There is a scene in the documentary when Gisele talks about being the only female in many of her classes and how things get mansplained for her. So when reflecting on how we represented the real world as part of nonfiction media doesn’t get more real than females’ personal experiences in a field in which females are underrepresented. The whole scene when Gisele talks about when guys get something wrong it is fine, nobody makes a big point. Yet when she gets something wrong, it has to be pointed out and picked apart simply because she is a female, this is a real-life issue that all females know and can resonate with. We live in a country where men and women have ‘equal rights’ but when moving into a male dominant field or simply just interacting with men in society women face slander, sexism and misogyny from men who are insecure about their masculinity and place in society. So there is something so powerful about Gisele’s story and drive to become a female that works in science and space technology.
Our documentary is shot in participatory style, which is derived from Bill Nicholas’s 7 modes of documentaries (Nichols’ Representing Reality (1991)). Gisele is taking part in not only the interview but also participating in the filming of Broll which was shot in documentary, it is almost like the documentary is a short biography. This participatory style further just shows how the real world is depicted in our nonfiction media practice there is no acting or false reality throughout our documentary.