This is the core of the work, what some may call the soft skills. I know there are people out there that can out-shoot me in terms of technical skills. But if I were to ask some of them to sit and talk, at length, with a 90 year old woman about her life, a grieving parent, a corporate CEO, a dairy farmer and a war veteran, both describing the worst moments of their life, they wouldn't be able to do it. Being with people, and understanding the unique dynamics of a recorded conversation (it's asymmetrical, where the agreed upon construct is that you talk and I listen) is both your greatest value, and your greatest gift. There are few other circumstances that would put you in a position to receive someone's story in this way. Much more than pay, this gift to me is the reason I do the work. Your short lesson here is one of your most valuable. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your comment. What you said hits at the core of what documentaries should be about. This is what I hope to get to in my videos on this channel, so thank you for recognizing that and doing the same in your work! This industry needs more of this approach for sure.
Thank you alot for these lessons i'm learning alot as a ugandan venturing into documentary films been a photographer have done some talking head docs and this is insightful on those personal projects i want to do. Thanks alot
Thanks for sharing your process for building trust and rapport with the subjects of the documentaries that you work on! Some great tips that I'll be bringing on to future productions.
Very informative and yet, there are so many more questions... how do you deal with the monotony of spending hours with a person or people who aren't doing anything cinematic that day? Do you ever take a break from recording to chat informally with the subject(s)? On "The Trade," you spent days with broke drug addicts -- did you slip them a $20 bill every so often out of sympathy? How do you avoid corrupting the scene with your presence? Have you developed a sense of when a subject is acting or hiding something about themselves? The more you describe the production process of verite -- despite the ethical practices that you employ -- the more impossible it seems to capture unadulterated truth. Meanwhile, the finished result can be extremely compelling, "The Trade" being a notable example.
I am a beginner in documetar filming, but I already had the opportunity to film at a farewell party of a deceased person. It was requested by the bereaved family. It was a sad but still very valuable experience. And it showed me that I want to continue on the path of documentary filming.
Thanks for your comment. It’s amazing what happens when you find yourself in situations like you described. You have two choices - either storm in as a “filmmaker,” take what you want (content-wise) and leave with no understanding or empathy for the situation, or come in as an understanding, compassionate person who wants to get to the underlying story and emotions. That’s where the real documentary work can begin. I’m glad your early experience pushed you to want to keep going! I wish you all the best as you continue to tell important stories!
Hi Matt, I guess you have been busy lately, as we await eagerly for your next video. I hope it is work and nothing else that is preventing you from posting your weekly video. But life is as life is I guess. I´m writing to you as i recently came across an issue I believe your opinion and expertise could shine a light on, as it pertains to a similar aspect of documentary filmmaking as this video I´m writing the comment on talks about, that is building trust and having a relationship with your subject. I explain: For a myriad of reasons, when we are with other people we talk. Silence is some kind of taboo that prevents us from listening. Somehow we have assigned silence a negative quality, especially when it happens between two people. In any case, I´m thinking about silence and talk when it happens between the documentarian (or cameraman) and the subject outside the interview setting. Interviews, by repetition have become some kind of standard. We all know how an interview looks and sounds and that allows for the diversity we see in the interview landscape. But how much talk should documentarians engage themselves in with subjects outside that framework? Do you have any rules that guide your behaviour while filming a subject, as it is not the same to capture on camera a subject that waves with their hands as they explain something to you, as opposed to someone who works quietly on something? Thanks for your channel and wish you the best, Manuel
Hi Manuel, Thanks so much for the comment! Yes, some work came in the way, but I am also putting together some more involved videos, so I thank you for your patience with the next one! I plan to have my first in a series of interview lighting interviews going up tomorrow, so keep an eye out! Your question about silence (or the lack of) in verite situations is a good one. I very much agree that people are afraid of silence and feel the need to fill it. But what happens is if we, as the filmmaker keep ourselves from filling it, the subject will. And more often than not, what comes out is gold. They will either expand on the thought they had, or repeat it in a very concise way. This applies to both interviews, as well as verite. In verite moments, it can be difficult for the subject to not talk to you. It’s natural. What I will normally do is engage lightly, so they don’t feel uncomfortable or ignored. But then I will reduce my responses over time so they naturally work themselves into not having an audience. If that doesn’t work, I will gently say, “I’m going to just get some shots of you doing X, so act as if I’m not here.” It’s a delicate balance between getting what you need and not being rude or cold. But it definitely takes patience, finesse and compassion.
Hi Matt, I´m glad to hear that it is work keeping you busy and nothing else. That is usually the case but winter is coming as they say. I am very determined to buy my first lights (I´ve had an aputure 60x and a smallrig 120b in my shopping cart on amazon for a couple of days, but I guess I can hold out a little bit longer to hear what you have to say, because, as I suspected, what you have to say is gold for people like me. Huge thanks for that. Your advice on managing silence and talk in verite proves that point. I had just kind of understood that I need to use silence as a tool, both my silence and silence in general, and that I have to fight back that need to "tell my own story" I think we all may have. I really like that approach of easying in into the silence, reducing my contribution to the talk so eventually a bit of silence will be ok, so the person can go around his/her life without needing to entertain or take care of me. The gentle suggestion of I will take a shot of you while...sounds like distilled gold. I can´t wait to put those to test! Once again, thanks and see you on the other end of your videos!
This is the core of the work, what some may call the soft skills. I know there are people out there that can out-shoot me in terms of technical skills. But if I were to ask some of them to sit and talk, at length, with a 90 year old woman about her life, a grieving parent, a corporate CEO, a dairy farmer and a war veteran, both describing the worst moments of their life, they wouldn't be able to do it.
Being with people, and understanding the unique dynamics of a recorded conversation (it's asymmetrical, where the agreed upon construct is that you talk and I listen) is both your greatest value, and your greatest gift. There are few other circumstances that would put you in a position to receive someone's story in this way. Much more than pay, this gift to me is the reason I do the work.
Your short lesson here is one of your most valuable. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your comment. What you said hits at the core of what documentaries should be about. This is what I hope to get to in my videos on this channel, so thank you for recognizing that and doing the same in your work! This industry needs more of this approach for sure.
Thanks for sharing your valuable experience. These are tips are golden. I look forward to your future videos!
Awesome, thank you!
I want to cheat and give this wonderful concise guide ten thumbs-up!
Amazing, thank you!
Thank you alot for these lessons i'm learning alot as a ugandan venturing into documentary films been a photographer have done some talking head docs and this is insightful on those personal projects i want to do. Thanks alot
Thank you! I really appreciate your comment!
Thanks for sharing your process for building trust and rapport with the subjects of the documentaries that you work on! Some great tips that I'll be bringing on to future productions.
Glad you found it helpful!
Very informative and yet, there are so many more questions... how do you deal with the monotony of spending hours with a person or people who aren't doing anything cinematic that day? Do you ever take a break from recording to chat informally with the subject(s)? On "The Trade," you spent days with broke drug addicts -- did you slip them a $20 bill every so often out of sympathy? How do you avoid corrupting the scene with your presence? Have you developed a sense of when a subject is acting or hiding something about themselves?
The more you describe the production process of verite -- despite the ethical practices that you employ -- the more impossible it seems to capture unadulterated truth. Meanwhile, the finished result can be extremely compelling, "The Trade" being a notable example.
I am a beginner in documetar filming, but I already had the opportunity to film at a farewell party of a deceased person. It was requested by the bereaved family. It was a sad but still very valuable experience. And it showed me that I want to continue on the path of documentary filming.
Thanks for your comment. It’s amazing what happens when you find yourself in situations like you described. You have two choices - either storm in as a “filmmaker,” take what you want (content-wise) and leave with no understanding or empathy for the situation, or come in as an understanding, compassionate person who wants to get to the underlying story and emotions. That’s where the real documentary work can begin. I’m glad your early experience pushed you to want to keep going! I wish you all the best as you continue to tell important stories!
😊🙏
Hi Matt, I guess you have been busy lately, as we await eagerly for your next video. I hope it is work and nothing else that is preventing you from posting your weekly video. But life is as life is I guess.
I´m writing to you as i recently came across an issue I believe your opinion and expertise could shine a light on, as it pertains to a similar aspect of documentary filmmaking as this video I´m writing the comment on talks about, that is building trust and having a relationship with your subject. I explain:
For a myriad of reasons, when we are with other people we talk. Silence is some kind of taboo that prevents us from listening. Somehow we have assigned silence a negative quality, especially when it happens between two people. In any case, I´m thinking about silence and talk when it happens between the documentarian (or cameraman) and the subject outside the interview setting. Interviews, by repetition have become some kind of standard. We all know how an interview looks and sounds and that allows for the diversity we see in the interview landscape. But how much talk should documentarians engage themselves in with subjects outside that framework? Do you have any rules that guide your behaviour while filming a subject, as it is not the same to capture on camera a subject that waves with their hands as they explain something to you, as opposed to someone who works quietly on something? Thanks for your channel and wish you the best,
Manuel
Hi Manuel, Thanks so much for the comment! Yes, some work came in the way, but I am also putting together some more involved videos, so I thank you for your patience with the next one! I plan to have my first in a series of interview lighting interviews going up tomorrow, so keep an eye out!
Your question about silence (or the lack of) in verite situations is a good one. I very much agree that people are afraid of silence and feel the need to fill it. But what happens is if we, as the filmmaker keep ourselves from filling it, the subject will. And more often than not, what comes out is gold. They will either expand on the thought they had, or repeat it in a very concise way. This applies to both interviews, as well as verite.
In verite moments, it can be difficult for the subject to not talk to you. It’s natural. What I will normally do is engage lightly, so they don’t feel uncomfortable or ignored. But then I will reduce my responses over time so they naturally work themselves into not having an audience. If that doesn’t work, I will gently say, “I’m going to just get some shots of you doing X, so act as if I’m not here.” It’s a delicate balance between getting what you need and not being rude or cold. But it definitely takes patience, finesse and compassion.
Hi Matt, I´m glad to hear that it is work keeping you busy and nothing else. That is usually the case but winter is coming as they say.
I am very determined to buy my first lights (I´ve had an aputure 60x and a smallrig 120b in my shopping cart on amazon for a couple of days, but I guess I can hold out a little bit longer to hear what you have to say, because, as I suspected, what you have to say is gold for people like me. Huge thanks for that.
Your advice on managing silence and talk in verite proves that point. I had just kind of understood that I need to use silence as a tool, both my silence and silence in general, and that I have to fight back that need to "tell my own story" I think we all may have.
I really like that approach of easying in into the silence, reducing my contribution to the talk so eventually a bit of silence will be ok, so the person can go around his/her life without needing to entertain or take care of me. The gentle suggestion of I will take a shot of you while...sounds like distilled gold. I can´t wait to put those to test!
Once again, thanks and see you on the other end of your videos!