Codes and Modes Conference Extra Credit Assignment : Blog on Participatory Culture of Documentary

Larissa M Rosa

Codes and Modes Conference

Extra Credit Assignment : Blog on Participatory Culture of Documentary

                I attended a speaking on Saturday afternoon.  I walked away with my mind blown.

                The first speaker showed a clip from her documentary - Beauty in Transition.  She traveled to 9 different shelters in New York, as well as shelters in a few other cities.  She put together a beauty team in a van and they traveled to these various shelters and offered free services to the women there.  She said she faced stigmas along the way.  No one wanted to work with this population - because they were uneducated. She said this population is invisible and she wanted to use documentation to make them visible.  She said beauty is not essential, but the hair care and conversation gave the women hope.  Where they would otherwise be ignored they were paid attention to - their stories were shared.  I was homeless when I was in high school, and I know from personal experience not everyone who is homeless is crazy or a drug addict.  There are people who are homeless and still go to school or work every day; they still pay taxes and are part of society not huddled on trains or sidewalks. I was really happy to hear that the filmmaker learned a lot from her work as well.    

                She spoke about the different problems she had with participation within her film.  She spoke about early problems she faced with only sharing voices and not filming faces.  She decided - with participant's  permission - she wanted to show faces and tell stories.  Then they reached a problem at one shelter, they were told 3 days into filming they did not have permission to film anything and must destroy all footage.  Participation must happen on so many different levels.  This reminded me of the Brian Winston speech from the previous day.  The filmmaker has to work with everyone while still maintaining their vision.  This woman had to find a comfortable balance between working with and protecting the clients, all within the constraints imposed by the shelter system.

                I was really really glad I chose to attend this conference.  This is precisely the type of film I want to make.  Shining light on the lost individual; the misunderstood group.  And doing it all with tact.  Working with your subject, and working within limitations and still portraying a beautiful story many people would never see otherwise.   I feel like I learned a lot.  For example even if you go into something with a set view, be open to changing it.  Anything from shot setup, to overall outcome.  Always be ready to grow with the film and learn when to be flexible and when to be rigid.