Category: Untold Stories

Now that we have completed our documentaries, I can say that we have incorporated a range of techniques and strategies we have learnt this semester, such as;

• Starting with a hook (introducing the topic/establishing a mood before introducing the speaker) – I find this strategy sets the tone for the film, and generally adds a more dramatic effect. It hits the audience with the message of the film, right from the beginning.
• Text – Kim suggested we incorporate text as a way of providing more context and emphasising specific phrases the speaker uses. I think this elevated our documentaries as it helps the audience consume the content-heavy dialogue.
• We also incorporated different interviewing strategies that we had learnt during the semester, such as using follow-up questions, remaining silent during and shortly after the interviewee is speaking, constructing specific questions to provide clarity as to what we want to explore, etc…

In terms of our strengths, I think our group did really well in translating the story we were sharing in an aesthetically engaging way. Through our footage, typography, colour-grading and choice of music, I think we were able to make the topic intriguing despite our initial fears that our audience would lose interest.

As for areas in need of improvement, we could’ve taken more time to make Alf (our first interviewee) feel more comfortable, perhaps by asking the crowd of people watching to give him some space. Because he felt quite nervous, his responses did not necessarily answer our questions, however, we could’ve followed up and clarified in order to cover the topic from all corners.

Although there are areas that needed improvement, I still believe our group dedicated the most amount of time we could in this project, considering our busy schedules and pre-existing skills and experience. We spent the bulk of our time planning and ensuring we come prepared with equipment and questions before our interview, but also spent time as a group during post-production to make sure we were all on track and had a similar approach to our assigned documentaries in order to maintain continuity. Overall, I’m so proud of my group and consider myself incredibly lucky to have worked with like-minded, hard-working people.

Checklist

(I’ll be referring to the first video of our 3-part documentary as this is what I have been editing)

After showing Kim the rough-cut of our first video, we received the following feedback;

The message of the video is unclear – I understand that the direction of the interview is a bit vague, however, it’s not something that was a result of the selection and omission of the wrong footage. As I mentioned in last week’s blog post, we didn’t quite get the responses we were looking for (even after follow up questions), so the footage I did end up using was essentially all the footage we could use. We did, however, make it clear that the first video would be setting the tone for the following two, and its purpose was simply to lay the emotional foundation down where the viewer could see Alf’s connection to the grasslands under threat. I do still plan on responding to the feedback by adding text, such as statistics, location tags, brief descriptions, etc… to give some context and background information.

I also received feedback about audio quality which I am currently working on (fixing audio pops, levelling audio with music, etc…). Kim suggested to play the music just at the start and end, but as a group, we decided to keep the music going throughout the duration of the video (although I will be lowering the volume) as we felt it was necessary to create the mood we were going for and keep the audience engaged considering the topic may be relatively unappealing to some. The music is also quite simple and subdued, so we don’t think it’ll be too distracting to the interview dialogue.

In terms of what I need to do over the next week, there’s not too much left. I just need to add the text I mentioned before and make adjustments to our credits according to the guidelines on canvas.

This week’s reading addressed a very prominent issue for documentary editors and is something I have come across with our assignment too. Working with a large quantity of footage can be extremely overwhelming and ultimately gives the editor the power to decide what footage is ‘bad’ and what is ‘good’. What might be insignificant or unappealing to one person, may be beautiful and thought-provoking to another.

As I was going through the interview footage we had of Alf, although I didn’t have to cut too much out because we didn’t have a lot of usable footage (due to him repeating his answers or not directly answering the question – which is understandable considering the unfamiliar and nerve-wrecking interview environment), I did find it challenging having to cut b-roll that we were quite proud of as a group. I think the best way of assessing whether a piece of footage should be used is; if it serves any purpose in the construction of the story/message, technically strong, represents the subject in the most authentic way, and is respectful to the subject.

I also think it is important, as an editor, to constantly check in with those involved with the project by showing them rough cuts and getting feedback. This will act as a safeguard for our personal bias and gain more perspectives from fresh eyes. I also find it valuable to show people who weren’t involved in the making of the film, and even those who have no connection to the media industry, as they do not have the same attachment towards the footage and may help me be more ‘cut-throat’ with the omission of footage.

 

A few months ago I went to the Revolutions exhibition at the Melbourne Museum that was essentially about the 60s and the change that came along with it through the influence of music, fashion, pop culture and human rights movements. It had a really interesting set up that I’ve never really seen before. It was constructed like an audio tour (with headphones and a chronological path) but it also had geolocations that set off different songs as you progress through the years and audio to match photographs of protests, for example. It combined so many auditorial and visual elements; like draping fabric, lighting, colourful wallpaper, prints and other archival objects to keep the viewer engaged throughout the relatively large exhibition. It was overwhelming in the best of ways.

For our exhibition, I initially only pictured the standard ‘screen and seat’ set-up to display our documentaries, but I really love how this week’s reading encourages us to avoid creating a passive audience. It discusses the value of starting an open dialogue about the subject before previewing the actual documentary. Our group could possibly do this by inviting one of our interviewees to say a few words about the cause during the opening of the exhibition; one, to start a conversation amongst the audience, and two, to give people a chance to meet a participant from our film beforehand so they can establish a personal connection and hopefully become more receptive to what they watch. In terms of the design/visual aspects of our screening, we were thinking of having three separate screens, side-by-side, dedicated to each documentary so that there is a clear distinction between the three; the plains then, now, and how we can work back towards the beginning (they would obviously be timed to play one at a time). We’re also hoping to decorate the area around the screens with plants (hopefully species relevant to the documentary) to make it more visually appealing and immersive.

Why are collaborative and collective documentaries necessary?

Collaborative and collective documentaries are important because we must involve a range of perspectives and life experiences in the process of creating a film that is meant to depict reality, truth or actual events. Although we can never avoid personal bias, nor can we ever fully capture reality, we should always aim to do so by working collaboratively with the subject and those who have some sort of connection to the topic of the documentary. Not only does this act as a safeguard for the messages being conveyed, but it creates a much more diverse, rich, credible documentary that draws on more experiences than that of the creator.

To bring more participatory and collaborative elements into my documentary practice, I want to go further than just interviewing a range of people with a closer connection to the topic; I want to involve them in the planning and construction of the documentary. You may be able to get a heartfelt interview of someone discussing their struggles within a particular minority group, but that insight may be manipulated, consciously or subconsciously, by the director as they select and omit parts of the subject’s response. We can even face ethical issues during the pre-production stage where we choose who will be interviewed, our goal for the documentary, and conduct research that will act as the foundation of the film. If we, the creator, do not have any particular connection to the topic of the documentary, we must involve and collaborate with those that are, to ensure we are thoughtful, sensitive and make informed decisions during the planning process. I will endeavour to do this by building relationships with those connected to the subject I am exploring, and running things by them that may present ethical issues, particularly during the research and editing stage.

Reflect on how sound can be used in documentary 

a) Choose a scene or a short documentary film and write about how sound is used and what effect it creates

https://vimeo.com/355402411  intro (first 40 seconds)

The deep rumble, in the beginning, sets a serious tone for the documentary. It builds suspense that is then cut by multiple whooshing sound effects as the camera zooms into/transitions to different piles of plastic waste. These sounds create the effect of time passing, emphasising the fast amounts of rubbish the camera is capturing. The rumbling and whooshing stop once we cut to a wide shot of a picturesque, green landscape, however, the serious tone is maintained by a drawn-out string composition. The narration gives us context for the images we see and works well in the foreground with the subdued sound effects and simple musical composition. Crunching sound effects (mimicking the sound of plastic) begin to populate but then stop suddenly as we finally cut to the face of the narrator. This sudden silence emphasises what he is saying; ‘I think we’re in real trouble.’

b) embed your in-class exercise and discuss the strategies you used to create a sense of place

We wanted to capture the sounds surrounding the basketball court, giving the listener the experience of walking up to this space by recording the distant sound of chatter and the bouncing of basketballs. We tried paying attention to background noise, such as the sound of a near-by generator and the rustling of surrounding trees. That said, we struggled to isolate sounds in such a large, busy area, making it hard to mix different recordings together in post-production. For future projects, I would go to the location, take note of the sounds I hear and perhaps record them elsewhere to ensure I get clear singular recordings.

Looking back at this week’s reading on ethics in documentary, one part that stood out to me was the toss-up between impact and accuracy. Some people may feel it is justified to have a bit of ‘sleight of hand’ if it’s for the sake of the documentary’s cause and could potentially create a greater impact. On the other hand, some believe obscuring or manipulating the truth, in even the slightest of ways, is unethical and goes against the heart of documentary filmmaking. I do understand why some may feel the need to filter information, take part in questionable practices or include controversial material, however, everyone has the right to hear/see the truth, and those involved in the making of the documentary deserve respect and sensitivity as they share personal stories.

A few ethical issues we may encounter during our project would be:

Filming wildlife

Although I would never compromise the well-being of an animal for the sake of filming, I have to address the fact we are planning on filming animals (legless-lizards) and we will have to ensure we put their safety before our documentary. We are likely to film them in captivity (as they are currently under threat) so we will not be searching for them in the wild and causing distress.

Selection and ommission of information

Like with any documentary, we will be facing the issue of what to keep and what to cut. Considering this is an informative documentary structured around scientific research, we will have to carefully decide what information is easiest for the everyday person to consume, and what statements communicate our message effectively. We will also be showing rough cuts to MLMW volunteers and professionals to ensure we create a documentary that is as accurate as possible.

Discussing Aboriginal culture and stories

We hope to have our first documentary centred around the history of the grasslands and interview an Indigenous person who is familiar with the management and cultivation of flora and fauna before colonisation. In this case, we must be sensitive towards the stories this person shares and work collaboratively to communicate this information. We do not want to give them a voice but share it instead.

 

Full interview

https://drive.google.com/open?id=18_0UbQbCHBmNfdeC4XBJ5pUlmD2vfhwb

Reflecting on this interview exercise, I learnt quite a bit. In terms of developing my interviewing skills (e.g. asking questions that provoke particular responses), I wasn’t able to stretch myself as I interviewed Anhar who was also doing the same exercise and was aware of what response is ideal in an interview. She gave emotional, heart-felt, detailed responses without me even needing to jump in many times. I did ask what her favourite memory was of her grandma, but the rest was all her! I think in the future, although it would be much more daunting, it would be good to interview a stranger in order to acquaintance to challenge my interviewing skills.

That said, here is what I took away from this exercise:

Editing  can take an interview in many directions

I really came to understand how powerful editing is in an interview. Simply by making the footage black and white, the entire mood of the interview is different. It is more sombre and directs more attention to the subject instead of the colourful background. By including the moments of laughter, juxtaposed with a blank look and serious tone, I was able to (attempt to) create a depiction of the mixed emotions Anhar feels about reminiscing of a deceased loved one.

Music isn’t always necessarily

In this case, it was more impactful without the addition of music as Anhar’s pauses were emphasised and you could really feel her grief and melancholic emotions. It also creates a sense of neutrality which enables the viewer to feel what they want to feel, compared to having a particular musical composition evoke a particular response.

An interview can be short AND impactful

Recently, I’ve come to realise that it’s almost always quality over quantity. If you are able to select and omit the right moments, you can create a great, short documentary that communicates a story or message without requiring the viewer to engage in the video for a long period of time.

I’m still struggling to grasp what an essay film is exactly, however, I am starting to notice some characteristics. An essay film will involve the filmmakers personal perspective and will tell a story, link multiple ideas, or show a chain of events through their own lens. In response to the documentary about ‘gleaning’, the audience is fully aware of the filmmaker’s involvement and connection to the topic as she explores the history of ‘gleaning’ and its many forms. She is featured in the documentary, before the camera, as well as narrating which shows that the information/stories told are coming from her, personally. The second documentary demonstrated the impact the filmmaker/voice of the documentary can have on its meaning and effect on the audience. What you see can very easily be changed or manipulated by the dialogue it is paired with.

In terms of how we may use an essayistic technique in our project, we don’t want to make it too personal as MLMW is planning on using it in council meetings, however, we may still want to include our own interpretation of the information we collect from interviews and research to raise awareness of the threats to the landscape of the west. If we are able to reflect our personal connection to the environment and the value it has to the broader community, people of power who view these videos may come to understand the importance of protecting and reviving the landscape of the west and just how valued it is by its residents.

Exercise

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1kcJzrVqTKqPU4nTtg9aj_5JIEkefRtuy

One interesting point this weeks reading made was the changing relationship between the camera and documentary filmmaker over time. When documentaries were first being produced, it was the ‘first time an image of the world was formed automatically, without the creative intervention of man’, unlike other forms of art such as painting and music. They typically aimed to simply capture reality, just as the Lumière brothers did with ‘The Arrival of the Train’, however, as technology developed and allowed filmmakers to become more creative and experimental, the authenticity of a ‘photographic image became compromised.’ This then challenges the common assumption that documentaries illustrate the truth. Even if we aim to take on a neutral standpoint on a topic, the process of editing for example- selecting and omitting material – bends the truth in one way or another. But how do we create the most honest, authentic documentary we can? The reading puts emphasis on referring to multiple sources, perspectives and individuals. It also stresses the importance of closing the gap between the filmmaker and their subject by involving them in the transfer of information and knowledge as they have the first-hand experience with that particular issue/topic being discussed.

I hope to use these approaches in my final project by gathering information from a range of sources; volunteers, professionals/experts, community members, etc… and by ensuring our documentary revolves around the information these people share rather than using bits and pieces to construct and support our own conclusion.