Digital Video - Week 15


24/06/2020

Edit suit hire source
https://www.awa.co.nz/services/

I spent an hour and a half developing my budget spreadsheet, but it was quite tiring and I managed to produce a draft budget for now.



27/06/2020

Moore, M. (Director & Producer). (1989). Roger & me [Motion picture]. Warner Bros; Dog Eat Dog Films.




I watched this documentary through PlayStation Store. I had a good feeling that it would be of value and/or influence to my own documentary and research.

Extensively uses archival and stock footage to introduce main human subject, location, and documentary subject. The documentary tends to have a private investigation and liberal aesthetic.

Themes - neoliberalism, economic inequality, apathy, conservatism vs social democracy

I found this documentary to be engaging, influential, and a good example of a social issue documentary.

Like my documentary, it focuses on the issue on one location and goes somewhere else if necessary

Michael Moore manages to engage and inform effectively with narration and not needing music most of the time

Moore manages to invoke drama from the effects of mass employment in Flint, Michigan e.g. no effect on the wealthy, out of touch advice from celebrities and politicians, evictions, poverty, and rises in crime

The documentary had an objective in order to drive the plot and story, which was the search fro the head of General Motors, Roger Smith.

The documentary's liberal aesthetic feeds into the wealthy, apathetic, ignorant, and conservative antagonists. There is more focus on these types of characters than the working class, disadvantaged protagonists

It sometimes tells you through narration what happened to people like the Miss America contestant, and a woman and her children in the process of being evicted

The documentary has a stretched out 16:9 aspect ratio in that those likely shot in 4:3 or the Academy Ratio have been stretched out to fill its 16:9 aspect ratio.

The overall documentary focuses on two things; one, Moore's search for Roger Smith. Two, the social and economic impact and solutions of the GM factory closures in Flint.

What's sad is that the glory days of employment in Flint became history too quickly

Half of Flint's population became beneficiaries as a result of the factory closures

The police deputy seems to be the most dominant character aside from Moore

A good use of presenting a two-sided story in this documentary through editing is having Roger Smith's GM Christmas speech voiced over Flint residents being evicted at Christmas. It's nothing, but ironic and hypocritical for Smith to quote Dickens, it's like Trump quoting Dr King

There are additional interviews in between the credits. One comments about the documentary itself.

The theme of conservatism vs social democracy is enforced by the end credits interview segment where the GM executive rejects cradle to the grave type of social security for workers in free enterprise capitalism

It was blown up to 35 mm film and judging by the grainy film quality, it was potentially shot on 16 mm film.


28/06/2020

I worked a few bits and pieces towards the pre-production paperwork like the director's manifesto and producing a budget for the actual costs of the documentary. I also wrote a few pages by hand detailing what the documentary is about, what is the subject is about, and my use of stock footage. I will type it up into my mainfesto tomorrow


29/06/2020

I finally sent away an email to Ashleigh Putt-Fallows (local school climate strike organiser) after many weeks of self-doubt, anxieties, and low confidence. I also sent a message to the local Extinction Rebellion organisation to see if they are interested in being in involved with this documentary.

I did manage to type up about what the documentary and the subject is about and the use of stock footage.

I tried to articulate some lighting schematics, but it's been a challenging thing since I haven't done any lighting tests yet and won't likely until sometime in July if I and others have, plus I'm not good at planning lighting and so gaffering is my weakness in this case.

I did however develop some new ideas for my documentary as a way going forward with doing a storyboard as part of my pre-production paperwork, including the Tuatara outside the old pyramid museum and having the main subject holding up placards, provided there are still some of them around from last year. The first drawing to show a basic framing for the interviews being a MS with the subject at the center, whereas interviews during the dark night of the soul will be a MCU with the subject at the left side of the framing.


30/06/2020

Potential equipment list for test lighting

URSA + tripod
Monitor

Aladdin
Flag kit
Redhead kit + pro light
Diff
C-stand kit
Gels kit
Sandbags


UNESCO (n.d.). How to write a documentary script: a monograph. http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/CI/CI/pdf/programme_doc_documentary_script.pdf

I read a document on documentary filmmaking published by a United Nations programme. Some of it was insightful about forming a documentary, but rest consist of basic rules of structure and drama in documentary filmmaking. I read it through in case it helped with the rest of my pre-production paperwork that needs to be, but it did help me revolve a message for my documentary.

It is true that events ind documentaries are not fixed since it's a format that deals with reality more than fiction does, and so documentaries are much more organic and flexible, as well as being unpredictable during production.

A documentary must have a message and an issue at it's core since documentaries are made to inspire change in the audience

There are different elements to an issue expressed in a documentary and can be used to drive the plot and drama
Case study: A documentary on whales in New Zealand

Top of the issue: Introduces the whales and facts about those whales
Heart of the issue: Humanise the whales' way of life; their likes and dislikes, how they communicate emotion, what happens when they get beached
Root of the issue: Tragic and brutal backstory on whales and the consequences and effects of the past
Branches of the issue: Issues related to whales, which may add value

Message: To take the movement more seriously, especially in places around the world you least expect

Visual elements are just as essential to a documentary like it is for a film. You have to make sure that you keep the visuals moving and that they are meaningful.

Sequences in a documentary are meant to be observational.

Reading this document made me consider how to form the opening of my documentary
Opening scene
  • Shots of urban and nature settings in Invercargill
  • Voice-over of Greta Thunberg
  • Stock footage and stills of climate strikes

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