Firstly, we had to establish what kind of documentary this was going to be as there are various approaches we can take.
Participatory - This focuses on the conversation between interviewer and interviewee. This type of documentary would ensure that we hear the interview questions being asked - like a conversation.
Observational - This type of documentary focuses more on the subject telling a story and getting rid of the interviewer. Focuses on opening up a subject matter. Loose structure and natural.
Reflexive - A self aware form of documentary filmmaking. Focuses on assumptions and opinion more. Does not add to what the audience might already be aware of.
Performative - Raises questions. Focuses less on the argument and more on the subject matter and developing a more emotional response, especially from it's contributors.
We decided the best way to tell the story of Jayden was observationally. This means that Eleanor can guide us naturally through his journey and how it affects their family. This story needs to feel personal and emotional and hearing the interviewer makes it feel to staged and rehearsed.
To get an idea of how an observational documentary works and how to plan for one, I researched existing documentaries.
Bordwell & Thomspon: Film art; an introduction.
On page 352, Chapter 10 I found an interesting section on truth and opinion in documentary. It says that sometimes documentaries state opinions but this does not make the documentary inaccurate which is important as we intend to ask Eleanor questions about what SHE thinks - opinion. However, it's important when making our documentary that we include correct facts about Jaydens cancer. This chapter says that even if it is inaccurate it still counts as a documentary because it still has the information it's just misleading - such as some stories in the media. When making our documentary I think getting the correct facts is highly important as we really want people to be aware of just how rare Jaydens form of cancer is.
Brat Camp:
http://vimeo.com/11805605
This is an example of observational documentary. What I noticed throughout especially at 01:45 was that the interviews didn't have questions, it was almost like they were just sharing with the audience and the camera was just there to record it and be almost unnoticeable. It felt really natural and made you engage more with what the characters are saying. I also noticed that the camera just followed the action from a slight difference which again, makes it seem like it wasn't there. I like that you do observe the characters rather than intimidate them with questions that they might not know how to answer. Using just the answer makes it less structured and more guided. What I also picked up was the narration throughout. I didn't like the use of narration as I felt it made the characters feel like too much of an experiment, which does work for Brat Camp but will not work for our story at all. I think it won't work because we just want Eleanor to explain her story and a different narrator will take too much away from how personal this particular story is.
Rough Aunties:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0zf4_Vxbb8
This documentary in my opinion was the epitome of observational. What stood out to me the most was the sound. I liked that there was no/minimal music which just kept you focused entirely on the dialogue and what they had to say. I think this technique makes it more hard hitting and keeps you engaged. The sounds in general were really powerful to me and I found a lot of techniques I wish to use in our documentary. For example, I really liked that you could hear what was happening in the background as it made it seem more factual to me and these are sounds you would hear if you were observing, which we are. I felt this was a really important observational example and has more techniques I wish to use compared to Brat Camp. I also noticed the subject matter was very touching and something important that needs awareness, similar to ours so it really inspired me overall. I think when I record sound, using minimal music/foley etc... will really draw in attention.
Sound ideas now:
- Really focus on the importance of what the characters are saying
- Quite minimal sound can be really effective
- Don't make the sound too sentimental
- Use sound as a way of drawing in key factors
- Use background noise to make it more observational
- Get the interviewee to answer the question within the answer
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