For our final informal Monday class, we were asked to think about impact and documentary. We read about how documentary can have different impacts, some being large and wide spread, others being on a smaller scale, effecting the crew and cast more than anything else. For my documentary, I hope to make some kind of impact, either big or small. I definitely like the thought of impacting a wider audience with my documentary, and while I don’t know the exact nature of my documentary yet, I am most likely aiming to provide awareness about my not-for-profit organisation and what it does for others. However, even making something that emotionally effects me and potentially anyone else I work with on the project, or even just those who work at the organisation, I would be thrilled. In my documentary, I am hoping to centre it around one persons story, so even being able to make an impact on that person would be enough for me.
Our Friday class was our final one with Robin in the lead. It was my week to present my show and tell, so I decided to discuss and preview a little of my favourite documentary, Catching Hell. The thing I Iove most about this documentary is the fact that I felt real remorse and sadness for the subject, who was not actually present in the documentary. I hope that my documentary can make someone feel some sort of true emotions and can really move the audience the way that this documentary did to me.
After this, and a further discussion on informal interviews, we brought out the F4 sound recorders and the cameras to put all the technical skills we have learnt over the last couple of weeks into practice. We were sent out to create and record an interview using the devices. We kept our interview simple, sitting our subject behind a nice background and just having them answer traditional questions. This experiment was a good way to test everything we had been told about, from frame positioning, to lighting, to how to actually complete an interview. For my own documentary, I will probably mix a little bit of formal interviewing, like we did today, and informal interviewing to create both serious and more personal, light hearted moments.
The last few weeks have been helpful to me for a number of reasons. In my first studio, I did not complete much work using technical instruments, cameras in particular, so it has been very important to learn how to use the cameras and microphones, and their different settings. I’ve also learned exactly what to look out for in terms of lighting and framing, and how to do this correctly in my documentary. Finally, i’ve been able to really nail down the type of documentary I would like to make. Looking at the experiments we have completed, the ones surrounding interviews in particular, I am happy to say that they have guided me to work out my documentary style. I want to make a documentary that is a little more informal, and has a real personal feel to it. I want the audience to be able to engage with the subjects, and make them feel as though the truth is all that is being told. I like the idea of high lighting, and a mix of interviews that are both formal and have the subject sitting down answering questions, and interviews that are less formal, with all the mistakes left in, and shots of walking and talking, or demonstrating and talking included, to give the documentary many different elements.
Over the next week, I will be putting together and finalising Project Brief 2, while also hearing from Good Shepherd, a not-for-profit organisation helping people within the community, to see whether or not I can create a documentary like the one I am envisioning beginning to plan. If this all works out, I hope to begin working on a solid production plan, and slowly begin organising my subjects and begin shooting! Exciting things to come!
Wow! Top shelf Jessica.