Week 7 Screening 2

Triumph Of The Will (1935) Leni Riefenstahl.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHs2coAzLJ8

“We want to see no more class divisions” - Hitler

Triumph of the Will is a propaganda documentary that takes a rose tinted view of the activities of Germany's Nazi party after World War I and before World War II. As the name suggests the films tone is one of triumphalism and it is classed as a documentary, the term documentary in this case is only a ruse. There is no genre for films that make fiction out of factual footage. The use of the word triumph suggests an adversary but there is no representation of an other within the film, there is only one voice. Hitler is credited at the start of the film as having a role in its production (“Produced by order of the Fuhrer”), this suggests a level of control exerted over its production. The only voice in the film is that of the Nazi party, and as this was controlled by Hitler the sole voice of the documenatry could be said to be that of Hitlers.

Replete with regalia and stiff arm salutes the films intention appears to be the repeated reinforcement of the symbolism of the Nazi party. When released this film might have had a small captive audience. A contemporary viewing with its dated format and style of music positions the film as almost quaint in its naivety if not for the atrocities that were since carried out by these same smiling subjects.

The content of the film and the film itself are both propaganda, awareness of its flagrant subjectivity becomes a lens through which the film is viewed.

The edited snippets of speeches suggest that it was made to convince the contemporary viewer as to the wisdom of the nazi party, not just to revel in triumphalism. The film captures the synchronized aspect of conformity and features numerous scenes of coordinated and systematic activities, there is no individual representations of the people in the crowds. The crowd represents and manifests the activities of the one voice.

The camera techniques, the framing of the proceedings and the editing of this footage are skilfully done and make it an easy watch despite its content and its message. At 110 minutes the films monotone and lack of narrative structure means that it is a struggle to maintain interest for its full lenght.

Journal entry week 7

Wednesday 20^th February

The weather has finally brightened, enough to attempt some outdoor filming. I headed straight out to Furbo to film exterior shots for the boat building documentary. Getting the majority of the exterior shots would mean that I wouldn’t have to worry too much about the weather when returning to film. I spent the morning capturing every interesting filmable shot I could. Perhaps a little too much as the excess footage is might make it difficult once I get to the editing suite. Being over excited was probably partially to do with the change of subject (and the fact that I was filming compliant and inanimate objects..). I have filmed with a sequence of shots in mind but also I took some extra in order to leave the pattern open, how the narrative unfolds is of course dependant on the interview. I will have to prepare questions well for this interview as he is pretty media conversant having been filmed so much before. I’m not sure was there lots of interesting sailing objects lying around to film or if I was buzzed from the sunshine but lets say I have lots of potential cutaway footage if needs be. I intend to accost a fiddler and acquire some original music, the boat builders tone is quite melancholic, his conversation pieces are often tinged with regret and I would like to emphasize this somewhat using music (without it becoming the overwhelming tone of the piece). Also I’m not sure I have the skill to do it but; boats are made to be sailed and the documentary is being filmed primarily on dry land, this feeling of separation from purpose would be a good honest representation of what I have experienced in visiting this boat builder. Managing to convey this impression in a short documentary without betraying his trust is a difficult tightrope to walk.

Friday 22^nd February.

Today I had arranged to meet with one of the Galway hurlers to film some more for the sports documentary. It was a stark reminder of why I am tired of filming the sports clubs and the athletes involved. It was arranged with the aid of the secretary of the sports office a while in advance. On the day it became quickly obvious that it was going to be the bare minimum effort, I wish that apathy could be made visible with the movie camera. Twice they lost the sliotar, the first time I have to get it out of a stream because neither of them would go in for it and the second time I called it quits after a severely lackluster effort to find it in some brambles. This calls into question the balance of aspiration behind and in front of the camera. I have something to gain from the working relationship but those featuring in the documentary can have little interest beyond seeing themselves onscreen. It begs the question how do you get the balance right between getting what I need from the documentary subjects without taking advantage of what is essentially free content to be edited as I wish.

Sunday 24^th February

The good weather continued today and although I had to work in the afternoon I decided to anyway catch the rowing clubs training session. A lot of the filming for this film is going to be a bit distant; I wont be sticking the camera into anyone’s face as they train. I am intending to give equal billing to the river as well as the rowers themselves. For this reason I have been looking forward to filming this documentary as the river itself loans itself very well to being framed. I began by filming the rowers setup from a distance, the boats are so long that I wanted to catch the length. I filmed them entering the water before jumping in the car to try and catch them upriver. Due to the brightness of the day I was using the viewfinder to focus instead of the screen, whether this caused the footage to capture out of focus or not I am not sure but basically the whole days filming was out of focus. There is a bit of play on the camera where you can turn the focus and nothing seems to happen, I now think that something does happen but it is not visible to the eye. I will endeavor to film the club again this coming weekend and perhaps bring a cloth to throw over the camera to block the sunlight so I can use the screen. When I film I will again frame the rowers and the river the same way, this could be a sign that I know what I want or it could be an indicator that I am stuck in my ways.

Week 7 Screening 1

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Marwencol (2010)

Netflix

Marwencol is a documentary film that is a close study of the life and activities of one person, Mark Hogancamp. The film is an exploration of a character who is rediscovering himself after a traumatic experience. In this sense the film exists as part of a duality, it is exploring Hogancamps reality while also revealing the world he created. Hogancamp constructs stories using toy figurines and this narrative interweaves with the narrative of the documentary, often they are one and the same thing. Hogancamp has constructed a fictional village populated with figurines that represent actual people and phenomena in Hogancamps own life. The filmmaker foregrounds the characters of Hogancamps fictional village (Marwencol) allowing us to see the village as he himself sees it, as a world in itself. The foregrounding of the village of Marwencol gives it a persona, a structure and a veracity.

The documentary Marwencol reflects the world mark lives in while the village of Marwencol is a reflection of the world Hogancamp inhabits. The documentary is in this sense a manifestation of a reflection of reality. Hogancamp himself mentions the “veracity” of the world he creates, although he knows it is fictional but for escapist reasons he likes to believe it is reality.

Hogancamps creation of Marwencol could be viewed as a reaction to his loss of control over his own life but this aspect is not explored explicitly within the film. The lines of questioning seem to be about exposition, it is broadly about part of Hogancamps journey rather than one aspect of it. The world he is creating is much like the direction of an ongoing film, the narratives he creates are illustrated using photographs. Marwencols narratives interweave with the documentaries own narrative by foregrounding the characters that inhabit Marwencol. Such a representation could be said to be a reflection of how Hogancamp views the world. After having first been brought into Hogancamps reality we are then brought further again into the world he has created. This realism in conveying the world of figurines is again reinforced by framing; of the documentary camera and also by Hogancamps own camera

The doll characters of the village are used to signpost the chapters of the film, allowing them to seemingly participate in the films production. This foregrounding of the world Hogancamp created further reinforces the reality of its existence. The director of Marwencol seems to be making a genuine attempt to honestly depict the subject of the film and to honorably convey the reality of his existence. For example when Hogancamp is recollecting his traumatic experience he firstly uses a very stylized form of representation to convey the trauma. The experience is also represented onscreen by Hogancamps alter ego in the world of Marwencol, something which Hogancamp did to deal with the trauma. Marwencol is guided by Hogancamps voice, it is his experiences that form its content. It is an honest attempt to maintain fidelity to the world that is represented by viewing it through the eyes of its primary subject.

Journal Entry Week 6.

Monday the 11^th to Friday the 15^th February

This week was one of contrasts, I spent the beginning of the week waiting to film people and clubs for the sports documentary and was often not successful. For example I had arranged to film the Aikido club but when I turned up to film they had no mats and so could not train properly. On this occasion I happened upon some climbers in at the climbing wall and so I managed to get some footage even if it was not what I was anticipating. This has become a regular theme of doing documentary work for me, I can plan and arrange all I want but when it comes to non orchestrated content I have to wait for it to occur. I have to be there with the camera running in order to catch it and I don’t say go or stop. This inevitably means a lot of waiting around for the subject to ‘perform’ so I can gather content. Even though the relationship can be mutually beneficial (I gather content and the subject achieves exposure) I still feel somewhat guilty for benefitting from content that was created by someone else. All I am doing is capturing, sequencing and amplifying it.

The contrast I refer to at the top of this post is regarding the work experience I undertook on the set of the fictional short film Rubai. While onset I observed the extent to which directors engineer the scenarios that they film. No detail was left without intervention, where a documentary filmmaker prods the subject and the world to capture its reaction the fictional film creates the world, the subject and the course of events that unfold onscreen.

Where fictional films contain a script a narrative and a story, documentary films contain factual event, narrative and a story. Script takes the place of content. In comparison with the fictional film documentaries have more scope and range once filming has begun, the action of filming itself is not tied to a rigorous preplanned schedule of specifically what is to be filmed. It is the content that dictates the course of the documentary film, and although there are more time constraints on the set of a fictional film there is more waiting around for content to occur in the case of the documentary film. 

Another noticeable difference between the two film types is the use of the mise en scen; in fictional films the background is specifically designed to emphasize certain aspects that correlate with the script and the theme. In the documentary film it is taken for granted that the backround is a representation of the realism being portrayed and thus is not significantly altered. My experience on Rubai brought this aspect of filming home; that the fictional film allows for a level of control and manipulation that is not available when making a documentary. 

When filming Rubai the shot list was arranged in order of most convenience and would be edited at a later date into an ordered sequence of events that unfold the narrative. When filming it was not possible to follow the story in a linear fashion as it was completely out of sync. In the documentary it is presumed that the sequences are shown in the order that they are captured to the extent that they stick with the same structure, more or less, as the actual events unfolded. 

Although fictional films can be biographical or based on real events the method of illustration and representation can be repeated until perfect. Documentaries on the other hand are captured as is, in situ.

The one shared characteristic of both documentary films and fictional films is the intention to make you believe that what you are watching is real.

Week 6 Screening 1.

American Movie. 1999. Chris Smith.

Netflix

IMDB;

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/american_movie/

American movie is a documentary that follows the endeavors of Mark Borchardt and friends for two years as he attempts to complete his feature length film. Although it is pitched as a documentary the content of the film is portrayed comically to the extent that it lends itself to the mockumentary genre. The main characters that the documentary follows are unselfconscious in their demeanor, this lack of self-awareness allows for an accurate warts and all portrayal of their adventures. If it is the characters that make the content in personal documentaries than the characters in this documentary unintentionally provide copious amounts of content. Comedy is the expression of contrasted ideas, the ideas of Mark Borchardt are at such variance from others they ensuing scenarios are ripe for exposition by the filmmakers.

The film makes extensive use of juxtaposition in its editing, cutting between scenes of seriousness and farce. This editing technique has the effect of emphasizing the ludicrous nature of the situation even if this is not an authentic reflection of how the events unfolded. This straying from a faithful rendering of what occurred with juxtaposition makes for entertaining viewing. But the sacrificing of fidelity by the contrast of different circumstances is where it strays from documentary and lends itself to mockumentary. If for example the filmmakers had taken the view that Marks obsession with finishing the film was having a negative effect on those around him and preventing him from growing up, the film could have had a completely different tone. As it stands the finished film we see is molded by the filmmakers perception of what was occurring. Having followed the documentary subjects over the course of two years the documentary producers are bound to develop a relationship with them. What effect this relationship has on the outcome of the film is hard to know but the ensuing relationship is mirrored in their portrayal in the film. The filmmaker’s perception of the subjects of the documentary would have a bearing on the shape and content of the finished product.

Week 5 Screening 2.

Soldier Girls. (1981) Nick Broomfield. 87 min

DVD

Soldier Girls is a documentary that films the life of new female recruits in the American army over a period of time during the early eighties. It is shot in observational mode, with no voiceover commentary to guide the viewers outlook, the lack of commentary is supplanted by the viewers perspective. The film maintains the same tone throughout containing only a very subtle narative arc. A sargents extended pep talk is placed at the beginning of the film to serve as an introduction to the film for the viewer as well as to the new recruits.

Although shot in observational mode the subjects of the documentary visibly alter their behaviour due to the presence of the camera, eg giggling, singing, dancing. These scenes more than likely would not have happened if not for the presence of the camera. By focusing in on the women who are in distress or giggling they draw the squad leaders attention to them thus creating more of a scene and thus providing content. Taking into account the effect the presence of the camera has on the subjects, with no commentary and much activity onscreen the film is able to stick closely to representing the reality of what happened.

Due to the nature of the film footage the film is timestamped as from a different period, this has the strange effect of distancing the film from the viewer. It is therefore less shocking than if it were a contemporary film.

Filming the humiliation of the soldiers while taking what is needed for the film raised some ethical questions regarding the film and of documentaries generally. Wheter the subjects are being taken advantage of by being in the film is hard to discern without follow up interviews to determine what effect it has had on them. In the same way that the camera gravitated towards the girls who were standing out, the narrative also chooses to focus the documentary on the dysfunctional soldiers.

A revealing moment occurs when one of the recruits, who is leaving for good, says goodbye to both the cameraman and the sound recordist. She does so by name and with a hug indicating that personal relationships had developed between the subjects and the filmmakers. This calls into account the subjectivity of the finished film; on the other hand it was a conscious decision to leave the footage in the final edit of the film, the reflexive gesture suggesting degree of transparency. But once the film hits the cutting room floor it is impossible to discern its fidelity or honesty.

Journal Entry Week 5.

Tuesday 29^th January 2013

Today I filmed the fencing club, I had spoken to them the week previously and so they were accommodating. This kind of organizing requires that I constantly have to think ahead, a skill that I'm acquiring. This work process is full of important little moments and setting up access to clubs by gaining permission is a short conversation that smooths the way immeasurably. I filmed this club on and off for over an hour as they naturally fitted in with the motifs that I am collecting for the documentary. They had a lot of coordinated group movements that will hopefully look good on film but in the editing room is where it will tell. I was reticent to interrupt training or direct people but that I am even thinking about doing this is perhaps based on the fear that I will not collect the footage that I want to fit with the treatment I have in mind. Where this line between direction and observation lies will hopefully be determined by the best content. If the content is there I will observe and try to capture it, but if it is not I may need to construct activities or movements much like perhaps asking questions of the documentary subjects or having reconstructions in the film.

Thursday 31^st January

Today was a day for bad decisions and dead ends. I tried without success to remove the footage from the camera onto an external memory card, I had intended to borrow the laptop but when I got delayed in picking it up the new restrictions on loaning the camera came into play and affected my decisions. Knowing that I would have to hand the laptop back whenever the last person leaves the office I decided to try and gain access to the editing suite at the societies box. The students working behind the desk met this with disapproval but upon inquiry to the societies officer by email I was told it was absolutely fine to go ahead and use the suite. The suite is rarely in use and this at least gives me another option is I need to do some editing out of office hours. As it stands though I would rather use the schools laptop as it is quicker, so I will play it by ear each time I need a computer. My original intention in seeking out a computer was to put some of the rushes online for Aimee to look at and tick that off my list of things to do but also have a look at the film I have captured thus far on a larger screen. I am also itching to throw away much of the footage and narrow down what decent footage I have in order to get and idea for what I need to get and where this film is headed. Unfortunately much of the boxes I intended to tick today have carried over to tomorrows list. Today was a lesson in needing to focus on what I can do and accept the things I cannot change.

Friday 1^st February

Early start today, I had been told that the only time that the pool is empty (I had wanted to film it empty for the start of the film) is Friday morning before the public comes in at 7am. I arrived at the gym at 6:40am and nearly missed my opportunity to gain access as the gym supervisor was early and had gone in before I got to the door, luckily another instructor came along and allowed me access. Once in I had very little time to set up and get the shots I wanted, I had to pan across the pool several times as the tripod isn’t very heavy and kept on jumping. I might anyway just use part of a pan. I intend to do the same thing (pan across the pool) when it is in full swing. I had to return the camera after this so I went to the Huston between 9 and 10 am but no-one was there in the office (& it was locked). I went again from 12 to 1 but the same thing, luckily at 4 pm (last chance saloon) Sean was there and it allowed me to quickly leave in the camera. I had emailed Paddy who looks after the Production MA equipment as (per Connies instructions) about gaining access to some of the production equipment (mainly a good microphone). He hadn’t gotten back to me in a couple of days so I texted him to see if he got it and he rang me straight back. During the course of the conversation we worked it out that if he is not busy and around anyway he will be able to assist me in taking out equipment, I had to walk on eggshells for a bit and bite my tongue for the good of the films I am making (“to be honest, I’m not being paid to look after you”) it will be worth it in the end it will be worth it in the end it will be worth it in the end.

Monday the 4^th February.

Today I met Mick to borrow some of the production equipment at 10am with no hitch. I borrowed a tripod and a sound kit which included everything I could need for capturing audio. I began the days filming by interviewing the members of the archery club whose training I filmed last week. While filming something was flashing, when finished interviewing I had a closer look and realized that the SD card was/is full. I spent a good amount of time trying to delete the footage from the camera while still in the hall, I also brought the Sd card out to the laptop in the car but to no avail as I do not have an SD slot as I thought I might. This has become an extended learning experience for me as it seems that everything that could go wrong is going to. Once I realized that I could do no more interviewing I spent the rest of my time at the gym talking to other clubs to set up shoots. Most all of the clubs are ok with being filmed and a bit of notice helps immeasurably.

Tuesday the 5^th February.

Today was another evening shift for the production, all the clubs train in the evening so I am becoming a regular at the university gym. I had arranged to film the karate club and was lucky in that as soon as I set up the camera the instructor started having the class do group routines together, which was very photogenic. I managed to grab someone for an interview and got a few answers out of him, nothing incredibly interesting. I think I need to think about the framing of questions, I am trying to get participants to talk about the motivations for participating in sports clubs but it usually results in a short response. I hadn’t anything else set up for a Tuesday night and so after I finished with the Karate club I called it a night.

Week 5 Screening 1.

Whateverest. 2012 Kristoffer Borgli (mockumentary).

http://vimeo.com/58444378

Guardian article;

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/feb/03/alexis-petridis-inspector-norse-whateverest

Music video;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHiqPG0526U

Resident Adviser (well respected music website).

http://www.residentadvisor.net/feed-item.aspx?id=58794

This short mockumentary uses the techniques of the documentary to convey realism to the viewer, it does it so well that it fooled The Guardian music writer Alexis Petridis whose article originally brought it to my attention. The music video itself has elements of the documentary, beginning with the character introducing himself through interview soundbites and continuing in an observational life in the day film format. This format is taken further in the mocumentary itself when a more extensive interview is used to set up the scenario. In the case of the mockumentary the introductory interview gives the film authenticity by interviewing Todd Terje at the start. The scenes of Marius Solem Johansen “Inspector Norse” going about his day to day activities are interspersed with interview footage of and about his quite solitary existence. Oit was mistaken for a documentary because it stays very close to realism, the character created for the mockumentary is has failed with what he set out to achieve and did not have a plan b. The realism of the documentary is suffused in the writing, the meloncholic character that forms its central theme is never exaggerated, he is always believable.

The mocumentary convincingly hits upon some of the well known motifs of the documentary; for example the lead character has interactions with the “documentary” crew seemingly on the spur of the moment, or when the lead character goes walkabout and the crew have to scramble to keep up. These scenarios have been seen often enough for them to become a distinctive feature of the documentary and using them creates the impression that what is being viewed is real. It is an example of the format of the documentary being a signpost for fidelity, it is almost as if the rules of documentary making are broadly accepted by filmmakers. This presumption gives the documentary a power over the viewer, the perception that what is being portrayed is actual and factual.

Rushes

I am thinking to timelapse this;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ia-T6tS9U6w&feature=youtu.be

And this is a bit dark but hopefully correctable;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBDcllCC-w0&feature=youtu.be

(It may also work as a timelape)

this is the pool pan I mentioned;


Its a few pans in one rush, although a bit shaky i think one might be good (2:36).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZUv8O0wjnI&feature=youtu.be

also i dont know whats up with the throbbing light (focus on something white in the backround)