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 to let it really sink in and let the audience think for themselves. I learned so much about the importance of sound, including the natural sounds that the footage was taken with as well as soundscapes and music. In previous projects, I have added in music for no real apparent reason, but I really learned that music is most powerful when it enters and then leaves, and that is what creates the biggest impact.
There would be a few things I would do if I were to take this piece further. For starters, I would want to make sure all the audio is super clear to follow. There are a few times when I’ve had to chop together bits and pieces of audio, and despite doing my best to mask this, I think it would be a lot easier to simply re-record some lines.
Another thing that I think would benefit my work is to expand the piece to be longer, maybe a ten-minute piece rather than five, as I feel as though there is more to be captured about Indie’s time severely struggling with anorexia, delve more into her thoughts and feelings at the time, and then find out more about her recovery and the steps she took to work towards the person she is today. If I were to expand the film, I could also consider interviewing some other people in Indie’s life, such as her parents, friends, and doctor. This would deepen the level of knowledge and understanding within the film.
Some other smaller things I would alter would be ensuring all shots are crystal clear and perfectly in focus. I would also love to be able to get some release forms to be able to film in the hospital where Indie was admitted to create more authenticity and not have to use sourced footage.