Lesson #15: Making a Mini Documentary

Today is our last film class before we return from Chinese New Year and Beyond. Zhu Laoshi assigned the class with the task of creating a 1-minute documentary that consists of three interviews in our small groups. Josephine, Michelle, and I went around campus and interviewed Mrs. Grace, Edwin, and a CIS Student (Tina) on their impressions of life in Hangzhou. 

One interesting thing that I learnt today was that if your interviewee (for example, Mrs. Grace) blinks a lot on camera, you should zoom out of the frame, so that the shot includes more of the interviewee's body and would not be so focused on his / her face, as the audience may find frequent blinking to be uncomfortable.

It is also important to film relevant cutaway shots and include jump cuts so the film would be less mundane. eg. When Mrs Grace was talking about how in Hangzhou, "the community sleeps, eats, and works together", we included a shot of our film class editing their mini documentaries.

Final Cut Pro Keys: I for In, O for Out, B for Blade

Lesson #13 / #14: Grizzly Man

Today during class, we experimented with filming 30 seconds interviews / documentaries in small groups. After around 10 minutes of filming, each group showed their work to the class. Below are some things that I learnt about:

1. Leading Space

In addition to placing the interviewee's eyes at the intersection points, it is also important to note that the interviewee should be looking towards the leading space rather than directly at the camera (unless a special mood is to be conveyed). However, the interviewee should also face slightly towards the audience and not too much towards the corner of the frame so that the shot looks comfortable / natural. 

2. Shot Size

In documentaries, medium close up is often the ideal shot to use as it looks most natural. Close ups can be used to place focus on the subject's emotions / face, and medium shots can be used to show the subjects' body movements.

3. Framing

The rule of thirds should be applied and it is crucial to avoid excessive blank space within the frame. The camera should be facing the interviewee at eye line, and the interviewer should stand next to the camera so that the interviewee would not be looking directly towards the camera. 

4. Choice of Background 

The camera should not be facing the light because that would cause the lighting of the shot to be very dim. However, sometimes, there can be too much light, causing the shot to be overexposed. Adjusting the white balance of the camera would be a effective solution to this problem. Also, it is ideal to have diagonal lines in the background as to create depth within the frame. 

Then, we watched the 2005 documentary Grizzly Man, directed and narrated by Werner Herzog. The director applied several different techniques in order to present the interviews in a natural way:

1. Use of Angles

Herzog applied the use of different angles so that the film does not seem as boring, for example, when he was interviewing the helicopter man, he was led through the path that the helicopter guy walked through the day he found Timothy Treadwell's remains. While they were walking, the helicopter guy points at some objects on the ground, and the director also follows by lowering the camera:

2. Limiting the number of interview questions

Another effective way of raising the audience's interest is by limiting the number of questions so that the interviewee's answers would not be too short / brief. Instead of asking short snappy questions like "What is your name?" "What was your role on the day of rescue?", the director invited the rescuer to simply do an introduction of himself (without too much guidance / too many interview questions).