How do we make documentary that is both political and poetic?

In order to produce documentary content, the reaches audiences in both a political and poetic manner, one must break the conventions of traditional cinema. After all, poetic experimentation within cinema has arisen largely from the “cross-fertilization between cinema and the various modernist avant-gardes of the twentieth century”. (Nichols, 2011)

Producing poetic cinema could potentially mean developing content that is represented in an experimental manner, stripping away literal meaning and allowing for interpretation. This will create a piece that forces the audience into thinking about a broader picture- allowing for a more in-depth analysis of the issue or content at hand.

Modern documentary is already political to a certain degree, many documentaries already have a bias and agenda aligned to sway their audiences into a particular direction. Within modern cinema documentary has become destabilized from the “fact-based, convention-bound and putatively objective social or scientific practice” (Everson, 2015) it once was. Combining cinema with poetic content creates a new wave of influential material, content that is aimed towards people’s character rather than a straightforward academic mindset.

During this studio I created my own experimental documentary piece. As a growing media practitioner I took into account many aspects during production (including, but not limited to lighting, mood, tone, mise-en-scene and audio). My short piece can be considered both political and poetic as it includes various references to current topical issues but is presented in a light that forces the audience to make their own solidifying interpretation. My piece focuses on the current issue of anxiety within our modern society. How many of us are set up to fail- to feel trapped in jobs we don’t love and to feel consistently stressed by persistent workloads.

When researching my subject matter, I found that 1 in 14 young Australians (ages 4-17) had already experienced an anxiety disorder (according to the 2015 statistic at Beyond Blue), that’s approximately 278,000 children and adolescents. In fact, it is sad to note that suicide is the biggest killer of young Australians, almost 4% more than car accidents. Yet, this is still a topic that holds a lot of resentment and stigma around it; thus by creating a piece that draws away from these facts I felt I was more able to focus more on the emotional side of documentary film-making; making sure I created empathy for my audience to take in.

My piece includes anger towards the way mental health is currently treated in our society, this can be seen by my choice in using red hued undertones and violent clips to represent inner anger and frustration. If I were to make a straight forward piece talking about such an issue it would not gain as much interest, modern audiences want film that creates empathy- footage and stories that they can both connect and relate too. By presenting anxiety in an abstract state, audiences are allow to reflect on their own experiences with it rather than factual based statistic that we hear in many television news reports.

During this project I have taken inspiration from various performance artists, as contemporary art is also a platform which can blend politics and the poetic form together. Marina Abramovic’s ‘The Artists is Present’ is a documentary I believe blends both poetic and political. Marina discusses the issues relating the the human connection and the lack of- entering the digital age, but presents her argument by using performance; staring into another humans eyes. This is all it takes for many audience members to feel a connection to her piece. This changes the perception of many individuals- all by a simple gaze, no facts or statistics or even verbal/diegetic audio just a documentary piece covering the effects of people learning the power of the human connection.

I have also taken inspiration from this short documentary piece below, depicting what it would feel like as an individual with schizophrenia (another mental illness prevalent in society but still stigmatized). I feel this piece brings a lot of heavy emotional tones through it’s visual imagery.

It reminds me that I am not only a media practitioner but also as a consumer and that using camera angles, audio, mise-en-scene, are all elements that if put together in a creative manner can create a piece that evokes a heavy emotional response. I really enjoy having these topical issues (like mental health) presented this way as there are many people in society who have never experience mental illness and possibly wont ever- thus they are still able to experience what it would feel like through film. A normally documentary would not be able to create such an emotional response that a poetic documentary is able to as it really makes the viewer question the material they are presented with.

Overall, the way documentary is produced, it’s intent and it’s content are all key factors on weather the piece will be  political or poetic or in this studios case, both. The main aspect to take into account is the audience and the way they perceive the media presented. Media that is poetic generally creates an emotional response which in many cases can be empathy for the issue on screen. But allowing the audience to interpret the issue without forcing the facts onto them gives them space to breathe, it ultimately allows them to consume the media with an active mind and rather than giving them content to memorize- thus it helps expand their emotional responses to future documentary films.

What’s Wrong With Simply Observing The World?
Natasha Khan, The Art of Persuasion, Liam Ward
Word Count: 970

An individual within modern society cannot simply observe the world; we all become consumers. Media can catch us off guard- whether it be an advertisement through a billboard, food packaging, or an audio announcement; consuming media has become a part of our moral.

Despite various conflict towards our current media usage, many individuals are passive consumers. They watch and observe but do not act on, or question, the media they are presented with. A passive consumer is not ideal in creating debate or bringing current issues onto the world stage. Without questioning the intake of your media, you become accustomed to media bias. Simply observing and not questioning deters you from learning, debating and creating a differential opinion.

In many ways we can link our relationship with observing media back to the Dependency theory (Ball-Rokeach & DeFleur 1976). “This theory predicts that you depend on media information to meet certain needs and achieve certain goals, but you do not depend on all media equally”2. From this theory, we can recognize that the way we depend on media can be determined by the social system we live within and the cultural expectations that society has. “Debates and contestation surround the basic social institutions and practices of our society.”1

As an Australian media practitioner (who is consistently questioning bias, ethics and consumerism); I have to take into account the social normalities that happen within Australia as a country. It is also important to understand that my access to technology and online communication is vastly different than to that of an individual within the developing world. Access to new-found technology means I have more of an availability to communicate my thoughts towards larger masses and benefit from a more elaborate network of online knowledge. In many cases, a passive consumer may not necessarily be educated on the media’s influence and thus would observe the world differently and potentially less actively.

This is why platforms like documentary film-making are essential in creating an active audience. “Documentary films mount an effort to convince, persuade, or predispose us to a particular view of the world we have in common.”1 Quite frequently, documentary film can be an exposé that leads to a call for action. In many ways documentaries with a rhetoric message and political stance aim to show a mismanagement in power between an organisation or governing body and the civilian from the public eye.

An example of this can be seen in Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn’s 2017 documentary ‘What the Health’, an in-depth look into the acceptance culture surrounding the meat and dairy industry. This film focuses on the issues inside multinational pharmaceutical organizations which are containing and covering vital information surrounding our health and wellbeing. The primary message throughout ‘What the Health’ is to advocate a plant-based diet. “[It aims to] reach and move large numbers of people and introduce [it’s] political concepts into mainstream culture.”3 Although all audience members may not agree with its content, it is important to have platforms that encourages individuals to question rather than blindly consume. We cannot simply observe an issue when change needs to be enforced, and “persuasion requires communication”1. 

A documentary does not always have to have a political agenda or message, but in many cases will. Nature documentaries like David Attenborough’s ‘Planet Earth’ (2006) focus primarily on animal behaviour and activity, originally created as a tool for educational purposes, teaching its audiences about the worlds wildlife; but in recent years this has vastly changed.

Attenborough’s sequel ‘Planet Earth II’ (2016) has included a stark warning against climate change and pollution. “For years we thought the oceans were so vast and the inhabitants so infinitely numerous that nothing we could do could have an effect upon them. But now we know that was wrong. It is now clear our actions are having a significant impact on the world’s oceans. [They] are under threat now as never before in human history.”4 Attenborough writes passionately in a press release to the Independent.

His words simmered the beginning of a political wave triggering the BBC to become nervous. The BBC voiced that “certain viewers would see the series as too politicised by taking a stand”4. But if a renowned figure like Attenborough sits back and observes without action, there is no hope for change. Who will help in preventing one of the worlds most disastrous man-made problems if audiences aren’t aware of the impact?

Documentaries on a whole, are reaching a brand new level in addressing audience behavior (and how they view the media presented to them). Recently, due to evolving technology- experimental platforms have come out that showcase in-depth, 360° virtual reality experiences. Some of the most renowned and controversial VR experiences, show their audience the human rights issues of what it’s like to be a refugee. These VR ‘tours’ step into a detention camp and bluntly let their audiences discover the experience for themselves. Stepping into this new territory means covering ethical issues that haven’t been addressed before.
What will the progression of documentary film become if its’ technology does evolve with augmented reality?

These are questions that we should be addressing currently yet may not have hit mainstream audiences. As an active media consumer and practitioner, it is vital to keep addressing issues that swerve boundaries and provoke new emotions whilst reaching audiences in a whole new way. Although we cannot simply observe the world, we can become active consumers, challenging the biases and fake news that consistently flows through computers, tablets, mobile devices and todays media as a whole. It might be harder to learn, taking time in creating an opinion (that in some cases challenges the mainstream media), but when informed you have a stronger voice. Learning, questioning and understanding our world will ultimately give you more of an identity.

1) Nichols, Bill, 2010, “How Have Documentaries Addressed Social and Political Issues”, Introduction to Documentary, Second Edition, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, pp.103
2) Ball-Rokeach, S.J., & DeFleur, M.L. (1976). A dependency model or mass-media effects. Communication Research, 3, 3-21.
3) Waugh, Thomas, 2011, “Why Documentary Filmmakers Keep Trying to Change the World, or Why People Changing the World Keep Making Documentaries”, The Right to Play Oneself: Looking Back on Documentary Film [Visible Evidence Series, Volume 23], University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, pp. 24–41
4) Shepherd, J, “David Attenborough Offers Stark Warning About Climate Change During Blue Planet II Finale”, The Independent, 10 December 2017, [Online] https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/blue-planet-2-david-attenborough-climate-change-pollution-finale-a8102206.html

The Art of Persuasion

Pictured left: Stills from Ai Wei Wei’s ‘The Human Flow’ 2018

What is it that makes us human? The defining quality that sets us apart from all other species on earth. Is it consciousness? Intelligence? Or both; that of an innovative mind. Why bother to change the world, our lives on earth are short lived and the world has many problems and issues that arise on a day to day basis- but then that brings the question why bother to do anything at all.
Documentary film brings a platform for conversation, in many cases informs those uneducated on topics that have been brought to the forefront of today’s media.

Ai Wei Wei is a Chinese contemporary artist, sculpture, photographer and filmmaker. His new film incorporates a contemporary cinematographic art style that follows the journey of a global human displacement. There are many motifs that connect the film as a whole, the film is a statement on the fact that “Over 65 million people around the world have been forced from their homes. to escape famine, climate change and war in the greatest human displacement since World War II.” In conservative media these issues are dismissed, ignored or resented.

“Artist film-makers are not manufacturers of the escapist dreams of conventional cinema; indeed they have almost wholly rejected narrative and concentrated on film’s formal qualities.” – Richter H, Film as Film: Formal Experiment in Film, 1910-1975, The Arts Council of Great Britain (1979)

Formal experimentation within film allows an audience to question material beyond that of what we see in standard cinema. The way we present an issue is extremely important to how the audience will understand that particular topic. In many cases experiential film allows the individual to have a varied interpretation that makes them question the source material and create a contrasting view and argument. Having to interpret media allows for an active audience, and an active audience means they are more likely to be educated.

Below I have included documentaries that have affected me as a consumer of today’s media. Most topical issues center upon climate change, human rights, beauty standards, female equality and our obsession being materialist within a capitalistic society.
What I enjoy about these pieces is not only the way the content is delivered but also the amazing cinematography that makes the shots involved visually encapsulating.

• An Inconvenient Truth (2006) Al Gore
• Before the Flood (2016) Leonardo DiCaprio
• The Human Flow (2018) Ai Wei Wei
• i-D Beyond Beauty (2016) Grace Neutral 
• i-D Exploring Girl Power (2016)  Adwoa Aboah

i-D is a channel that is consistently producing content on uncovered issues that does necessarily make to the mainstream media. Some of the content focuses on the stigmas associated with Tattoos in different countries as well as beauty standards as well as female equality in underdeveloped countries.
If I were too take inspiration from these media makers- it would influence me to produce a piece of media that talks about an issue that personality or emotionally affects me (just as the refugee crisis touches Ai Wei Wei and many other individuals).
I have always had an interest in Victorian drug laws and issues with sustainability. After reading information on China’s recycling ban I questioned why Victoria has not put it’s own recycling plant into action and why we are still exporting most of our waste overseas. This makes no sense, it’s not sustainable but the most frustrating thing is not many people know about this issue. This again is where documentary can do it’s magic. It can change people- inform them and start a conversation as to why these important issues aren’t being addressed.

“[This course reflects upon] the ability to look around, rather than ahead.” – Hannah Brasier

The development of this studio throughout the semester has been both skillful and creative. Through certain readings (particularly Mason, Gibson and Bogost) and in class discussions, I have gained a broader understanding on what it means to ‘notice’. To purposely notice is to be aware and to take in our surroundings.  By using various objects- for example a digital camera, we are able to potentially see aspects in an environment that one might not have been able to see otherwise. Using objects can bring a new perspective into the way we notice and view the world. This studio has brought to my attention the different ways we can perceive and notice our environment. I have also enjoyed the experimental approaches to learning that this studio has brought forward, it has been refreshing to focus more on conceptual skill building rather than the pure technical components of media making.

Throughout this studio I have developed my skills in conceptual thinking and critical analysis (especially on a personal level). Whilst developing our final projects we set goals in class of what we wanted to achieve, notice and learn. The ‘biggest thing’ I wanted to achieve was to understand individuals and their habits on an in-depth level- to notice their behaviors and be able to record this and display it in media format that challenged my creative skills.

My portfolio mostly centers around my conceptual thoughts, ideas on noticing and a few technical aspects. I did not want to be definitive in where this project would lead- the ending wasn’t the purpose the whole idea was to experience and record new concepts that arose from experimenting.  The concept behind the final project was that I took the notion of noticing and behavior and created something that presented habits (even ones that may seem dull or unnoticeable) to create a montage that reflects all these little aspects that makes an individual. The project also reflected on the relationship we have with media (especially cameras) and how we behave whilst being filmed.

One of the most challenging aspects during my project was finding a subject to film and observe. My first choice was my sister, as she is an individual I live with and understand. Because of this, I feel that I am able to notice habitual behaviors she does whilst working and find it interesting to wonder if she notices these habits herself. Unfortunately, due to her work schedule I was unable to have enough time with her and record her behaviors. Due to this It was hard finding the time to observe a second individual but I ended up choosing a close friend who I had good understanding of. This challenge didn’t end up necessarily changing the project in a specific way- (as the idea behind it was very translucent and would potentially work with various different subjects). For me it was all about spending time and making sure to record behaviors that I felt suited the montage and themes within the piece.

I did feel like the piece started to have more structure than being experimental (a narrative that focused on rituals from the start of the day till the end) but I ended up embracing these changes. Again, the ideas behind the final project were to experiment with concepts (habits), cameras (our relationship with the camera) and individuals (the way we document with media).

I discovered, my main subject (and those I used for practice shoots) found it hard to move past basic descriptive habits. Even spending more than a day with someone still didn’t necessarily give enough time to observe more deeper rituals, despite this I think the piece still presents a sense of observation, reflecting on day to day behaviors that the individual does.

Overall, I would say that I’ve learnt that the relationship of the camera can make it hard to capture candid behaviors, for this project. As even when I was subtle the subject was still conscious and aware that I was going to be filming. Although they weren’t sure of when I was going to press record the presence of the camera still changed the behavior from a truly candid piece. In saying this most filming incorporates this same issue and to overcome it one would have to record without letting the participant know and in terms of legality and the release of video content that would be an issue. I think in regards to candidness the final shots I choose to be included were ones were the individual was either aware and did not mind (continued on with their behavior) or forgot the camera was rolling (as I continued to film whilst spending time giving into angels that laid the camera still on the table or made it less noticeable)

My favourite aspect of the final project was the soundscape, throughout this studio sound has become one of my favourite topics. I feel I have a greater understanding on distinguishing sounds as well as blending them together. I like that sound is more interpretable than visuals, we can imagine an image when we hear a particular sound and I liked the concept that sound can be so varied and manipulated.
I decided to overlap my sounds for the purpose of immersion, I really wanted this piece to be an atmospheric example of what it’s like to film someone- including awkward or intimate moments like sneezing or spitting. The soundscape also creates a sensory overload that makes the piece have a certain habitual tone, it’s a reflection that throughout our day we do so many things that we ourselves may not observe.

Finally, I want to add that this project has made me really think more conceptually about sound and I hope with future endeavours I continue to experiment and find inspiration for way that sound can be changed, manipulated and incorporated into various media platforms.

This project was filmed by Natasha Khan, Credit and special thanks to Finlay Fitzgerald for participating in my project and for allowing me to record him.

During filming I expected the relationship between the person being filmed and the camera would play a major role, and it did. I think the main observation I have found and learnt through producing this project is that the camera itself has it’s own ‘presence’. When I first started filming the participant noticed the camera quite predominately and was conscious of the way I was filming shots. As the day progressed the alertness between the participant and the camera slowly became more leveled. The participant became more accustomed to it’s presence and it not longer had a ‘stigma’ attached to it. Its interesting to see and observe the relationship between individuals and technology, many individuals do not mind using their phones to be recorded but when it comes to using a professional DSLM camera the dynamic changes. The ‘intent’ behind filming is what makes a lot of people feel awkward– they don’t want to be captured coming across as unlikable or dislike the idea of intimate moments being broadcast-ed. I find it fascinating that the dynamic between social media (such as vlogging) and trying to film professionally (or journalistic-ally) is very different. One would suspect people would become use to the presence of the camera after using applications such as Snapchat and Instgram but this isn’t always the case. Overall this project has made me think about how selective social media has become and how afraid many individuals can be for audience to see their true unfiltered behaviors and personalities. Filming an individuals habits has made me more aware that habits can be an issue that makes them feel awkward and uncomfortable- not everybody wants their intimate behaviors shown. 

In order to practice technical components for the final task I have decided to add in a short portfolio of practice images that play around with the cameras functions (Panasonic LUMIX GH4). I focused on Shutter Speed, f/stop and white balance. I think this will help me figure out the type of look I want to film with and to keep things as neutral as possible so that the camera displays a true reflection of what the viewer would see without it.

WHITE BALANCEf/stop 2.8, shutter speed 1/1000, ISO800, WBbluehuedf/stop 2.8, shutter speed 1/1000, ISO800, WBneutral

f/stop 2.8, shutter speed 1/1000, ISO800, WBwarmhued

F/STOPf/stop2.8, shutter speed 1/1000, ISO3200f/stop6.3, shutter speed 1/1000, ISO3200
f/stop16, shutter speed 1/1000, ISO3200

SHUTTER SPEED
f/stop2.8, shutter speed 1/8, ISO200
f/stop2.8, shutter speed 1/60, ISO200
f/stop2.8, shutter speed 1/1600, ISO1000
f/stop2.8, shutter speed 1/4000, ISO2500

From doing this task I’ve learnt to take an important note on the fstop and the way it changes the depth of field, although I like that fstop2.8 blurs the background and focuses more on the object in view it was nice to see the 6.3 stop stop giving a more ‘fuller’ image and displaying more of what was also in the background. I think for when I start filming I should practice around with these settings to make sure I get the best and highest quality images and footage.

“How can we notice new qualities in our media by letting a piece of software create random relations between our media parts?”
(Week 11 Tutorial)

In this week’s tutorial we learnt about the platform ‘Korsakow’ which allows you to select media, add keywords or tags and create an interactive platform. This platform plays the media you have selected and connects it through the keywords entered. I found this platform interesting and I liked the examples Hannah showed us including the project ‘Ceci n’est pas Embres’ which displayed the juxtapositions between Winter and Spring. The most wondrous aspect from this particular project for me displayed a grid (roughly 8×8) of various clips of windows. Every now and again someone would open or interact with the windows and it was interesting to see the inter-connecting relationships between the clips and how altogether they create a new piece of media that is completely different than from the individual clips themselves. Kane and myself were also in charge of the weekly update, Kane filmed whilst I decided to edit the video- I did so in a way that was inspired by the Korsakow platform, unique, innovate and introspective. Below is what we put together, I think it is a good reflection of week 11 and I am interested to see what next week brings.

W11, Studio Update, Tash & Kane from Seeing the Unseen on Vimeo.

Biggest Thing: This project aims to achieve an in depth level of noticing on individuals; the project wants to en-capture someone’s nature and routine and present it in an experimental form that creates and emits the emotions that- that individual possesses. Are we able to display and present a piece that is a reflection on someones character? And do our habits create the basis of our character and they aspects we can change or are some strongly inbuilt into our nature?
Big Things: In order to accomplish my goal I will need to both observe and film a subject whilst recording their habits via audio and visual media formats, then I will present this research in a video-film based format.
Small Things: Timeline (Due Date October 20th)

Week 10 made me reflect on what I will be learning from the final project and to make sure that I don’t block myself off into thinking one particular aspect  and detain myself from being open to new ideas.  Emotionally I’m feeling quite down, although my project will help me learn more about noticing individuals I do feel like it doesn’t have as much passion in it as I would like. I wonder if I should continue to my original plan or make small alterations to make sure I’m content in what i’m creating.

The Artist Is Present (Marina Abramovic)
On a final note, I wanted to take the time to talk about an artist who has inspired me for this project, Marina Abramovic. Abramovic does performance art, her body is the canvas and her movements tell a story.

The piece below is a project that particularly inspires me. In this performance Marina Abramovic gazes into a strangers eyes for however long the stranger chooses. The purpose is to demonstrate the importance of presence, human connection and especially the connection we have when we look into ones eyes as this is the gateway to the soul and presence. We can reflect this back to our fast-paced society and how we tend to brush over intimate connections such as taking the time to appreciate and notice one another.

Creative Possibilities (Looking into Soundscapes)
ft. ‘Ken’s Last Ever Radio Extravaganza’

Wednesdays week 9 class focused on the different creative possibilities we could do for our projects. This included soundscapes, art installations as well as other innovative and creative new media art projects.
During this class we listened and examined samples of sound collages and analysed the techniques used to create them. Many included rhythmic and repetitive chimes that embedded a sense of surrealism. We also examined the ‘networkeffect.io’ which is a platform that continuously adds media to it’s archive to create an ever growing platform of experiences from people. I’ve found inspiration from these layered montages (both audio and visual), I find them engaging and immersive. As I want my final project to focus on the montage of habits I found examining montages this week quite helpful. I have also decided I would like to experiment with my own soundscape. I want to record the audio of everyday activities and create something surreal out of it. I would like to be able to immerse audiences into this warped sense of reality that layers everyday sounds into something abstract. I think it could create intense emotions and transform everyday sounds into something more unique.

Kens Last Radio Extravaganza: https://wfmu.org/  

The above piece I have created has taken inspiration from Ken’s podcast although I have added more layers to create a more disruptive piece,  the piece also has a narrative as each sound effect layered has been recorded by me and represents the habits that I am talking about (within the soundscape). It has been fun experimenting and recording with audio layers and I want to create an in-depth soundscape for my final experimental piece. I think the repetitive audio in the soundscape would re-enforce the elements of routine and daily activities that the habits filmed will visually present.