Our documentary, The Dream, is largely slick and well-produced, especially considering the circumstances. However, I feel like it was a bit – for lack of a better word – sterile. I feel like the interview was impersonal, and it didn’t really feel like I was entering Jonathan’s world. Granted, this is a complicated effect to achieve, and needs the right type of interviewee; but without it, it just seems dull. I also believe that writing a script between the three of us would’ve meant that we could all edit together and produce something even better. Being able to get to the studio during a class and the showcase would’ve been great too.
Having a look at the ethics charter that we had developed for The Dream, I believe that it is more than adequate for non-fiction productions, though Rachel Boynton’s rule of loving the people that you film sticks out to me, because it seems so easy to misappropriate interviews – most commonly on television shows such as A Current Affair – as the interviewer and producer are more interested in setting an agenda than telling the interviewee’s story.
While we attempted to work well as a group, I felt like I wasn’t pulling my weight. I attempted to perform a few tasks – such as interviewing and editing, but I struggled with both – with Sunny and Richard picking up where I left off I especially feel like I was a bit too abrupt to Sunny when I asked to swap roles with her. I really need to improve on the way that I speak to people when stressed.
I also could’ve been more assertive when it came to creative decisions. As I largely felt that it was Richard’s story, we relied on him for the creative direction of the film. Unfortunately, I had some trouble getting ideas to work, and there were some decisions that I felt didn’t work – such as the idea of using a voiceover. I was also no longer allowed to edit after the rough cut.
We also had some issues with the music. While it was a condition of the assignment that royalty free music was used, Richard was adamant that using the original songs was fine, “because Jonathan bought the rights to them when they were added to YouTube.” If I had put my foot down more, and provided more input, during post-production, I feel like those small issues would’ve been eliminated.
I have also been struggling with mental illness lately, which, along with ADHD, has made it hard to get out of bed. I keep running late for things, which most likely annoyed everyone – from Rohan, to my group members, to the rest of the class. It probably also meant that I wasn’t giving as much effort as I could’ve in class, or in the group. While my personal issues are major, I am working through them slowly and steadily.
I really liked Uncle Brian Birch – the documentary by Courtney, Rachel and Tom. In my opinion, Courtney’s friendship with Brian translates well to the film, which makes it feel like more than just a typical interview with a member of the public. When it came to the editing, I found that the minimalistic aesthetic and the use of still landscape shots with ambient sound enhanced the ‘informal meeting between friends’ effect.
By showing scenes of his daily life along with his performance and interviews, I felt like The Story of Joshua was able to paint a candid picture of Joshua’s life. While there were still some issues with their soundtrack – particularly with the interviews, as well as a lack of sound for a few seconds in the middle of the film; it still felt like I was walking in his shoes.
I also enjoyed watching Growing Pains, particularly when it came to the post-production. I thought the use of titling, time-lapse and framing were professional-grade, and made the documentary more engaging than if it was just the interview. The content matter was also interesting – particularly as early-onset arthritis is not spoken about in the media.
I believe that my experience with Real to Reel will help me in my future studies and career. While many others in class would probably think that the opportunity to produce or meet group members were the highlight of the class; I found that it was the emphasis on ethics that I found most valuable, as it gets ignored too often, and it makes the whole filmmaking experience amount to nothing.
To be honest, I don’t know if I have a passion for non-fiction film – or even film in general for that matter, but I definitely believe that Real to Reel has opened my eyes when it comes to different styles of documentary filmmaking. I just hope that I can be a better group member next time.