Recently I attended a film screening of Chris Johnson's Question Bridge: Black Males. I haven't been this impressed with a documentary film in a very long time. The film was shown as part of SIUC's Expanded Media Symposium and this film did just that by going beyond a film or an installation but by being adapted into an app and a curriculum for schools.
Johnson's film is simple having a specific group, black males, ask questions and other black males respond to the questions. There is no music or sound other than the men asking and answering questions. The visuals of the men are talking head shots framed next to each other. While one man speaks different men will appear next to them and appear to be listening, similar to a chat room. This format simulates a conversation but is done in such a way as to not be distracting. This allows the viewer to feel like they are part of the conversation rather than being talked at by a single dominate figure on the screen. I was impressed that even though there are no b-roll or fancy camera effects the content and conversation is so intriguing that I was completely attentive to the film from start to finish.
What impacted me the most was his focus on a very specific group. Often in documentary filmmaking we are taught to show both sides but here Johnson doesn't show both sides he provides a space to let one side converse. Being a white woman I found this fascinating because it gave me an opportunity to listen in to several conversations of black males as they talked freely to their specific audience and in turn provided me with a better understanding of the black male experience.
Often when people talk about films that address difficult topics like racism people say things like "It was good to bring awareness to this issue" or "We just need to have conversations and educate each other." The former statement always seems like it's not doing enough and the later statement seems to be in the right place but often seems to be just said and not done. However, with Question Bridge: Black Males, the conversation is being done. It's exciting to see.
The day after the screening they hosted a workshop where everyone got together and discussed how to make films in the style of Question Bridge. Meeting director Chris Johnson was a wonderful experience. He was so humble and took every opportunity to praise the film's talented producers, editors, and marketing designers. He explained that the colon in the title Question Bridge: Black Males was to imply that there could be any form of a question bridge project such as Question Bridge: Black Women or Question Bridge: Muslim Women. This concept has inspired me to consider the power of keeping my audience specific because sometimes to include a wide demographic as your target audiance can cause the conversation and the content of a film to lose its power to communicate in the most effective way.
On a more personal level, I learned from Johnson to make films that matter to ME. This might seem like an obvious lesson but I have often caught myself working on film projects because I can see a good story and not because I am particularly passionate about the subject matter. The Question Bridge project encourages me to be a better filmmaker.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Friday, February 27, 2015
Big Muddy Film Festival - Depending on Traffic Screening
Yesterday I went to a screening of several travelogue films at the Big Muddy Film Festival. The film that was the most interesting to me was Depending on Traffic by Ben Cotti. The film opens on a man sitting in a nice sports car. He is stuck in traffic and talking on his cell phone. He is dictating a holiday greeting card to his secretary. The gist of the message is don't take your family for granted this holiday season. These message seems to be an underlying theme of the film as we move on to another couple who are arguing in their tiny Volkswagon.
Everyone's tension is high as it becomes apparent that the traffic has been stalled for hours. In one scene a teenage girl gets out of a large truck and sets up a drum set. Her dad is literally asleep at the wheel as they have been sitting idle for so long. The girl starts to frantically play in a desperate attempt to wake her father. Her playing attracts a group of people but her dad never stirs.
After a while we cut back to the couple who has been arguing in the tiny car. It is revealed that the two are having an affair and as their other partners walk up to the vehicle we see the two lovers have resolved their fight and signal to each other that they will continue their secret.
At times this film was hard to follow and often dragged. However, I believe this was the filmmakers intent. The extremely long takes help the viewer to be pulled into the emotion of the actors because you start to feel irritated by a plot that doesn't seem to be going anywhere fast, much like the traffic jam.
Each conversation we witness seems to reveal a personal situation for each character that is troubled or tense. We don't always know why exactly and there is much left up to the viewer to deduce about the character's lives. But the conclusion of the work seems to say, life is messy and sometimes it seems like you are going no where but don't forget to appreciate the ones you love.
What I appreciate the most about this film is that is wasn't afraid to leave mystery. When it comes to a short film there is often no time spent on developing a character but it is important to not underestimate how much a viewer can follow and understand the connection even when it isn't plainly spelled out. This guessing work kept the story entertaining even though the location didn't change and the pace of the film was slow.
Everyone's tension is high as it becomes apparent that the traffic has been stalled for hours. In one scene a teenage girl gets out of a large truck and sets up a drum set. Her dad is literally asleep at the wheel as they have been sitting idle for so long. The girl starts to frantically play in a desperate attempt to wake her father. Her playing attracts a group of people but her dad never stirs.
After a while we cut back to the couple who has been arguing in the tiny car. It is revealed that the two are having an affair and as their other partners walk up to the vehicle we see the two lovers have resolved their fight and signal to each other that they will continue their secret.
At times this film was hard to follow and often dragged. However, I believe this was the filmmakers intent. The extremely long takes help the viewer to be pulled into the emotion of the actors because you start to feel irritated by a plot that doesn't seem to be going anywhere fast, much like the traffic jam.
Each conversation we witness seems to reveal a personal situation for each character that is troubled or tense. We don't always know why exactly and there is much left up to the viewer to deduce about the character's lives. But the conclusion of the work seems to say, life is messy and sometimes it seems like you are going no where but don't forget to appreciate the ones you love.
What I appreciate the most about this film is that is wasn't afraid to leave mystery. When it comes to a short film there is often no time spent on developing a character but it is important to not underestimate how much a viewer can follow and understand the connection even when it isn't plainly spelled out. This guessing work kept the story entertaining even though the location didn't change and the pace of the film was slow.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Big Muddy Film Festival - Maternity Test Film Screening
Yesterday at the Big Muddy Film Festival I saw a series of alternative short films. The one that impressed me the most was Maternity Test by Irene Lusztig. In this film several women perform a reading that is comprised of online forum posts from mothering.com. The script outlines the feelings of a mother as she undergoes a C-section birth.
It took me a few minutes before I realized the women were all performing the same script. This was because of the way it was edited in that it cut from one woman to the next and gave the impression that each person was sharing a personal story but that all the women had a similar experience. After a while their phrases started matching and I realized it was a script being performed. At first this was a bit off putting. The script was well written and powerful, but once I learned it was prepared for the women to read it started to loose some of its power for me.
However, at the end of the reading the filmmaker asked the women different questions about the reading or about their experiences with child birth. Their real responses were very moving and gave me much to think about.
I am intrigued by this film's style that features only "talking heads" or basically interviews cut and edited side-by-side. There is no music or other sound design elements and that would usually be boring to me but this film is strong enough on its own because the script and editing is interesting and engaging.
If I had to list one issue that I have with the film it would be way in which the script and performance paint hospitals and their staff in a bad light. Some of the text reads as if the doctors and nurses were indifferent and cold to the feelings of the mother and almost as if THEY robbed the mother from the experience of giving birth. Having never gone through childbirth I can not say I can fully understand what these mothers have gone through. But, knowing many doctors and nurses and having had the opportunity to film a C-section labor, I've witnessed that the medical staff are very caring and only did a C-section birth because it was absolutely necessary for the wellbeing of the mother and the child.
With all this in mind, I consider this film very successful because in spite of the way it negatively paints modern medicine it does a brilliant job of drawing attention to the deep-seeded insecurities that many women face when it comes to being a mother.
It took me a few minutes before I realized the women were all performing the same script. This was because of the way it was edited in that it cut from one woman to the next and gave the impression that each person was sharing a personal story but that all the women had a similar experience. After a while their phrases started matching and I realized it was a script being performed. At first this was a bit off putting. The script was well written and powerful, but once I learned it was prepared for the women to read it started to loose some of its power for me.
However, at the end of the reading the filmmaker asked the women different questions about the reading or about their experiences with child birth. Their real responses were very moving and gave me much to think about.
I am intrigued by this film's style that features only "talking heads" or basically interviews cut and edited side-by-side. There is no music or other sound design elements and that would usually be boring to me but this film is strong enough on its own because the script and editing is interesting and engaging.
If I had to list one issue that I have with the film it would be way in which the script and performance paint hospitals and their staff in a bad light. Some of the text reads as if the doctors and nurses were indifferent and cold to the feelings of the mother and almost as if THEY robbed the mother from the experience of giving birth. Having never gone through childbirth I can not say I can fully understand what these mothers have gone through. But, knowing many doctors and nurses and having had the opportunity to film a C-section labor, I've witnessed that the medical staff are very caring and only did a C-section birth because it was absolutely necessary for the wellbeing of the mother and the child.
With all this in mind, I consider this film very successful because in spite of the way it negatively paints modern medicine it does a brilliant job of drawing attention to the deep-seeded insecurities that many women face when it comes to being a mother.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Big Muddy Film Festival - Little White Lie Film Screening
Last night I went to the opening screening of the 37th annual Big Muddy Film Festival. There was a very good turn out and I enjoyed the short films very much. The feature film that was highlighted stuck with me the most however, Little White Lie by Lacey Schwartz was a brilliant documentary.
The documentary follows the very personal story of a girl who was raised by a Jewish family in Woodstock, New York. She struggled with her identity because she looked darker than her other family members. Her family told her that her skin color was a product of a distant relative but that although her skin was dark, she was in fact white. As the documentary progresses the family secret is revealed that her mother had, had an affair with a black friend. The secret ultimately broke the marriage and the lack of communication nearly broke up the family. But, through the persistence of Lacey's need to communicate and know more she was able to not only resolve the troubled family history but gain an understanding about her self as a black woman.
This film was incredibly inspiring to me as a documentary filmmaker. More and more I'm learning that the best films address the topics that are close to home and it encourages me to take on topics that are difficult for me. Lacey acknowledged that addressing her families secrets didn't fix everything between her parents and her family but it did give her resolve enough to move on with her life with confidence and peace.
The documentary follows the very personal story of a girl who was raised by a Jewish family in Woodstock, New York. She struggled with her identity because she looked darker than her other family members. Her family told her that her skin color was a product of a distant relative but that although her skin was dark, she was in fact white. As the documentary progresses the family secret is revealed that her mother had, had an affair with a black friend. The secret ultimately broke the marriage and the lack of communication nearly broke up the family. But, through the persistence of Lacey's need to communicate and know more she was able to not only resolve the troubled family history but gain an understanding about her self as a black woman.
This film was incredibly inspiring to me as a documentary filmmaker. More and more I'm learning that the best films address the topics that are close to home and it encourages me to take on topics that are difficult for me. Lacey acknowledged that addressing her families secrets didn't fix everything between her parents and her family but it did give her resolve enough to move on with her life with confidence and peace.
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