Month: January 2017

Now that we had filmed our interviews, it was time to review what we had and come up with a structure for the doco.

Given that we filmed our interview on week 4, we were a week behind compared to the other groups who already did most of their filming the previous week. Rough cut is coming up at the end of week 5. We needed to get organised fast.

Part of the criticism we got from Rohan was that the interviews were poorly compositioned…

• Eyeline was angled too far away from the camera. Interviewee should have been positioned closer to camera to get a better angle
• Close up as opposed to a mid shot would have engaged viewer to interview more
• Shot wasn’t locked off resulting in more of a field reporter look
• Interviewing two people at once would cause post production issues and limit flexibility in editing. Example: Belinda would often interrupt Karl and disrupt sentences.

These mistakes have restricted how the story can be told, but we must know figure out how we can make it work.

The way we captured the process of making doughnuts with the ADK staff was well received.

Tuesday 24th January

Day 2 began somewhat rocky from my perspective. The previous night we agreed to meet at RMIT at 9am. Belinda and Karl were going to be at Vic Market at 10:30am, but we still had to pick up all the gear we needed to use. I got to the loan office at 9:20 but my other two group members reported in saying they will be late and arrive at 10am and 10:20am. Not wanting to delay our schedule, I opted to carry all the equipment from RMIT to Vic Market myself. I was carrying three different cameras, three lenses, boom mic and recorder, two tripods and a slider.

I regret doing this. Not only could it be bad for my body physically, but it contributed to the lack of teamwork that morning. Even though we would have been late, it would have been better if we were late as a team and we all carried the equipment there as a team. Share that responsibility. And a lesson that could have been taken from that is that you can’t rely on one person picking up the slack and letting you off the hook. Will their attitude change the next time? Not much. But what if they go into the next assignment knowing that the team can’t move forward if individually they’re not moving forward or aren’t there on time? That would be a lesson in teamwork.

Anyway, with the actual filming… after seeing the footage that we got, I feel there were things we could have done differently or opportunities we missed. As Rohan said, interview shots should have included a close up locked off shot of Belinda and Karl. The sony camera could have been used as the close up camera, while the DSLR could have been the mid shot. Also while we got lots of footage of the donut process, we didn’t get as many cutaway shots of Karl and Belinda. A perfect opportunity that slipped my mind was when Belinda and Karl said they were going to go for a walk around the market. We should have had a camera follow them. That would have been perfect.

So the next step is to start indexing the footage that we have and piece it together and get more cutaway footage of the family if the opportunity arises.

Chef’s Kitchen is a short run series on Netflix. There are 6 films, with each film an in depth look into how a chef’s personal experiences and unique approach to the kitchen have contributed to some of the most celebrated restaurants from around the world.

Chef’s Kitchen was a great source of inspiration. Our approach to ‘The Doughnut Family’ is to tell a story of legacy and how the jam doughnuts at Doughnut Kitchen have become so iconic. Not only does Chef’s kitchen possess mouth watering visuals of food, but it looks to dig a little deeper and explore a chef’s personal life by covering themes like family.

These are some shots from the Ben Shewry Chef’s Kitchen episode:

Two camera setup. Both static. One close and one mid. Interviewer on subject’s left with offside lighting. Camera’s are on interviewer’s right side Boom mic used.

 

Macro lenses used to get that dreamy look

 

Over the shoulder shot shows the relationship between chef and food

         

A step by step preparation takes viewer on the journey of the making of a food. The preparation. The ingredients. The chef’s precision and emotion. The tools. The finished product.

Establishing the location. The shots used to establish the location of Attica characterises it as being nondescript. Nothing differentiates it from the other similar looking buildings next to it.

(Cresswell 2014, p. 18) – But place is also a way of seeing, knowing, and understanding the world. When we look at the world as a world of places, we see different things. We see attachments and connections between people and place.

 

 

Other interviews add weight and meaning.

Day 1 of ‘The Doughnut Family’ – Thursday 19th of January

Due to Belinda and her father, Karl not being available to film till the 24th of January, ‘The Doughnut Group’ made use of our time by getting establishing and cutaway shots at Vic Market. As per our shot plan I got three timelapses. Visually, timelapses show the passing of time and with the American Doughnut Kitchen, a timelapse will illustrate why they are so popular and their jam donuts brings in an endless line of customers…

 

Timelapse Tutorial:

Gee begins the tutorial with tips on how to scout for good locations to set up your night sky time-lapse. Gee actually seeks out interesting foregrounds to contrast with the movement of the night sky or frame it in unique ways. Finding bodies of water to reflect the movement of the stars is another technique Gee uses in his location scouts.

Planning Time-lapses:

(From No Film School Website:)

Gee uses PhotoPills, a mobile app that includes a lunar calendar and a 2D Milky Way planner, to determine the best days and times for his time-lapses. The app’s planner enables you to figure when the Milky Way will be passing over to optimise the timing of your shoot.

Gee also uses Star Walk, another mobile app that lets you see which constellations will be visible on a clear night from a specific location using your phone’s GPS. Since you will need to arrive in the daylight to set up your gear, Star Walk allows you to pinpoint which sections of the sky will be optimal for your framing later at night.

WITH VAN IN BACKGROUND:

Can you please introduce yourselves?

Tell me the story about the history of this place. How did it all start?
sidetrack questions: could you describe to me the model of this van, where did your great-grandfather buy it from? how has it changed over time?

How did you learn to make these doughnuts? What kind of memories do you have with ADK as a child? Tell me some of the memories you’ve had with your family in this van.

Were there any challenges that you and your family had to face over the years with your business? If so, how did you overcome them?

I heard that you have a factory in Collingwood, how did that all happen?

Can you describe to me how the doughnuts used to be made before you guys had a factory? What are the differences?

Tell me about your favourite memory with a customer? What makes you guys continue to do what you do?

Your doughnuts are so iconic, people come a long way to get your doughnuts! What do you think makes them an icon, and What do you think makes them so special and unique?

I know that this place has been around for generations. What does this place mean to you and your family?

Is it important to both of you that this family legacy continue? And if so, how do you foresee the future of this business?

INSIDE VAN:

Could you do a brief tour for me?

How do you work with such a small space?

Tell me about a typical working day in the van.

Show me and explain to me how the equipments work?

What is your secret recipe 😉

Could you describe to me step by step the process of making the doughnuts?

ASK CUSTOMERS
Why are you here today? What do you think of the doughnuts?

Do you have memories of when

1. Introduce yourself
2. What is American Doughnut Kitchen?
3. Why are the doughnuts are so iconic?
4. How was the business established?
5. How would you describe the success of ADK?
6. Tell me about the customers that you get?
7. What are your earliest memories of ADK?
8. What memories do you have of your Grand Father?
9. How did feel about continuing the legacy?
10. Do you think the business will be passed on to your children?

What we want belinda to say:

Do you want to see the Arnold’s legacy

Arnold passed away in 1989 and I want to see the legacy of Arnold continue. He would be happy that people enjoy his donuts.

“I would hope that my children and their children will continue what my Grandfather started.”

The American Doughnut Kitchen has been in the Queen Victoria Market since 1950, when my Grandfather, Arnold and his business partner, Dave Christie bought a jam doughnut recipe from a german company. ADK started out as a small business and a van. Now, in 2017, the company has a factory in Collingwood, two doughnut vans that we use for functions and the van at Queen Victoria Market.

In summary

We can do all the interviews on the one day, but can come back if we need to.

Where?

Who?

Julie Boening (Arnold’s Daughter)

Craig Christie (Dave’s Son)

Belinda Donaghey (Julie’s daughter | Arnold’s Granddaughter)

Karl Boening (Julie’s husband | Arnold’s son-in-law)

Notes:

• What emotion are you trying to evoke?  Write down what you hope to get out of subject.
• Limit to 10 questions? Target question 8 to find most about emotions?
• Start with context context questions? What is? Tell me about customers?
• Finish with questions that bring them back to contemporary times?

Community –

How long have you been at the [PLACE]?

History –

What are your earliest memories of the Doughnut Store?
How did feel about continuing the legacy?

“I would hope that my children and their children will continue what my Grand Father started.”

Cresswell, Tim 2014, Place: an introduction, Wiley Blackwell, West Sussex, UK

(Cresswell 2014 and Agnew 1987, p. 12) – The political geographer John Agnew has outlined three fundamental aspects of place as a “meaningful location” 1. Location…2. Locale… 3. Sense of place

(Cresswell 2014, p. 14) – Novels and films often evoke a sense of place – a feeling that we the reader/viewer know what it is like to “be there”. We often have a sense of place about where we live, or where we lived when we were children‰

(Cresswell 2014, p. 18) – But place is also a way of seeing, knowing, and understanding the world. When we look at the world as a world of places, we see different things. We see attachments and connections between people and place. We see worlds of meaning and experience. Sometimes this way of seeing can seem to be an act of resistance against rationalisation of the world that focuses more on space than place. To think of an area of the world as a rich and complicated interplay of people and the environment – as a place – is to free us from thinking of it as facts and figures

(Cresswell 2014, p. 18) – Place is how we make the world meaningful and the way we experience the world.

(Cresswell 2014, p. 119) – Place and memory are, it seems, inevitably intertwined. Memory appears to be personal thing – we remember some things and forget others. But memory is also social. Some memories are allowed to fade – are not given any kind of support… One of the primary ways in which memories are constituted is through the production of places.

Week 2 – Tuesday 12th January

Notes:
Not advised to give questions beforehand. Answers will come across as scripted
Instead explain the theme and topic to the interviewee

Show interviewee that you are invested in their story. Empathise. Show you have done research

Interview setup

Point directional Mic as close to subject

Hiding the mic:
Use felt material (Moleskin) to hide mic under shirt

Room recording of 30s for atmosphere

Input one – Shotgun mic
Input two – Lapel mic

• Ask for full questions
• I need you put the question in the answer
• Demonstrate what a full sentence is. Include the question and describe beyond the question.
• Navigate interviewee through process
• Tell you how you want the question answered
• Tell them where the eye contact is
• Tell them they can pass on a question, but state that there isn’t a question that would be
• Ask questions from iPhone
• Use facial expressions
• Be silent. You have set up the situation. You allow interviewee to fill the silence

 

Interview questions:

• Start with context questions. Start with easy questions and lead towards the harder ones
• Take interviewee through the journey
• At the end ask them if there is anything they would like to talk about
• Finish by brining them back to reality

 

Release Forms:

Print Media Release forms from Factory.
Ask for them to sign release forms half way through production. Change date
If under 18 ask for parents signature

 

In-Class Screenings: 

Screening – The Thin Blue Line by Errol Morris

• Puts the words in the mouths of interviewees. Filmmaker trains interviewee how to answer questions. Answers are descriptive.

Exercise:

What questions are asked?
What do you remember the night of?
What happened the night of the signing

Errol Morris invented the Interrotron. Allows interviewee to look straight into camera between a reflective glass window

The Lord’s Tale

Screening – Geri – The Documentary by Molly Dineen

• Filmmaker establishes strong relationship with subject that allows for a more accurate portrayal.

Screening – T is for Teacher

• Rohan played a coaching role in the interview process

Free Resource: Kanopy Online Streaming service

Recording Place – Week 1 Thursday

Mini Lecture

Aesthetics of Camera

White Balance:
Correct temperature
Natural look
Change settings to adapt to location
Overtime conditions change
Outdoor – tends to be blue
Inside with tungsten tends to look orange
Always use the custom option
AWB is always measuring light and colour. Can tend adjust due to temperature
Indoor/outdoor can appear muddy

Focus:

Broadcast television is generally in focus
Understand your distance
Zoom all the way in on the eye
Adjust focus on light in eyes
Zoom out
Pan tilt to reframe as needed
Adjust focus at every shot
Never use auto focus

Exposure:

Correct exposure: Small amounts of true white and true black and dynamic colours in between
Keep your ISO as low as possible
Aperture/iris

f2:
More light
large opening
shallow depth of field

f22:
Less light
small opening
deep depth of field

 

Shutter speed:
Pal is the Australian standard. it is comprised of 25 frames
Traditional shutter shape is 180 degrees
Sutter speed should be 1/50th of a second

 

Shot movement
Allows us to explore space
Pan/tilt/track

 

Rohan inspiration: Eve Arnold (i.e. misfits with clark gable)

Framing – Rule of thirds:
A formula for creating dynamic compositions which the eye can travel…

A key reason I chose to do the Recording Place summer studio course that takes place between January 3 and the 16th of February 2017, was to improve my knowledge and knowhow of how to make a documentary.

In 2016, I completed a 30 minute documentary called ‘Longhorns’, it is a story about a South Sudanese basketball club based in the Western suburbs of Melbourne. I’m proud of the way the documentary turned out, how it was received and the way the story was told.

In completing ‘Longhorns’, I have a hunger to tell more stories and stories that mean something to me. I know there are many ways I can improve the way I can make my next documentary and the opportunity to learn from documentary filmmaker, Rohan Sprong, is something I couldn’t pass up.

Things I can improve on:

• Improving interview methods
• Efficient and organised post-production and editing techniques
• Knowing and understanding what shots are are needed
• Best methods to film footage
• Dealing with interview subjects