There’s a very fascinating mathematical theory out there called Zeno’s Paradox.  Achille’s has to run from point A to point B.  He runs half the distance, then half the remaining distance, and so on.  He is never able to reach point B because there is an infinite number of halves remaining.  While this theory has been disproven by modern mathematics, I like to imagine that it still exists in its original form.

Because that’s where we are now.

We try to stay optimistic, the finish line is so close we can basically touch it.  Yet with every canceled interview, with every deserted visit, with every cold shoulder, our distance is halved again and again.  We’re not getting any closer to completing this documentary.  I’ve been fielding messages from group members in crisis, thinking that this project won’t possibly work the way we want it to, and I reassure and sooth, but I’m just as scared as they are.

We were allowed some time in class to just write!, a concept we know I am VERY fond of.  This is what I ended up with at the end of the 5-15 minutes (what is time?):

The aesthetic choices made in a documentary inform the audience what the documentary is trying to say.  If a documentary is serious, it is more likely to have a slew of aesthetic choices that inform that; ie using darker colours, non-comical sounds, people looking serious directly into frame.  The relationship between the choices in my project will hopefully provide the audience with a feeling of safety and happiness. The bright colour palette, maximallist shots, and bright conversation will give the feeling of happiness, while the slow, flowy movement of the shots and the exhibition showcase set up with provide the audience with a sense of calm and tranquility, lulling them into a feeling of safety.  These combined bring forth the community sense that we hope for. If we were to overdo the bright elements, the piece would seem like too much of an ‘event’ and not a fixed place. It may also come off as too comedic for the documentary we are hoping to make. If we were to overdo the softer, flowy elements, the piece may, quite literally, put people to sleep. The balance between the two will give both heart and soul to our piece.  The audio will interact with these visual elements in many ways between the pieces. In some, it will inform the greater story, in others, it will merely add to the ambiance and, in that way, still inform the greater story. If we were to, for example, only use “horror movie” music, the piece would take on an entirely new story, despite the fact that the visuals remain the same. Audio is, perhaps, the most important aesthetic element.  If we were to change to shots from a horror movie, people would still be likely to listen to the audio and interpret the shots through that lens. By keeping the audio bright and lively, or soft and heartfelt, we are able to manipulate the audience into how they should interpret our shots. A shot of a tree blowing in the wind over audio of a person talking about how happy they are to be dancing would be interpreted one way, whereas if we were to put it over audio of the same person talking about their isolation, it would be far different.  It’s like the Kuleshov effect but probably with a different name.
I want the audience to engage with the project as much as they would like.  The way we plan to use sound and visual means that the story will hopefully get across in either form individually.  For some videos, such as the mothers group, the audio will provide the story in the plainest sense of the word, while the visual will provide the feeling surrounding the story; safety, belonging, and comfort.  For others, such as the cultural dance event, sound and visuals will work together, but seeing just the imagery or hearing just the live sounds would provide the same story: community, excitement, liveliness. In the exhibition space, we have planned our project to be shown in a way that provides as much or as little engagement as the audience would like.  The flowing sheet been projected on will give a sense of the homemade, which will hopefully coincide with our sense of safety and peace. The space we set up will be in the kitchen, an area that people tend to flock to naturally. The kitchen is a hub of community and conversation and food and drink and excitement. This vibe is perfect for our films. The combined outcome of the sheet and the kitchen will give off the same vibes one feels when they step into Walker Close Community Center for the first time.

I was unfortunately away on Friday, but my team members went to the community centre and I don’t want to say ‘boy oh boy’ for the 90th time this semester but boy oh boy did they return with a doozy of a video!  Unfortunately, as the video was not edited until the following Monday I am not permitted to discuss it here.