Art and Impact assignment 4

seth-homedia 3

This Assignment Submission contains

  • The final Cut
  • a reflection

no Ai Tools were used in the making of this project

FINAL CUT

https://youtu.be/ufhvyFc6nsk –> alternative link

REFLECTION

IDEAS AND INSPIRATION

 

For Media 3, I aimed to produce a meaningful film and gain long term professional skills. This was my goal prior to the release of the studios, and I therefore struggle to state how happy I am with the Art and Impact Studio. I worry that it sounds far-fetched, but I truly had an interest in this studio before I understood what we were doing, as my long-term goals aligned perfectly with the content. Through this class, I learnt the value of directed purpose.

 

Although I read the project description, I was unable to grasp the definition of an impact documentary. It was only in the third week, when I read Damodharan’s 2024 description of ‘a film-led communication designed to inspire positive social change’, I interpreted ‘impact’ as a cultural phrase. John Fiske (2010) describes culture as ‘the active process of generating and circulating meanings’. He implies that culture is non-static, and thereby defined in arguments or expressions. In essence, we were creating documentaries to shape culture, to guide conversations in valuable directions. Interestingly, I realised this permeates through the technical production of documentaries in general. 

 

From week 4 onwards, I re-examined the course content and gained new insights into documentary production. I completely understood the poetic mode as described by Bill Nichols (2017), which utilises a narrative symmetry in a non-chronological story to direct the audience. For me, the basis of documentaries shifted from infotainment, to the proliferation of knowledge. Through Nichols, I understood that attempts at impartial knowledge (specifically nonfiction models) exist, but information cannot be presented without bias. It was at this moment documentary making shifted from a fun art, to an ethical debate in my mind. Jay Ruby’s The Ethics of Image Making (2005) was a very helpful resource, 

 

CREATION and COLLABORATION

 

For our Final Project, I worked with Neve, Keras and Helya to produce our own documentary on food waste; Leftovers to Landfill. The Ideation began in week 5, but really never ended. Due to conflicting schedules, ailments and goals, we struggled to imagine a concise film. So we sunk ourselves into our research.

 

Neve provided a list of ‘eco-docs’ she liked, the most notable of which was The Gleaners and I (2000) by Agnes Varda. This was good, as it gave us valuable insight into her mindspace, (the rich text communicated what words alone couldn’t). As a team, we picked apart the visual style, retro cameras and its utilisation of the poetic and reflexive mode. Although we went in a different direction in our documentary (we thought it would be difficult to produce as a group, because it’s a heavily individualistic style) it was a great exercise that built common ground.

 

As a group, we decided our core audience was 18-26 independent youth. This was because studies (2016) noted that ‘41%’ is ‘post- consumer’, or ‘generated by households and in restaurants and cafes’, but our connection to youth was undeniable (we are all 20’ish). But again, ideas and research aren’t execution.  

 

Filming was difficult, we had numerous people pull out of production, and struggled to find reputable sources. In Queen Vic Market, the audio was trash and lots of people withdrew their consent to be shown. We had to find other times to film and shoot, where the majority of us were on site. As more absences occurred, our roles began to blend together due to a lack of communication. I can’t lie, I felt as if the environment had become hostile due to miscommunications and differing styles of management. But towards the end, we were able to redefine our goals and restate our intentions, to create a valuable product and to gain experience. Editing was easy, and we were able to redirect our efforts (I worked mostly within the planning / pre-production / distribution stage). 

 

I am happy with the final product, but feel as if my creative vision was way too compromised. The project feels like a concept (because it is), but I can’t imagine it being shown in theatres or watched on phones. Like a cultural trend, I feel like this film needs to be sharable and wonderful. But also, I acknowledge the MASSIVE SKILLS I have gained through this process.

 

DISTRIBUTION and EFFECT

 

I neglected to mention my internship, but it’s a major portion of my experience with this. I intern at The Purpose Precinct (2023), a collaborative not-for-profit social enterprise from Green Collect and STREAT . I have a content creation / junior marketing role in this organisation, which provided social connections and experience in the space. 

 

I was accepted to the internship because of my passion and experience (in my youtube channel / retail day job), but also largely because of the language I developed around social impact campaigns (from this course).

 

I met one of our participants through this program, but ALSO was able to work out a distribution deal. Using this project as a proof of concept I have been invited to work on other social enterprises. The companies / stakeholders were generally receptive, as the documentary has only thus far been shown in boardrooms to present a way of impacting the 18-26 year old demographic. Discussions have included an addition to their website, as well as other meetings.

 

As troubling as aspects of this production was, I think my workflow and vision has become greatly streamlined. I feel great confidence towards my ability to garner support. If I were to continue with this impact documentary, I have the connections and ability. If I were to continue this as a passion project (distribution via youtube channel), I’d use an Agnes Varda approach where I film and edit everything myself.  If we are able to work on this documentary under the organisation, we may make it more participatory, and improve my interviewing confidence. 

 

Response 

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