What is a documentary? In my opinion, documentaries are a way for filmmakers to observe and comment on real life. They are films that enable viewers to engage with a factual story whilst simultaneously being entertained by the creativity of the film maker. When I hear the phrase ‘Environmental documentary’, I immediately think of opinionated films about environmental issues with the sole purpose to persuade the audience. In the past when I have watched these types of documentaries, I feel a sense of distance as the film industry is full of films telling us to do this, or change that and it can get quite overwhelming.
In class this week we were shown a short film, Scenes from a Dry City, by Simon Wood and Francois Verster. This film took an alternative approach to environmental film making, by simply telling the story of a town suffering from a water shortage. Although the film makers were portraying the negative impacts of water shortages, their approach wasn’t as direct as other environmental films I had seen prior. I didn’t feel as though Woods and Verster were pushing their opinions on me, they were simply observing and documenting what they saw. The collection of shots that made up the ending, provided a sense of contemplation within me. I didn’t feel hopelessness or guilt, but yet it was thought provoking and made me question my initial understanding on what it actually means to ‘document the environment’.
Prior to class, I wrote down a list of environmental topics that I thought interested me, including waste reduction and recycling. However, I’ve now realised that rather than documenting environmental issues, I need to tell a story. I am still not 100% certain on whose story that is, but after watching Scenes from a Dry City, I know that want to avoid the stereotypical environmental film, but rather produce something that leaves the audience with a feeling of appreciation for the environment. I tried to portray this idea in my video by showcasing the ocean, something I feel very privileged to live near. The ocean provides me with a sense of calmness, something I am in need of to relive me from all the chaos at moment and I hope after watching this video, the viewer feels the same. By starting with a selection of close-ups, I aim to draw the viewer in and develop a more personal relationship, however looking back on the final product it may seem like two separate videos combined into one. Next time, I would like to focus on capturing more close-ups at the beach rather than changing environments as this would make the video flow more coherently by following one story.
Wood, S & Verster, F 2019, Scenes from a Dry City, Field of Vison, <https://www.fieldofvision.org/scenes-from-a-dry-city>
Comments