“In 200 words or less please outline your goals, desires – what you want to get out of this semester. You will review this later in the course. You may rethink this dramatically – this is a good thing.”

You were asked this at the beginning of the semester. Now, could you review constructively what you got from this semester – has the course lived up to your expectations, delivered what you expected, maybe even surpassed it?

Documentary did not interest me as much as drama at first. I found so abstract from developing ideas to building up the film. We did not follow everything we planned in the treatment. Making documentary is way more intuitive and inventive than I expected. It is more like how we improvise the interviews or research we have about the subject throughout the production. There is way less planning to be done compared to making a fiction film. I feel totally different on the documentary structure while shooting and when I start editing. I always find many more other perspective to portray the subject if I arrange the same materials in another way. The feeling of the film changes everytime I watch it. Producing a document can be very much concerned with the filmmakers ‘ personalities and emotion responses rather than the factual information. Another interesting thing in making documentary is that how we evoke the subject’s desire to be in the film from wanting to be wanted. I feel successful when my subject becomes far more excited in showing and revealing more stuff in front of the camera. I fall in love with documentaries and the course has definitely surpassed what I expected.