Documentary As Action: Reflecting on PB2

During the last two weeks I have been assembling a collage of different video and audio files which have been exploring themes which are of great importance in my final micro documentary series. Through writing out my plan for the micro documentaries, I had a very good idea of what exactly I was going to be filming, recording and editing before embarking on my non-for-profit documentary adventure.

It was firstly important to establish who my non-for-profit organisation would be. I chose the Aussie Hands Foundation, a non-for-profit organisation founded in the early 2000’s after my brother was born with three missing fingers on his right hand. There was no database for recording hand differences and no support groups for families with hand differences at the time, therefore my parents were motivated to establish Aussie Hands. Aussie Hands now supports children, adults and families with hand differences, financially supporting them, raising money for vital research and making their members feel like they are not alone by providing them with the support they need.

My aim was to film three themed experiments: a breakfast routine, a playground and office sequence along with an abstract sequence which lends into filming from a different perspective.  As outlined in my micro-documentary plan, I sketched out visuals that would connect to the subjects I would be later interviewing.

For example one of my subjects will be a young member of Aussie Hands, a determined girl with a hand difference. The world would look different through her eyes, still a child she has found ways to deal with having a hand difference but still being able to play on playground equipment, interact with her friends at school and be a confident young person. With a DSLR I went out to a local park to film things from many different low angles to give the impression that the camera was from the perspective of a child. From rolling around in the tanbark to the decent down the slide,  soaring on the swings these all represent playing and interacting with this fun equipment. Through these important visuals I explored the world through the eyes of a younger person which will be important as the audience can connect to the world of the child.

Another exercise explored in project brief two was an array of different interview styles. Through making a short micro documentary about my Dad being a teacher, I was able to explore different interviewing styles. For example I casually interact with my Dad asking him to give a tour of his classroom and show me where he favourite spots to teach are. This is known as an informal interview as the interviewer and interviewee are in full contact and the interviewers presence and existence is made aware to the audience. Some interviews can keep the pre-interview methodologies in the final cut, I ask my Dad in the micro documentary about schoolteaching the question and react to his response, that is kept in the final cut as it is important, showing the relationship between the interviewer and the subject, not completely alienating them. An interview which is free flowing capturing a live event was also explored as when my Dad gave me a tour of his classroom I followed him around the room, no cuts just a natural and unscripted event unfolding. Metal and Melancholy (1993 – Heddy Honigmann) captures their subject in full participation describing to the camera and to the interviewer their methods when coming to creating an unstealable car. The interview is free flowing also and it through the explanation you see the subjects true self, the subject in their true element, which is important in documentary because it gives the interview and what they’re saying context.

Overall it has been an important planning period, plotting out the visuals which I would most like to capture and explore, the ways to best record the audio for the most clarity and profound effects, and the most unique ways to film an interview to keep the audience interested and give more dimensions to the subject.

MORE THAN A JOB: GRADE ONE WITH MR.SERPELL (Audio Soundcloud Link) 

MORE THAN A JOB: GRADE ONE WITH MR.SERPELL (Youtube Link) 

Michael Serpell