Lauren's Mediafactory Blog

Reflecting on Documentary Ethics Reflecting on representing the real world as part of a nonfiction media practice Reflecting on Working Solo Reflecting on the Final Artefact 10 KILOS HEAVIER

When Indie Bell was 13, her heart only beat once every two seconds. After drastically reducing her food intake, she was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. Indie is one of many young Australians who struggle with disordered eating, exacerbated by the images portrayed on social media. “10 Kilos Heavier” is a short 5 minute documentary that charts Indie’s recovery and ponders the dangers of social media.   Production Credits: Featuring Indie Bell   A.. Read More

In my documentary, I aimed to create a compelling piece that gives insight into the life and mindset of Indie Bell, learning about her story, challenges with body issues, and her diagnosis and recovery from anorexia.  Rohan really helped me realise the importance of ‘playing my cards’ correctly throughout my piece and any future projects I work on. This particularly involved giving the audience a ‘breath’ after something had been said or shown.. Read More

Working solo worked very well for me. I feel as though I learned a lot as I had to be across all elements of putting together the documentary. This included planning, giving instructions, working a camera, filming, sound recording, editing, sourcing copyright-free footage, sorting through archive footage, sound mixing, and colour grading. My subject, Indie, is a close friend of mine and was therefore willing to speak openly to me about her story… Read More

Bill Nichols describes six modes of documentary: expository, participatory, observational, performative, poetic, and reflexive mode (Nichols, 1991).  My film ‘10 kilos heavier’ mainly features observational filming combined with some expository filming.  Observational filming aims to adopt a ‘fly on the wall’ approach by capturing realistic everyday life. The filmmaker will capture what’s happening in real life and not interfere, allowing real-life events to unfold, without the audience ever hearing or seeing them. Despite.. Read More

I had never previously made an ethics charter for any projects I have done previously, but I think it is a necessary tool in ethically conducting a film containing people, especially if it is documentary or interview style.  There are three main sets of obligations for practitioners to consider when making a documentary: obligations to the participants, the audience, and their own artistic vision. These three things can often conflict with each other.. Read More