Pages
Categories
Filmmakers
-
Pat – A Documentary Short
This is the second documentary short in my profile series. I’ve walked by this store on Boylston street hundreds of times, and there is always an elderly woman peering out from behind the store front.
The front of the store is all glass, and the display case is filled with “collectible junk.” I couldn’t help but think every time I walked by, “how does this store survive, and what is that woman’s story?” I had no idea just how interesting the woman in the junk shop would turn out to be.
Artistic Statement: As the second in my profile series, I wanted to retain certain aesthetic elements from my first piece in the series featuring Gilbert. The challenge would be to keep the series interesting, and to keep those aesthetic elements from becoming cliche or gimmicky.
I decided early on to make the store an extension of the main character, Pat, as she is very much a part of the store and the store a part of her. I utilized an establishing shot from across the street to convey voyeuristic sense of peering in to this “familiar stranger’s” life. I wanted to create a sense of place, differentiated by sound and perspective, that marked the outside from the inside of the store.
I wanted the interview to have an almost home movie or archival feel and I felt that the drab colors and the cool fluorescent lighting should be accentuated for the viewer, so obviously black and white wouldn’t work like it did with Gilbert’s piece.
My only regret with this piece is that I didn’t have a wider lens to shoot the narrow store interior and capture the clutter and sense of claustrophobic nostalgia one feels when inside. Although it was awkward for me, I chose to frame a couple shots of Pat where she sits all day long near the store front. She literally blends in with the items on the wall. Over the last 35 years, Pat has become a part of the collection that she so lovingly curates.
I filmed this piece on a Sony EX1, with a Letus 35mm Adapter, Zeiss Planar T* f1.4/85mm prime lens, and a Nikon 50mm f1.4. The project was color treated with magic bullet looks.
This entry was posted in Documentary Film and tagged Documentary Film. Bookmark the permalink. Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL.
5 Comments
i just love this series… i love to write, and one thing i love doing is “collecting” people… on paper vs. film… that same desire to capture slices, angles, perspectives, and colors of this wide spectrum of humanity.
thanks Audrey – these people have provided me with an outlet for my work. Without their stories I don’t have anything. Thanks for commenting, and for watching!!
Wow! I am blown away by this one, Nathaniel.
I discovered your work today when Philip Bloom ‘re-tweeted’ one of your posts. Thus far I have watched ‘Lila’, ‘Ron’ and now ‘Pat’, and while I’ve enjoyed each of them very much, this one is by far my favorite.
As an aspiring filmmaker, I’ve found your posts describing your intent, technique and equipment to be very interesting and informative, so I hope you will not mind answering a question:
As a still photographer, I often have difficulty taking candid photos. The moment people see a camera, they either become guarded… or they begin to pose and preen for the camera. Whatever first attracted me to the shot is often lost the moment the camera comes out of the case!
Can you tell me what methods you employ to put your subjects at ease, and how you get their permission to be filmed? I realize it’s probably a silly question, and the correct response may be “You ask them nicely.”, but I thought you might have some insight on this matter, as your subjects seem quite open to being filmed and sharing their lives with a stranger.
I’ll be watching ‘Gilbert’ as soon as I’m done with this comment, and I look forward to seeing your future projects. You’ve got a new fan.
Best,
Robert
Hi Robert – Thanks for the comment, and for watching! Sometimes I put stuff out there and you don’t know if anyone is going to see it.
As for putting people at ease, I’m still learning that one! I usually try to (with this series anyway) film people in their natural environment where they’d be the most comfortable anyway. Part of the reason I started this series is because I found it very difficult to ask people to be filmed – and yet people are and their stories are what I’m most interested in, narratively speaking. The “hunting” metaphors come quickly to mind and I didn’t want to be perceived as a filmmaker out for the kill, or on the prowl to find something to “shoot.” I guess you could say I’ve digitally hung my “kills” on the wall here, but I like to let the pieces speak for themselves.
As for methods – I usually introduce myself and tell them exactly what I’m doing and ask if they’d be interested in being involved. I get a lot of “no thanks” responses. If someone is too eager, then I might question their motive for being involved. Everyone that I’ve filmed thus far has said “oh, I don’t know, what will it involve and who will see it?” This is great because I can have a genuine conversation with them about what I do and why I think their story would be a great contribution to the ongoing series. It sometimes takes some coaxing, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. People are pretty vulnerable in the interview setting and I take the trust they put in me very seriously. For Lilah, I showed her previous work (from my iphone) so she could get a feel for exactly what I do. At the end of the day, I’ve found what works best for me is to build a relationship of trust from the very beginning.
I also ask them to sign a release. People are always willing, and I usually go through the release with them explaining why something is in there, etc. I haven’t had anyone not sign, but I’ve had a few people say they were uncomfortable with the idea but after our discussion they felt the release made sense.
I’ve tried to show my work to them as well, when I’m done. Gilbert has seen his piece, and I need to make time to stop by where I usually see Pat and Lilah. I don’t think I’ll ever see Ron again, but I did send him an email with a link.
I hope that answers some of your questions, and thanks again for stopping by!
Thanks so much for such a thorough answer!
As I suspected, it seems there’s no ‘trick’ to getting subjects. Your idea of showing your past work on the iPhone is a helpful suggestion, and once I’ve got some work under my belt (and an iPhone), I’ll be sure to employ it!
I had wondered if you (and other film-makers) get releases from your subjects, and I’m sure that can be a delicate matter for some people. In some of Philip Bloom’s videos, he talks to dozens of people, and I would imagine getting releases from each of them would become cumbersome, and inhibit spontaneity in the ‘creative process’… But I guess you can’t just start filming strangers and hope for the best!
You have a real talent for this. I’ve seen feature length films where the characters were not as fleshed-out and sympathetic as in your shorts. By the end, I felt I knew (and cared) about each of your subjects… even Ron’s admission that it was ‘all about the money’ made him more honest and engaging. And that final shot of Pat in the store window was fantastic… memorable.
I really hope you’ll do more in this series. You can be assured you’ll have an audience of at least one! Again, thanks for taking the time to answer my question.
Cheers!
Robert