This weeks class we focused on what open space documentaries are and were asked to complete a creative writing task. This was a great chance to see how we could incorporate open space features into our productions. Open space documentary differs from conventional documentary as to be created it is dependent on the audience’s involvement, to create content. A phrase from this weeks reading,“Documentary as an Open Space.” The Documentary Film Book, Palgrave Macmillan, that has resonated with me, the idea that when discussing open space documentary makers, they are “context givers” and don’t “create content”. With this in mind as media practitioners, when attempting to create open space documentaries we have to consider the tools needed to enable the audience to create the content, and this content may be never ending.
Due to our production being factual and storytelling/personal recounts of memories about an event I find it hard to imagine how we can create an open documentary style whilst also trying to leave and inform about the events surrounding the West Gate Bridge. I feel one approach on the contemporary section of our historical timeline could be to ask the viewers of our production (on the landing page of our website) about their experiences of the West Gate, what knowledge they have or just a story that that involves having to cross the bridge in it. With this information we can create the ‘contemporary history’ of the bridge in real time. As the viewer transports themselves through our website they will begin before the collapse, in a linear fashion to post collapse and be presented with their own accounts and others that have traversed the website.
This week we also organised a time to talk to Donna Jackson and will be conducting a audio interview next week with a gentleman who worked on the bridge after the collapse who has ties with the unions that are involved with the workers of the bridge.
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