Considering my work was heavily inspired by that of Frederick Wiseman, who practises in an observational mode of documentary film making, I think that majority of my film conveys a sense of authenticity, and represents the real world consistently.

The observational mode I took inspiration from, and made my film practising, involves not interfering or staging what is happening in front of the camera, rather allowing real life events to unfold with un-cast people. the mode also avoids re-enactments and or narration/voiceovers, however typically includes long takes (Staff, 2023). This mode of documentary film making is also known as ‘cinema verite’, which translates to ‘truthful cinema’ (Kellerman, 2019).

For almost the whole length of my film, I think that the audience is encouraged to consider and think about pub culture in Melbourne, particularly about the different groups of people at the particular venues. Through the sound and compilation of shots, audiences recognising the different kinds of voices, clothing, gender, and practises in each of the pubs should encourage deeper thinking and consideration of the geographical area of the venues, and the typical rituals of visiting pubs in Melbourne.

An area of my project that I think specifically encourages this thought and that conveys a sense of authenticity is the contrast between the second and third pub. Shots in The Precinct (second pub) such as the pan shot of ‘blokes’ talking around the table, and various shots outside where people (mainly men) are watching the football, drinking beer, and gambling get across to the audience that this pub is very sporty, and attracts a slightly older and less exotic crowd. However when we see the Union Hotel, there is distinctly both male and female voices, you hear an order for a lemon lime bitters drink (as well as see it being made), and there are both males and females around the pool table. This hopefully brings the audience to consider the type of crowd attending this pub, and the type of crowd at night.

The transitions between the streets and local area surrounding the pubs also encourages the audience to consider the impact and importance of local venues in bringing locals together and providing a social space for specific suburbs. This is most effective at the beginning of the film, with the transition of sound from busy traffic to a crowd of people in the pub talking and laughing, as well as seeing the bar tender laugh with a customer. The impact of community and significance of pubs should hopefully be conveyed to the audience in this specific sequence.

Bibliography

Hellerman, J. (2019) What is cinema verite and how can you use it in film and TV?, No Film School. Available at: https://nofilmschool.com/what-is-cinema-verite (Accessed: 26 May 2023).

Staff (2023) Documentary: What is The observational mode?, So The Theory Goes. Available at: https://www.sothetheorygoes.com/documentary-observational-mode/#:~:text=In%20an%20observational%20mode%20documentary,for%20this%20kind%20of%20filmmaking. (Accessed: 26 May 2023).

I thoroughly enjoyed completing this assignment solo, however, I definitely would have gained from having assistance in sharing the workload, and benefited from creative suggestions and ideas that come with working as a group.

Filming was definitely the most challenging part of my project to complete solo. Organising and keeping track of mics and cables all whilst trying to identify suitable shots and specific things/people I could film got quite challenging. Especially at The Union Hotel, which was really busy at the time of filming. That being said, I think that I coped quite well and never had any hazards such as tripping or interference with my tripod. I do believe that the addition of another person could have enhanced the quality of a lot of shots, just through the input of ideas such as filming at angles I may not have recognised, or even filming different subjects all together. A main point that I could have improved was also my timeliness and scheduling. Because I was working alone, setting up equipment and ensuring that the camera is put on the right settings takes a lot more time than what I had expected. Because of this, I definitely should have arrived at the pubs earlier than scheduled to set up everything, so that I was ready to go by the negotiated filming time.

The challenge of maintaining a consistent quality as a solo film maker was also quite difficult, particularly on my first scheduled shoot. This included very basic checks such as focus, checking levels, and that the white balance had been adjusted. Working solo, I found myself forgetting to double check these basic checkpoints. Although I improved this on my later shoots, my footage could have been enhanced if I had been more attentive on my first shoot.

One thing I think I did particularly well as a solo film maker was react to unexpected hurdles during my filming. particularly when the original pub I planned to shoot in, The Corner Hotel, told me that I could not film in there venue. Working solo meant that I could quickly decide on an alternative pub (The Precinct) without deliberation or a loss of significant time.

In terms of editing, I think that to have had a partner in this project would have been really beneficial. I often found myself struggling with creative choices relating to editing. This included choices in colour grading and choosing which shots to include in the film (and for how long). I think that receiving feedback in week 12 helped me to realise this, as I implemented, or at least tested, almost all of the recommendations of how I could improve (the pub sketches, removing some pool table shots, experimenting with volume and sound).

Despite these areas which could have been improved working in a group or pair, I think that working solo was the right decision and taught me a lot in every aspect of the film making process, which I can use in future projects.

Reflecting on my ethics charter, and how it was implemented during the filming and editing of my documentary, if I where to change one thing, It would certainly be putting myself in more positions (particularly whilst filming) that forces me to consider these ethics. For example, where I stated that I would not use footage in which the subject does not consent, I would have liked to have gotten more intimate and personalised footage of specific people in the venues I visited, capturing more unique and interesting moments, which in effect may have increased the chances of the subject asking me to not use that footage (although most people I feel would consent) but most likely just result in me having more useful footage. There was a particular man (approximately 60 years old) at The Union Hotel who was sitting in the corner of the venue wearing a massive, wide, cowboy hat. He was placed directly under an old lamp which was reflecting light onto half of his face, casting the other half into a shadow. I deeply regret not getting a close up shot of this guy as I feel it would have greatly contributed to my film, instead I avoided shooting him because I assumed he would not consent.

For almost all of my shots, I sought permission before filming, as to ensure people did not look at the camera strangely half way through a shot. I think that I possibly could have shot first, and then sought permission to use that footage, as this would still be within the bounds of my ethics charter.

Although I always explained the purpose and theme of ‘MY LOCAL’, I also think I could have taken inspiration from prominent documentary film makers, who also explain to the subject that it is not a certainty that they will appear in the film. As Frederick Wiseman explains to his subjects ‘only about 3 percent of the footage is in the final film’ (Wiseman, 2001). Considering I shot about six times the amount of footage as what appeared in my film, I certainly think that taking this approach and potentially making subjects more comfortable with being filmed could have enhanced the quality of my work.

Whilst filming, only one person approached me and asked not to be filmed (who I was not filming to begin with), therefore other than changing my approach and practise of my ethics charter, I do not think that I would add anything else. Also seeing as I ended up completing an observational documentary, my ethics related to interviews (such as understand and respect when the subject does not want to answer a question) where not relevant when filming or during post production. I would still keep these points for future projects however.

In relation to my other points, I made sure to not take any footage out of context, explained the purpose of my film to all the businesses an I recorded in, and subjects I recorded, and have also arranged to show the managers of the three pubs my final project.

Bibliography

Wiseman, F. (20 March 2001) Privacy and documentary filmmaking – JSTOR, The University of John Hopkins Press. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/40971436 (Accessed: 25 May 2023).

The main aspect of my film I look to enhance before its final submission is the quality of sound.

This specifically includes:

• The volume during many of the shots inside the actual pubs
• the audio choices when outside the final pub (including an actual conversation and gradually introducing the audio from outside the pub on the table full of beers)
• including more sound grabs such as the pint/pot hitting the bar bench, and more sound of pool / pinball etc
• enhance the sound of more pedestrians outside the pubs (e.g. traffic lights and crossings work well)

In terms of the visual aspect of my film, I look to improve:

• Adding a time stamp to each of the pubs (date and time) in hand writing
• generally looking to improve my selection of shots from within pubs
• experimenting with the timing of shots (e.g. maybe the gambling footage should be included for longer)
• reviewing footage for possible inclusions into the doco
• experiment in video stabilisation in premiere pro

An assignment commanding a series of short observational videos in Melbournes CBD, in the style of John Wiseman.

This collection of peoples hands wearing rings through Melbournes CBD presents not only a collection of peoples personal taste and jewellery collection, but also aspects of their personality, and daily life.

Even if you take out the main feature of the collection, being the rings, you can notice the diverse ethnicity of city goers, even if this is just through the varying skin tone of the subjects. You can also get an idea of the variety of age in the city, with there being a range from smooth to more wrinkled skin. This also conveys a personality of each of the particular subjects.

When the individuals rings are included in the interpretation you can see a variation from more simplistic and subtle jewellery to more overt and statement pieces, with varying colour, shape, and symbols. Some photographs also include a glimpse at an item of clothing, such as a checkered shirt or baggy sweatshirt, indicating the many different reasons for venturing into the city.

I also feel that the photographs hold a level of mystery and encourage curiosity/thought due to the absence of the subjects faces. You feel you gain a certain level of information about somebody but cannot identify what they actually look like.

For extra-analysis, I have chosen the bottom photograph. This image is recognisable as being an older man. in addition to the noticeably more aged hand, you also get a glimpse at his attire. this builds the personality of the subject as we see he is wearing quite conservative clothing. This is recognisable through the leather shoes, dark green sweater, and black pants. it appears as if he has been stereotypically dressed as an older person, however the subtle pinky ring is a slight stray from the rest of his outfit. The image also presents that the subject is sitting down on a dirty section of the street, a contrast to his more formal and clean attire.