For a portion of Melburnians, a free shopping experience is nothing out of the ordinary. Many rely on food banks not only as a necessity for survival but a source of community. What used to function as a communal food centre, now operates a delivery service where volunteers respond to economic uncertainty during the time of the Covid 19 pandemic. As Victoria declares a state of disaster, OUTSIDE THE BOX is a 5-minute documentary which explores how Donvale food bank volunteers are challenged to overcome ever-changing restrictions and find new ways to show love at a distance.
A Documentary by Sonja Veljanovski, Brooke Duncan and Jes Evans
Cinematography: Sonja Veljanovski
Editing: Jes Evans, Sonja Veljanovski and Brooke Duncan
After completing Outside the Box, there are a few ethical considerations that I’d like to emphasise in future productions. One of which is building a relationship with the subject/s off camera. Although I was acquainted with the volunteers, it wasn’t until filming had commenced that I made an effort to build genuine relationships. There were moments where some volunteers looked uncomfortable during filming, particularly when they were faced with hurdles such as stock shortages and bad weather. In hindsight, if I had more of a connection with them, they may have felt more at ease and willing to be filmed during those challenging times.
“If a photographer cares about the people before the lens and is compassionate, much is given.” EVE ARNOLD
In an interview with The Economist (2012), documentary filmmaker, Molly Dineen, highlights the importance of honesty with her subjects. She claims that it is the only way to gain trust, which enables the subject to give themselves fully to the interview. I wish I had followed this approach prior to filming, as I only gave the volunteers a brief explanation of what the documentary would explore. If I had clarified the goal of capturing COVID’s constraints on the food bank, volunteers may have been more open to being filmed in those vulnerable, frantic moments.
The failure to properly brief our subjects also posed challenges when interviewing Maria. I did not make it explicitly clear that this film was not about promoting the church’s program. I also failed to communicate that our target audience was the general public and not just church-goers. This led to spiritually-centred responses during our interview, presenting an ethical issue for our team; “do we remain true to Maria’s character who is so strongly led by faith or do we edit those responses in order to create a relatively neutral perspective, that does not alienate non-religious viewers?” By being more transparent about our intentions from the beginning, I would’ve received more relevant responses. If a strong religious tone was still evident, Maria would have been aware that this was not something we’d use in the final edit. For future projects, I’ll need to make it a priority to outline exactly what the documentary will address and how the footage will be handled in order to communicate our intended message.
References
Spong, R 2020, Week 4: Molly Dineen’s kind cuts / Ethics / The interview, Real to Reel, RMIT University
The Economist 2012, Molly Dineen on making documentaries, YouTube, 4 April, viewed 11 October 2020, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iweXyqBY82U>.
Although it is impossible to depict a true representation of reality, and arguably unethical to claim that you have done so, I have come to appreciate the power of sound and images when conveying a sense of authenticity about the world around us.
During this course, we have looked at the emotionally charged images of photojournalist, Eve Arnold. As opposed to the glamorised images of celebrities at the time, Arnold managed to capture the unseen authenticity and rawness of these characters, often highlighting their masked struggle whilst also representing them with dignity. In the photo below we see Marilyn Monroe learning her lines on the set of The Misfits (Huston, 1961), which lies in stark contrast to the beaming smile and bold outfits we associate her with. In the second image, we see a faceless, retired actress who resides in aged care, resting her head on her withered hands, almost as if she was wistfully reflecting on her past. These are two of many images in which Arnold redefines what it is to be famous; a title gained through passion, determination, and years of hard work. She avoids depicting her subjects as superficial objects and instead captures them at moments where their most authentic, often strained or challenged, self is visible.
Figure 1: Marilyn Monroe on the set of The Misfits, Eve Arnold (1961)Figure 2: Hollywood home for ailing movie stars, Eve Arnold, 1967
Looking back at the rain sequence from Outside the Box, I am reminded of the way images and sound can convey a sense of authenticity. Although the aim was to present a positive depiction of community work, we thought it was important to reflect the challenges and sometimes unattractive aspects of volunteering. We watch a volunteer work alone in a dimly lit shed and another struggling to carry food boxes to a van as we see and hear rain pour over the site. The use of diegetic sound and patient editing creates an authentic image of the reality these individuals face.
This sequence, however, wasn’t created to paint an ugly picture of volunteering, but instead, encourage viewers to appreciate the work that goes on behind the scenes. It prompts us to ask ourselves why people sacrifice their time for such work, a question which is addressed in the third act where the new life and hope of spring is introduced, revealing the true fruits of their labour; social connection.
References:
Spong, R 2020, Week 1: Getting started/Eve Arnold and the photo essay, Real to Reel, RMIT University
Considering the current circumstances that have prevented contact, I was lucky enough to get the chance to work in a great team for the production of Outside the Box. Initially, I thought it’d be easier to work solo during lockdown, however, working in a team has not only lightened the work-load but also made the experience all the more enjoyable as I got to share it with other people.
At times, I would consider myself a good collaborator as I enjoy meeting new people and building friendships. I often find that when a group of like-minded people are able to get to know one another, and strike a balance between work and socialising, they tend to enjoy the process and trust their teammates, resulting in great work. I enjoyed initiating this dynamic as I feel as though it is as beneficial to others as it is to me.
Another strength I have when working collaboratively is effective communication. Even when tasks were delegated, I ensured the team was updated on my progress, such as shooting footage, complications faced during filming, changes made to the edit, etc… Jes and Brooke also kept the team in the loop of any progress made on their behalf. These debriefings were really important since we were unable to work together physically, enabling us to keep each other involved in the decision-making process, as well as maintaining consistency in all areas of production.
An aspect of collaboration that I struggle with most, particularly during this project, is delegation. At times I prefer to do the task myself, rather than explaining my ideas to others, which I am aware is not a good habit to foster. Because Outside the Box was initially my idea to film, I think it was assumed that I would take on some form of leadership, since I had more background knowledge of the story. This was a challenge as I felt uncomfortable asking others to help me with certain tasks. It was frustrating and somewhat awkward not being able to involve the team in the filming process and therefore I avoided asking them to help me with menial tasks, like organising release forms and other documentation. For future productions, I will need to be more intentional when seeking help, and ensure that I am direct with instructions instead of waiting for others in the team to magically take on the role.
For the viewing activity, our group decided to watch the short documentary, Last Address (Ira Sachs, 2010). The observational style of this film allows the imagery to do all the talking. It is not carried by interviews or music but speaks volumes through the soft, diegetic sound and mostly static shots of the buildings that once housed artists who have died of AIDS.
The film essentially depicts a collection of buildings in New York City, accompanied by the text of the past resident’s name and address. The takes are long and patient and include action happening around the building, such as an individual people watching, passers-by, traffic and so-on. We can hear the sound of this action but it is relatively quiet considering the typically loud, busy sounds of NYC. This muted background noise directs focus to the towering buildings. This quiet audio combined with the long takes draws attention to the stillness that comes after death and the mystery that develops as we observe the exterior of these artists homes.
After watching this work, I learnt just how powerful patience can be. I tend to feel the need to inject a ton of emotion in my work through music, interview audio and a dense compilation of b-roll, but I’m starting to realise that can take away from the actual message. In Sachs’ work, I initially didn’t feel much when I was first met with an image of an ordinary building, but as it lingered on the screen I began to wonder what stories lie beyond the exterior. The people passing by and the sound of distant traffic was a reminder that life goes on after death which made it even sadder to think of the faceless artists whose lives were cut short.
I will definitely consider this restrained approach for our A4 documentary as I think it may work for our Food Bank subject. Rather than traditionally introducing the space with dialogue, we could use diegetic sound and long takes of the uniform shelves and masked volunteers to give the viewer a chance to wonder what is going on. We could also use text to provide additional context and perhaps wait until the end of the film to describe what they have just seen (as Sachs does in his). Overall, I think the patient editing and minimal approach in Last Residence is something I’d love to explore in our final product.
The montage I created was shot in my living room which has now been converted into my mum’s study. She prepares her art classes from home in her uniform of nightgowns and fluffy socks. Mum always has the news on in the background, from start to finish, convinced she’s absorbing the breaking news as she works. I’ve included this background audio as it not only illustrates the tense environment my mum works in, but also provides context for the sequence as we hear Dan Andrews thank Victorians for working at home.
I started with the establishing shots of the lounge room, sprawling papers, and mum’s clothing in order to convey that we are alone in a house, as well as demonstrating what she is working on later on in the montage. I didn’t cut straight to mum as I wanted to create some intrigue and set the scene, but later interspersed the shots of her working with those of her surroundings, such as the chocolate and wine, in order to contrast her focused expression with her recreational items (although it’s worth noting she was not drinking at 11 AM).
My intention was to capture my mum’s new and somewhat sombre work environment through long takes and close-ups with little movement to create an unsettling feeling as ‘normal’ life for many is suspended. The extreme close-ups of the TV were included to not only show the source of the background dialogue but to emphasise the impersonal relationships we now rely on.
