a shot, edit or scene within your finished work that you find to be effective at doing either? 

 

 

In reading this prompt I find it hard not to feel some sense of pride in the opening of my piece. Specifically in the shots of the hall taken from across the road. Whilst there are certainly technical flaws in these opening two shots I feel it provides a strong sense of what it’s like to stand looking at the hall or pass it in a car. The diegetic audio of cars and trucks flying past the camera was something I felt was really necessary. Specifically as a result of its ability to capture the sense of nothingness that surrounds this hall. Without panning or filming the empty farmland which surrounds it I feel those pieces of audio give the sense of a country backroad with nothing on it except this small community hall. 

Similarly, and through no real technical capability of my own, I feel Paul’s personality and investment in this hall is captured through his dialogue. This really is a result of his enthusiasm and personality but rewatching the final product I think his passion is conveyed through the interview. This actually had a large impact on what dialogue I chose to include. A lot of our interviews on the day included anecdotes, facts, or experiences paul had but my main focus was to portray just how much he cared for this small establishment. On multiple occasions after recording Paul and I discussed things outside of the hall however somehow it always ended up in a discussion about the sense of pride and community which resulted through his involvement with the Bundy hall. Whilst this could be read as bragging or fixation, in the moment it was genuinely inspiring to hear such passion and dedication. As a result, I was heavily conflicted with the audio which I included but feel I did him justice by portraying this emotion to the best of my ability.