BVA703 Research - Week 12

06/06/2020

I took another look at the release form intended for underage interview subjects for my documentary and made a couple of tweaks including to specify what his or her contribution will consist of and having space for both parents' signature. I may only need one parent's signature, but I may as well get both parents to be on the safe side. 

I have debated with myself whether I give the release form before or after the interview, but I might do it prior to the interview to be on the safe side.

I may give Ashleigh the option to either to film her interview in person or through Zoom like those outside the region. I will just have to make health and safety plans if it comes to filming in person. Plus it lowers the risk of a declining audio and video quality in the documentary as result of relying on Zoom. 

There is a risk of Zoom interviews having poor audio and video quality depending on their device and internet, but I want to have remotely filmed interviews to be a big part of my documentary in order to stand out, the sake of experimentation, and because it's part of my research.

I did consider whether screen capture subgenre would be influential in the making of this documentary, but it wouldn't really because the only feature that would resemble from that subgenre would be the Zoom interview. The screen capture subgenre consists of films (thriller, horror, documentary) entirely presented through a desktop screen like you see in films like Unfriended.

Guardian News. (2019, September 19). Greta Thunberg and George Monbiot make short film on the climate crisis [Video file]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q0xUXo2zEY

World Economic Forum. (2019, September 19). David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg's plea for the planet [Video file]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMOEcUPGi9c

These are clearly PSAs on climate change with the content being a mix of the effects of climate change and school climate strike activism, plus it includes notable figures in climate change activism like David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg. 

There are abrupt cuts of B-roll stock footage like in my exhibition video and like what I have in mind for my documentary.

Film Birmingham. (2020, April 21). Filmmaking during Covid-19: Expert insight into remote production. Retrieved June 4, 2020, from https://filmbirmingham.co.uk/2020/04/filmmaking-during-covid-19-expert-insight-into-remote-production/

Phillip Key (CEO of a film production company in South Africa, Moonlighting Film Production Services) has claimed his company has developed a virtual video village where a filming can be done remotely and streamed to multiple people online in real-time and managed to add some technical 'firepower' to boost its quality and signal to new heights. I reckon it took a lot of money and innovation to do that. However, the high quality and signal of their innovation is not always consistent when it is working.

Through get licensing on Zoom, they were able to manipulate a Chinese firewall that allowed a high quality signal to people connecting to the online meeting from different parts of the world including China

Even though remote filming has been preferred for advertising media, there's has been recent arguments on whether it could be beneficial for longer formats in film and television. 

"We have two features happening at the moment. Some of the pre-production is happening via remote sources, but I think advertising is much more built to handle remote work. Most companies like ours are set up to do it all remotely and all we need is the director to be fully engaged and with us to guide us through it. Different style of jobs will have different issues, but when you know what the key points of the job are, it is possible to address this from anywhere in the world”.

- Darko Skulsky, founder of Radioaktive Film 

This following quote recognizes the challenges faced when transitioning to this change in methodologies

“Since the crisis started, we noticed that agility is the key point right now, because the big production agencies are struggling now to make it happen because they are just not used to it at all so are starting from scratch. The crisis might be one of the biggest digital and agile accelerators for all these companies. We are lucky because we are used to this process” 

- Simon Cachera, Victor & Son (a Dutch agency and production company)

Victor & Son's challenge was to produce a campaign for Match.com that encouraged online dating during the covid-19 crisis, but was limited to the resources that they already had, plus Zoom and the camera on their iPhones.

In the past months, they have since a developing change in attitude from their clients. Cachera adds...

“Not everybody knows the new process so you are learning and adapting. You have to be more daring, doing more communication and testing much more than ever before. But being ready to jump on the unknown is a positive change. I have seen people that were afraid of everything, but now they are ready to try new things and that is the most exciting thing that may impact the future”.

However, Key remains somewhat cautiously optimistic and skeptical about this change in filmmaking methodologies and how it affects the creative process

 “When this is all over and we can shoot again, my sense is that it shouldn’t be something to replace people travelling to shoot, because that would take away far too much. However, I do think that it can probably be quite effective as a cost saver so that as many people don’t have to travel”.

Phillip Key, CEO of Moonlighting Film Production Services

Carey, M. (2020, March 20). “This is unprecedented”: Documentary filmmakers scramble to deal with coronavirus impact. Retrieved June 6, 2020, from

https://deadline.com/2020/03/documentary-filmmakers-coronavirus-covid-19-impact-interview-1202889234/

“Even the things that we can be working on, we’re working on them differently... Aside from everything being remote and virtual now, we have projects that we were supposed to be out shooting material for development, and instead we’re flipping the order of what we do and doing all the archival work, all the research work, all of the work that we can do remotely so that we can keep projects going and keep people paid without having to go out into the field. But there will be a point at which we have to get back out there.”

- Oscar-winning producer Dan Cogan

 

The entire documentary film industry is believed to be undergoing a new normal for the foreseeable future in the United States

Apparently, my project isn't the only documentary has changed to include covid-19. A documentary on the Pope, Francesso, which is directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky was completed just as covid-19 started to affect the world, but the filmmaker decided to further develop the documentary to include the drama around covid-19 in Italy

Filmmaker Richard Ladkani even decided to accelerate rather than delay his upcoming film that he has described as socially and environmentally themed. He believes including covid-19 into the story will drive and apply more drama.

“The pandemic is going to have a massive effect on the story, because it’s going to hit the region where we were going to film and the people and our characters with severe force. So there’s no escaping for them, because they’re very vulnerable..."

- Richard Ladkani, filmmaker

Here's a quote from Ladkani that pretty sums up my way if thinking when deciding to include covid-19 into my documentary

“The main topic is still the same but it will be… looking through the viewing glass of the virus, and how that will affect the story and their wellbeing and their future.”

- Richard Ladkani, filmmaker

Ladkani also encouraged his film subjects to film what happening outside and record video diaries while events unfold related to covid-19. He also acknowledged that covid-19 made great creative changes to his documentary

“We’re looking straight into the light, and we’re running towards it rather than running away from it and hunkering down.”

- Richard Ladkani, filmmaker

Laura Nix also acknowledged that there are numerous documentary filmmakers out in the world developing documentaries on life during the covid-19 quarantine. She also stating that there is a lot of interest in documenting this point in time.

Alex Gibney (director of Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, among other documentaries) also defined what the role of a documentary filmmaker is during this point in time

 “Part of our job is to document. And so we have to be attentive to that and also the need to push forward.”

- Alex Gibney, documentary filmmaker

This source has been a great encouragement in me including covid-19 into my documentary's story and to experiment with new film methodology like they have. This also proves that there is advocacy by people in the documentary film industry towards adapting to unorthodox methodologies in filmmaking during this difficult time.

07/06/2020

Dutt, K. (2020, May 19). Documentary film on covid warriors shot during lockdown to air on Nat Geo on May 22. Business Insider India. https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/documentary-film-on-covid-warriors-shot-during-lockdown-to-air-on-nat-geo-on-may-22/articleshow/75828831.cms

There is an Indian documentary that explored life during covid-19 for essential workers and not a single crew member had to leave their house. It was remotely directed and produced. It has also been labelled as National Geographic India's first homemade documentary. The production also adhered to social distancing and covid-19 guidelines made by the Indian government

Because of a sudden change in filmmaking tactics, it was a challenge for the production to adapt the content to be the high standard demanded by National Geographic like making horizontal and vertical video formats suitable for TV viewing and limited quality internet.

Ahearn, V. (2020, May 13). Pandemic productions: Canadian filmmakers trying to finish projects remotely. The Canadian Press. https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2020/05/13/pandemic-productions-canadian-filmmakers-trying-to-finish-projects-remotely.html

“A good example would be trying to put a documentary together based solely on archival footage … or put a documentary together that’s a mix of Zoom calls and social media screen grabs from your computer”

- John Christou, director of operations for the National Film Board of Canada’s English program and founder of Prospector Films

There had been many animators that have adapted their projects to be completely digital 2D and/or 3D animation because they can do that remotely, whereas stop motion animation requires physical contact with a production studio and crew, and particular camera gear is needed.

Large animation projects had been affected much more than small independent animation projects since software servers cannot be accessed remotely because of security reasons

Michael Fukushima (studio head and executive producer of the National Film Board’s English Animation Studio in Montreal, Canada) predicts that expensive software that allows film and animation team to work remotely together will be used more as result of the covid-19 pandemic

Whereas Chirstou reckons that this point in time will lead to the film industry becoming done more remotely, but not the whole film industry. He also added by saying that meeting in person is more effective than having remote meetings through Skype or Zoom

Smith, J. G. (2020, May 5). Documentary filmmaker focuses on trucking during Covid-19 … from afar. Trucknews.com. https://www.trucknews.com/transportation/documentary-filmmaker-focuses-on-trucking-during-covid-19-from-afar/1003140257/

Documentary filmmaker Craig Thompson has labelled his documentary on trucking, Hauling Hope 'an experiment in remote documentary filmmaking'. It combined Thompson in making a documentary related to covid-19 and his longtime interest in truck drivers

There was another Canadian documentary affected by covid-19, Inside Wuhan, where an Canadian expat smuggle a camera with him to document what happen's in Wuhan, China, which is the epicenter of covid-19. Direction for this was done remotely and was broadcast on Canadian television as a 22-minute current affairs segment

It was a big leap of faith for Thompson since he had to work remotely with people he had not worked before and was unaware of their work ethics or effectiveness. They also had very little time to address technical issues and were forced to work around those issues if they popped up. They were somewhat familiar with the technology, but ended up with more technical issues than what was expected to be.

Technical issues included hiring crew to unload the media cards in the cameras whenever the truck stopped and electronics inside the truck tended to interference with the remotely controlled cameras and gear.

“Normally when you’re doing a documentary, you can see the shots as they happen... The biggest challenge was not knowing what you were getting.”

- Craig Thompson, documentary filmmaker

“We don’t know what’s going to happen in our industry in the future, but we do know that this type of remote production will be utilized to a greater degree moving forward.”

- Julian Wierzbicki, editor

The production required installing at least five camera onto the truck that could be controlled and accessed remotely.

Desktop Documentaries. (n.d.). 10 Tips For Recording Webcam Interviews for your Documentary. Retrieved June 7, 2020, from 

https://www.desktop-documentaries.com/webcam-interviews.html

The general rule of thumb to have moderate quality for remote meetings is 2MB a second in download speed

A good tip in recording interviews to ask your interview subject to bring their web camera on eye level and not have them looking down

Ask for the subject to use an external microphone or headset if they have one

Pros and cons in Zoom interviews

Pros - saves time and money, limits risk assessment, authentic feel, convenience, proof of concept, and good for audition

Cons - risk of low audio / video signal and quality, anything can go wrong, and drastically limiting your chances in a broadcast or distribution deal.

Miller, B. (2020, May 15). Coronavirus sees climate kids go from protests involving hundreds of thousands to campaigning from their bedrooms. ABC News.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-15/climate-kids-organise-protest-from-home-during-coronavirus/12244112

Because of covid-19, the school climate strike movement in Australia had no choice, but to resort to a four-hour nationwide livestream. It was expected to include stories, discussion, music, and guest appearances. Continuing on with the movement through the internet was necessary to keep the momentum going.

One of the Australian school climate strike organisers missed striking like normal, but had realised that it wasn't the most important part of activism. The more important parts being working with different types of people and building the movement forward.

Gabrielle Dewsbury (school climate strike organiser In North Tasmania) argued the ineffectiveness of doing a climate strike in the form of a livestream...

"We're not going to have nearly the amount of energy that we would see at a face-to-face strike... When you're actually at a strike, there's this amazing energy and just like the vibe and the atmosphere is completely different... I think that was something that we had to accept and just, I guess, move around."

But she also accepted there was a positive side to this situation. Hoping how we have been behaving under this health crisis is a lesson the movement can learn from...

"To stop the spread of the COVID-19 in Australia, we all took-up social distancing, we all were staying at home and to see the difference that made was really empowering that like, as individuals we have a big impact when we all act together."

 

Ambrose Hayes (a climate activist in Sydney who has been in charge of making sure that the climate strike livestreaming works) also agrees lessons we have learned from covid-19 could feed into their cause. He had experience hosting livestreams on climate activism like 'Climate Fridays', which include music, discussion, and guest appearances, and 'Strike School', which are online discussions on improving, coordinating, and promoting the movement.

A hashtag has been adopted by people in the school climate strike movement amidst covid-19, called #fighteverycrisis

Covid-19 have definitely derailed Greta Thunberg's year-full of plans in activism. She did have thoughts about calling off the whole movement for a year worldwide amidst of covid-19, but has since changed her mind.

 "In an emergency you have to adapt and change your behaviour"

- Greta Thunberg, climate activist and founder of the school climate strike movement

Woolf, A. (2020, May 15). Climate strike attracts over 1500 calling for a 'green' covid-19 recovery. Stuff. https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/121526641/climate-strike-attracts-over-1500-calling-for-a-green-covid19-recovery

On May 15, the school climate strike movement in New Zealand still underwent a school climate strike, but done online this time because of covid-19. Over 1500 people participated in the online strike,which included livestreaming, and signs and chalk drawing posts on social media.

Even level 3 lockdown didn't stop activists from doing chalk drawings on the grounds of New Zealand Parliament

"The general public has been walking past, there's been an overwhelming response to the chalk ... it's been absolutely amazing coming out of lockdown." 

- Oli Morphew, school climate strike organiser in Wellington

Further school climate strikes in New Zealand will depend on how the country recovers from the coivd-19 pandemic.

170,000 people joined in the September 2019 nationwide protests in New Zealand, including unions, businesses, and working people.

I might ask Ashleigh on what business and unions have been supportive of the movement in Invercargill.

Chalk drawing in East Auckland

Chalk drawing in Tauranga

Colman, Z. (2020, March 19). Climate activists shift gears in an age of 'social distancing'. Politico. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/19/climate-activists-social-distancing-coronavirus-137216

Greta Thunberg also encourage people in the movement to go ahead with a 'digital strike'.

Dana Fisher, a University of Maryland sociology professor who has studied movements for 20 years believes that this generation's climate activists are well suited to the current situation because millennials are more tech-savvy.

Houseman, M. (2020, May 16). Climate not forgotten amid restrictions. Otago Daily Times.

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/climate-not-forgotten-amid-restrictions

Having no democratic power or voice in Parliament has angered some millienials involved with the school climate strike movement and that's what motivated them to go on strike about issues that concerns and should concern those older than themselves

Lee, I. (2020, May 9). School climate strikers to shift action online amid Covid-19 restrictions. 1 News. https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/school-climate-strikers-shift-action-online-amid-covid-19-restrictions

The movement in New Zealand have urged the important of advocating for climate change when discussing what the economy should do during covid-19 recovery

“We’ve had to reshape the way that we do things - turning it from mass mobilisation to behind-the-scenes lobbying"

“We are going to be asking the children of New Zealand and anyone else who wants to protest for climate action to, instead of taking to the streets, take to the end of the driveway and draw what they want their future to look like... The focus for this [strike] is a green response and seeing green, sustainable stimulus projects rather than more roads.”

- Coco Lovatt, Auckland climate strike organiser and Avondale College student 

Dr Lara Greaves, a lecturer at the University of Auckland specializing in political attitudes and behavior believes that online strikes may lower the usual number of people who would usually join in and the lack the same power of going on strike in a physical space.

“Just that physical mass of people occupying the space is a really good signal to people that a whole bunch of people think this way … because people are really bad at conceptualising support for different policies."

“The other thing in that is we have a population that doesn't have access to internet devices”

Government documents released this year estimated that 82,000 households in New Zealand do not have internet access

Jackson, P. (2020, May 14). Another strike for climate post Covid. Northland Age.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northland-age/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503402&objectid=12331818

"Covid-19 has rapidly changed our way of living, connecting and working"

"It's also had an effect on the kinds of tools movements like School Strike 4 Climate NZ are able to use to mobilise New Zealanders for climate justice. For this reason, SS4C NZ is approaching the International Climate Strike on Friday a little differently, and is moving online."

"The importance of continuing momentum to show love for this one planet we all call home has never been so clear"

"We must come together, online and standing in our own driveways, as we've shown we can do so well for each other during the stages of lockdown we've just endured. Let's do the same for our Earth and to #UnitebehindClimate."

- Oli Morphew, SS4C organiser

 "New Zealanders tell stories of how we were the first to give women the vote, the first to go nuclear-free. Once again, we have the eyes of the world on our small nation, and the opportunity to show them not just how to beat Covid-19, but how to create sustainable jobs to bounce back into a healthier, happier planet.

"Our leaders face a choice in the fight against the covid recession. For our children, we must follow the path of protecting people and Papatuānuku, not power and profit. We are not only the generation that will face the effects of the climate crisis. We are the ones who will be paying off the debt generated from the economic stimulus."

- Coco Green-Lovatt, SS4C organiser

Mitchell, C. (2020, May 18). Coronavirus: Young people sacrificed for their elders. Let's see some reciprocity. Stuff. https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/300008945/coronavirus-young-people-sacrificed-for-their-elders-lets-see-some-reciprocity

"Specifically, I’ve been thinking of the young people who, last year, marched in the School Strike 4 Climate​ protests, demanding a safer future. Those young people now face not only the chaos of climate change, but a major depression as they reach adulthood. There are many connections between the global pandemic and climate change, the two biggest crises of our era, even though they act differently. Climate change is on a delay: everything we do now locks in impacts that will hit hardest decades from now, by which point they will be unchangeable. That means those who are less likely to be affected by it — namely, those who are older — need to change their behaviour now, potentially in ways that will damage their social or economic lives, for the benefit of the younger generation."

- Charlie Mitchell, Stuff Environment and Climate Change journalist

Otago Daily Times. (2019, March 14). Hundreds of pupils to join climate change strike. Retrieved June 7, 2020, from https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/hundreds-pupils-join-climate-change-strike

Andy Woods (James Hargest College principal) could be worth contacting to interview because he was the only high school principal in Invercargill that wanted to comment on the local climate strike in March 2019.

Woods acknowledged that he knew some pupils from his school would be attending the March 2019 protest. The pupils were part of the school's enviro group and they were following school protocols.

I could only produce a couple of questions for Andy Woods. If this number of questions remains, it may not be worth following up for a filmed interview.

I searched through the local news articles concerning the lnvercargill school climate strikes to make sure that there was nothing I missed that could support more interview questions for the documentary. I sure did a lot of research today.

I did an internet speed test on the computer to if the internet at home has a download sped of 2 mbps or more. Just to see It turns it does...

19 mbps - download speed

20 mbps - upload speed

However, I might try to do the Zoom interview on campus because the internet there might be more reliable there, just be on the safe side

I thought about adding covid-19 related visuals from Pexels into the video intended for the exhibition, but I couldn't bring myself to do it because it was perfect shape as is. I did export the video again, but with modified changes like the Jacinda Ardern (Rt Hon) subtitle and Simon Bridges (Hon) (2018-2020) subtitle, and the project title now being The Green Revolution.

08/06/2020

In the feedback for my BVA703 critique, there was considerable opposition towards using Zoom interview, some details I had to repeat and some people could't fully understand my creative vision for the documentary. There was a suggestion that I go on the streets and ask random people their thoughts on the school climate strike movement, but I don't want to annoy the public. 

It was fair and valid advice, some I would consider and some I don't agree with, but the critique was overall influential in some part on the direction and development I would be taking.

The third year film students were very keen on helping with filming my documentary.

Direction that I could go in developing my research further is having documentaries changed because of a disaster and use them as artist models, and make arguments on using third party material and online activism versus traditional activism.

I also spent the morning working on finalizing the documentary interview questions. It was the first time since the day the level 4 lockdown was announced (March 22) that I used a computer on-campus, but it was the first time I used the new SIT computers that were installed since then. I also printed out a copy of the questions to proof read since I am better at that when it's printed out.

On the way home, I took some location scouting photos of spots in Invercargill I wanted to film for B-roll, which were the arch structure at the old railway station and the view of the old pyramid Museum from Deveron Street. I would like to call them 'bucket list' b-roll. They were shots planned for my short film and cinematography projects last year, but never happened. I would like to film and use these shots before I finish study at the end of the year.

Wachner Place (a different, but better angle)

Footpath outside the old railway station

Footpath outside Club Southland on Deveron Street