Documentary Learning Contract Amendments

CONTENT

1. What is the community that you will make your documentary about?

In broad terms my documentary will contrast living in the country and city by exploring the notion of familiarity and connectedness with community using the greeting ‘hello’. Saying hello to another person can be either a welcome salutation to someone you know or used as a simple, friendly gesture to someone you don’t know.

2. What interesting issues about community and identity will you be able to explore in relation to this community? (with reference to the theory you have read)

An animated video will feature a main character who experiences moving from her country town where she is known to everyone, and goes to work in a large city where she is initially anonymous, but eventually forms new connections. It will raise issues of moving away from a familiar community and having to form a new sense of community.

3. What theorists will you incorporate into your documentary? (summarise the ideas you will engage with)

I will be exploring Tonnie’s idea of Gemeinschaft – growing up in a country town, and Gesellshaft – moving to a large city.

‘In Gemeinschaft with one’s family, one lives from birth on, bound to it in weal and woe. One goes into Gesellschaft as one goes into a strange country’ (Tonnies)

4. Why are they relevant / important? (a critical analysis of these ideas in relation to the community you are documenting)

The Gemeinschaft of locality is relevant ‘all intimate, private, and exclusive living together relates to the main character because she comes from a country town, which for her is a very intimate and close experience. Each person she encounters, knows her and takes an interest in what she is doing.

Tonnie’s notion of Gesellschaft as ‘(society) public life’ is explored through the anonymity she feels when she walks down a street in a big city. However, overtime she forms a new sense of community in the city as she becomes more familiar with her surroundings and city people.

The character’s initial Gesellschaft experience in the city becomes a Gemeinschaft experience, which challenges Tonnies idea of Gemeinschaft only existing in rural areas.

5. How are you going to introduce their ideas? (in terms of the structure of your documentary or the argument you are proposing, how does the theory come in, and where/when?)

The documentary begins with the main character walking down the main street in her country town where she says hello to people and they to her. (Gemeinschaft)

Gemeinschaft is further explored when the main character is taking in and appreciating her country surroundings before moving to the city.

The main character is then seen walking down a busy city street where she is saying hello to people, but she doesn’t receive many responses – (Gesellschaft)

She returns for a visit to her town, where the community enthusiastically greets her. – Gemeinschaft.

While visiting her town, we see her go onto Facebook to communicate with her city friends. Finally, we see the main character interact with people while walking down a busy city street – Gemeinschaft.

6. What is the structure of the documentary? (this could be a short treatment of the way you see your documentary unfolding)

The documentary will consist of a video, a photo collage and an invitation and link to become a Facebook friend of the video’s main character.

The video will be an animation, with some stills and voiceover, which will appear as the second post on the blog. The video is at the top of the blog page because ideally I want people to view the video first.

A Facebook page will be set up on behalf of the video’s main character where people can become her friends. An invitation to go to her Facebook page will appear under the video.

The photo collage will be consist of country and city scenes from around the world, which will be linked to Tag Galaxy, where the collage photos will appear. This will be the first post on the blog (at the bottom of the page).

The video opens with the main character walking down a main street in her country town where we hear her saying hello to people and them saying hello back.

The video then cuts to main character and a friend sitting on the grass, taking in the country scene and talking about moving to the city for work.

The next scene is of a country train station – going to the city.

We then see our main character walking down a busy city street, saying hello to people and she only gets a couple of responses.

The next scene is of a city train station – going home to visit.

The main character is walking down her town’s main street and the community greets her enthusiastically.

The scene then cuts to the main character making contact with a city friend on her Facebook page.

The next scene is of a country train station – going back to the city.

Main character is seen walking down a busy city street where she is saying hello and she gets several replies.

Credits roll.

7. What is the style of the documentary? (you can refer to documentary theory if you know it; if you don’t, discuss how you see the relationship between you the documentary maker and your subject, and how that will influence the work you produce. Examples of other documentaries will be relevant)

The video will be animated figures, set against rendered streetscapes and landscapes. The video will have both observational and expository elements, but the story is told from the main character’s viewpoint. The scenes and voiceovers will create the environment for the ’story’ of the main character.

TECHNICAL

8. What type of media will your documentary consist of (eg audio files, text, stills, video, animation etc)

The documentary will consist of an animated video, audio files and stills.

9. Given that your documentary will be published online, how will you tailor production and post-production to be appropriate (eg image size, frame rate, design issues, copyright)?

I will make sure that the format and compression of video, audio and stills are compatible with the requirements of the social networking sites where the documentary will be published. I will record all video footage, stills and audio; therefore there won’t be any copyright issues.

10. What are your skills in making this style of media?

I have shot and edited home movies using iMovies, where I have incorporated stills, titles, audio and special effects. I also have lots of experience interviewing people using a digital voice recorder, downloading, editing and inserting audio files into movies.

I have already done a very basic animation video test run, which required shooting animated a figure, editing and inserting audio. This has been posted on my blog and YouTube.

11. Are you enlisting the help of any crew during the production phase of your documentary?

I won’t need any crew help.

12. Will you need to borrow technical equipment from the Applied Communication techs? If yes, what do you want to borrow? When do you want to borrow it?
(You must get the borrowing form signed by your tutor in order to borrow gear, and your tutor must be convinced that you already have sufficient technical skills to use it.)

No, I won’t need to borrow any technical equipment from Applied Communication techs. I have access to a good quality video camera, digital voice recorder and digital stills camera.

PERMISSIONS

13. What talent do you need to get release forms signed for?

Do I need people to sign a release form if I’m just getting them to record a voiceover?

14. Are you going to interview any minors? (if yes, you must get their release form signed by their parent / guardian)

No, I won’t be conducting any interviews.

15. Do you need permission to shoot on location?

No.

POST-PRODUCTION

16. What software do you need to edit your documentary?

I will be using:

iMovie to edit the video footage.

iPhotos and Photoshop to edit stills.

I have an Olympus digital voice recorder and will use the audio file editing software that comes with the equipment and I can use Garageband for sound effects.

17. Do you have sufficient skills with that software?

I have had experience in using all of the above software before and believe that my skill level is sufficient to produce the documentary.

18. Do you have sufficient access to that software?

All of the above software is on my own computer.

PUBLICATION

19. What social software environment will you publish your documentary to?

The entire documentary, consisting of 3 elements will be published on my WordPress Blog – 1. video, 2. Facebook link and 3. photo collage.

The video will be published on YouTube. The main character from the video will have a Facebook page and the photo collage will be linked to Tag Galaxy. Each social software environment will have links to the other social software sites that I am using.

20. Is the media you are creating appropriate for that environment?

All of the social software sites I have selected support video and stills.

21. Have you become a member of that environment?

I am a member of YouTube, Facebook and Flickr. I need to set up a Facebook page for my main character.

22. Have you done a ‘test’ publication?

I have done a couple of test publications of an animated video, using different compressions on YouTube my TS blog, to test film quality. I have also published a photo collage with a link to Tag Galaxy on my Documentary blog.

23. Does the environment stipulate any limits (eg file size, dimensions, file types, copyright, legal issues) that you will need to meet?

YouTube has a file size limit of 1GB and 10 minutes long.

24. Are there any competitions or other deadlines that the environment imposes?

Not that I know of.

LEGAL

25. Have you got copyright permission for all the content you use?

Copyright for video footage, stills and audio will be owned by me.

26. Do you have an appropriate credit list that attributes every work and everyone involved?

Credits for any producer, director, writer, animator, camera operator, stills photographer, voiceovers and crew will be listed in the closing credits of the documentary.

27. There is no defamation or slander?

Any audio or footage deemed to be defamatory or slanderous will be edited out in the post-production process.

28. Any other legal issues?

Not at this stage.

RISK ASSESSMENT

29. What are the most likely things that could go wrong with your project?

The animation is too time consuming.

30. What is your back-up plan if these things occur?

Make the story and video shorter, while still getting the main message across.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

31. What is the date of your rough-cut showing?

I plan to have a rough-cut ready for showing at the Wednesday night tute of Week 11.

32. What is the final due date?

The final due date is Week 12.

33. When do you intend to start post-production?

Weeks 9 – 12.

34. When do you intend to start production?

I intend to start doing some filming this week.

35. Given your production start date, have you already booked any technical equipment you need?

Not applicable.

36. How do these dates work in with assessment deadlines from other courses?

I’m only doing one other subject, so assessment deadlines for both subjects will be well managed.

37. If you are using talent, does their availability suit your production schedule?

I intend to ask my friends and family to record some short voiceovers for the video characters. This will be organised next week – Week 8.

Amendments

Documentary Learning Contract amendments will appear soon!

Documentary Learning Contract

CONTENT

1. What is the community that you will make your documentary about?

In broad terms the community that will feature in my documentary is the cycling community in Melbourne. I have chosen to focus my documentary on a group of cyclists who get together on the weekend and ride along Beach Road.

2. What interesting issues about community and identity will you be able to explore in relation to this community? (with reference to the theory you have read)

There are several aspects of the cycling community that can be explored within a group of cyclists. I have chosen this specific aspect of the cycling community on which to focus my documentary because it will explore the notion of different individuals who come together each week for the common purpose of cycling together.

The idea of coming from the broader urban community where each individual has their daily role to play to form a small cycling group that works together for the common good of the whole. In the group they fall under the banner of being cyclists and no longer what they are in their daily lives. This illustrates how communities are constantly being formed and reformed and how we as individuals set into different communities.

Apart from the bonding of cycling together and the benefits of cycling for each individual, the issue of tensions between cyclists and drivers will also be explored. These will be highlighted by talking about the sometimes aberrant behaviour by cyclists and drivers alike, which contribute to ongoing tensions.

3. What theorists will you incorporate into your documentary? (summarise the ideas you will engage with)

Tonnie’s idea of Gemeinschaft as ‘all intimate, private, and exclusive living together’, along with his notion of Gesellschaft as ‘(society) public life’.

I also think that Miller’s thoughts on delinquency can be explored in relation to his statement ‘the dominant component of motivation of ‘delinquent’ behaviour engaged in by members of lower class corner groups involves a positive effort to achieve status, conditions, or qualities valued within the actor’s most significant milieu’.

4. Why are they relevant / important? (a critical analysis of these ideas in relation to the community you are documenting)

I think Tonnie’s idea of Gemeinschaft as ‘all intimate, private, and exclusive living together can relate to the group of cyclists riding together, because it is a very intimate and close experience. Each rider relies on everyone in the group knowing what each one of them is doing.

In relation to each individual in the group, Tonnie’s notion of Gesellschaft as ‘(society) public life’, can be expressed through the public life or identity that each individual rider has within society away from their identity as a cyclist riding in group.

The tensions that exist between cyclists and drivers are embedded within a range of small incidents through to delinquent or criminal acts from both sides. Miller argues that delinquency comes from socialization into a “lower class culture”. However, the cyclists and drivers on the road cross all class groups and are capable of displaying delinquent behaviour for a variety of reasons. Some of the points I raised in my blog were:

The tension that exists between cyclists and motorists is sometimes expressed in deviant or delinquent acts from both parties, which then spills into wider community debates about the rights and responsibilities of all road users. There is nothing more annoying from a driver’s viewpoint than seeing a cyclist ride through a red traffic light or not heeding other road laws that all road users are expected to follow. These misdemeanors can be viewed as deviant or delinquent acts within sections of the cycling community and work against the development of a cohesive understanding between drivers and cyclists – http://www.australiancyclist.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=3739 Similarly, there have been examples of motorists who have deliberately targeted cyclists because they don’t seem to accept them as a legitimate road user and have resulted in serious injuries – view this news report from The Age 2008 http://www.theage.com.au/national/driver-swerved-deliberately-hit-cyclists-police-20081020-5468.html

5.How are you going to introduce their ideas? (in terms of the structure of your documentary or the argument you are proposing, how does the theory come in, and where/when?)

The documentary with each individual being introduced to the audience by name and occupation. What they ‘do’ in society – (Gesellschaft).

We then follow one individual a little closer as he talks about cycling to work each day and some of the issues that can occur on the road or bike path.

The documentary then cuts to the group of riders and we see them get on their bikes and ride off. The vision then cuts to filming inside the group of riders and how they ride and work together, very closely, as a group – (Gemeinschaft).

The doco then moves onto vision of many different groups of cyclists riding along Beach Road, while a voiceover of comments from our individual cyclists can be heard talking about some of the issues that occur between cyclists and drivers – (Delinquent behaviour).

6. What is the structure of the documentary? (this could be a short treatment of the way you see your documentary unfolding)

The documentary is a video, with stills inserted and voiceover.

The documentary opens with the introduction of each riders via stills and  voiceover of each person saying who they are and what they do as their day job.

The last rider’s introduction will be further extended by a transition from a still image to video footage of him riding off, while his voiceover talks about how he commutes to work each day on a bike and on weekends meets up with a group of friends to ride together down Beach Road.

The video then cuts to the group on beach road as they are preparing to ride off together. As we see the group ride off, the camera perspective then changes as we become a ‘fly on wall’ by being taken inside the group as they ride together.

From this perspective, we get to see how the group works together as one and how each individual plays their part in helping the group. Voiceover comments will be heard from the riders as they explain what it’s like to ride together in a bunch.

The camera perspective then comes out of the group and we see vision of different bunches of riders going past with voiceover comments on some of the tensions that exist between cyclists and drivers.

The documentary then comes back to a positive message, as we hear from each individual what motivated them to start cycling and what they get out of it. The audio will be over the top of still images of the group relaxing after their ride sitting around a table outside drinking coffee.

The documentary will end with a cyclist cycling toward the camera, stopping and saying something to encourage people to ride.

Credits roll.

7. What is the style of the documentary? (you can refer to documentary theory if you know it; if you don’t, discuss how you see the relationship between you the documentary maker and your subject, and how that will influence the work you produce. Examples of other documentaries will be relevant)

As I have discussed on my blog, part of the documentary will be filmed from an observational point of view. Filming from inside the cycling group will be from the point of view of ‘letting the action play out naturally’. As the video will also have voiceover comments from the cyclists, the documentary will also include expository elements because the voiceovers will be telling the ’story’ of the experience of cycling in the group, the issues that exists between cyclists and drivers, and what cycling means to each individual.

TECHNICAL

8. What type of media will your documentary consist of (eg audio files, text, stills, video, animation etc)

The documentary will be a video that will include stills and audio files.

9. Given that your documentary will be published online, how will you tailor production and post-production to be appropriate (eg image size, frame rate, design issues, copyright)?

I will make sure that the format and compression of video, audio and stills are compatible with the requirements of the social networking sites where the documentary will be published. All video footage, stills and audio will be recorded by me, therefore there won’t be any copyright issues.

10. What are your skills in making this style of media?

I have shot and edited home movies using iMovies, where I have incorporated stills, titles, audio and special effects. I also have lots of experience interviewing people using a digital voice recorder, downloading, editing and inserting into movies.

I have already done a very basic video test run on my blog of shooting, editing and adding audio.

11. Are you enlisting the help of any crew during the production phase of your documentary?

The fact that my husband will be filming his cycling bunch with a video fixed to his handlebars, means that he is an integral part of the film crew for that section of video footage.

If I need to film from inside a car, I will need a driver.

12. Will you need to borrow technical equipment from the Applied Communication techs? If yes, what do you want to borrow? When do you want to borrow it?
(You must get the borrowing form signed by your tutor in order to borrow gear, and your tutor must be convinced that you already have sufficient technical skills to use it.)

No, I won’t need to borrow any technical equipment from Applied Communication techs. I have access to a good quality video camera, digital voice recorder and digital stills camera.

PERMISSIONS

13. What talent do you need to get release forms signed for?

Six riders from my husband’s riding group have already been asked if they would like to participate in my documentary project, and have verbally agreed. Before they are filmed and interviewed they will be required to sign a release form.

14. Are you going to interview any minors? (if yes, you must get their release form signed by their parent / guardian)

No, I won’t be interviewing any minors. All of the interviewees are adults.

15. Do you need permission to shoot on location?

As Beach Road is a public space, no permission will be needed to shoot along this location.

POST-PRODUCTION

16. What software do you need to edit your documentary?

I will be using:

iMovie to edit the video footage.

iPhotos to edit stills.

I have an Olympus digital voice recorder and will use the audio file editing software that comes with the equipment.

17. Do you have sufficient skills with that software?

I have had experience in using all of the above software before and believe that my skill level is sufficient to produce a decent documentary.

18. Do you have sufficient access to that software?

All of the above software is on my own computer.

PUBICATION

19. What social software environment will you publish your documentary to?

The documentary will be published on :

YouTube and stumbleupon.

20. Is the media you are creating appropriate for that environment?

All of the social software sites I have selected support videos.

21. Have you become a member of that environment?

I have already because a member of  YouTube. I will also sign up for stumbleupon.

22. Have you done a ‘test’ publication?

I did a test publication on YouTube and blip.tv. The footage was edited in iMovies, audio was recorded on my digital voice recorder and inserted as a voiceover to the footage. I like the look of the blip.tv frame better than YouTube, but it only appears as a ‘click here’ link. Not sure if I have done something wrong, so will explore further. Both tests can be viewed on my blog.

23. Does the environment stipulate any limits (eg file size, dimensions, file types, copyright, legal issues) that you will need to meet?

YouTube has a file size limit of 20GB. I’m not sure about Stumbleupon.

24. Are there any competitions or other deadlines that the environment imposes?

Not that I know of.

LEGAL

25. Have you got copyright permission for all the content you use?

Copyright for video footage, stills and audio will be owned by me.

26. Do you have an appropriate credit list that attributes every work and everyone involved?

The credit list will include the names of people featured in the video, stills and audio. Video and photographic credits will be attributed to the person who has filmed or taken images. Credits for crew, writer, producer and director will also be listed in the closing credits of the documentary.

27. There is no defamation or slander?

Any audio or footage deemed to be defamatory or slanderous  will be edited out in the post-production process.

28. Any other legal issues?

Not at this stage.

RISK ASSESSMENT

29. What are the most likely things that could go wrong with your project?

1. The footage of riding in the cycling pack may not be steady enough to watch.

2. Everyone who said they would turn up for the ride, doesn’t arrive.

30. What is your back-up plan if these things occur?

1. If the footage from inside the pack is unacceptable, I will get footage of the pack riding together, by filming them from a car.

2. As long as there are at least four riders, the sense of riding and working together will still be evident.

3. I can conduct interviews on another day.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

31. What is the date of your rough-cut showing?

I plan to have a rough-cut ready for showing at the Wednesday night tute of Week 12.

32. What is the final due date?

The final due date is Week 14 – June 12, 2009.

33. When do you intend to start post-production?

Weeks 10 – 12.

34. When do you intend to start production?

I intend to start doing some filming next week.

35. Given your production start date, have you already booked any technical equipment you need?

Not applicable.

36. How do these dates work in with assessment deadlines from other courses?

I’m only doing one other subject, so assessment deadlines for both subjects will be well managed.

37. If you are using talent, does their availability suit your production schedule?

I will be doing the bulk of the filming, stills and interviews on the weekend on April 18 and 19. This then gives me several weeks of post-production time.

Opening soon!

My learning contract will appear here soon.