Planning your New Media Documentary Project

 

The practice of "new media" applications and various platforms in documentary filmmaking has made a great headway this past year. Documentary projects like Gaza/Sderot, Britain from Above, Big Stories, Small Towns and others - all demonstrate that the relatively traditional domain of documentary filmmaking is undergoing changes. In this article we will discuss some of the above mentioned projects in an attempt to analyze them in a way that will help you conceive your own new media documentary project.

The New Media's uniqueness

The New-media's influence on the aesthetics of film and video productions may be divided into two main categories, 1) Means of communication 2)Means of expression

Means of Communication: By new-media distribution platforms we refer to the Internet, mobile/cellular devices, IPTV and personal computers. Each platform has its own unique quality enriching expression in different genres. The main characteristics are:

·Content Globalization – The technology and devices behind newmedia platforms facilitate reaching diverse audiences sharing similar interests, of all ages and from different cultures and geographic locations. The new-media not only makes it possible to rise above physical borders but also bypasses mass communication gatekeepers.

·Interactivity – New-media platforms enable various ways of communication with the users or participants via GUI (Graphical User Interface), thus allowing the participant to navigate, react, modify, discuss and contribute through the different stages of film making from inception to the final distributed work.

·Community – The combination of state-of-the-art communication technology, interactivity and content globalization enables and fosters the formation of a community with shared interests. Consequently, discussions and debates evolve around the content, such as social media sites, polls, blogs, forums, videocasts, video responses, talkbacks, and others.

 

·Variability – Art works in new-media are dynamic, enabling constant modification by the filmmaker, the participants or the community.

·Simultaneity – Computer interfacing enables working on several applications simultaneously, thus meeting the growing need of users to carry out several activities at the same time.

·Mobility – Mobile devices enable us to watch content and interact with it anywhere, thus giving us the option to choose what to watch, when and where.

·Geographic Positioning – GPS (Global Positioning System) and other such technologies spot the current geographical position of mobile devices, thus providing the ability to show content in relation to the user's geographic position.

·Apparatus – Desktop computer screens became larger and of better quality, on mobile platforms the screen is progressing with each release of new 3.5 smart phones (android, iPhone) relatively small, also new tablets such as the iPad will carry media to users. The main methods of screening video footage on the internet and mobile devices are downloading and streaming. Most users get distracted by different factors when watching video footage on those platforms. While distractions such as banners, popups, video thumbnails, emails or open applications are inherent in the device, a bus or train ride or standing in a queue entail external distractions.

·Outreach – New-media distribution platforms and particularly social media applications made it possible for filmmakers to seek and locate the audiences interested in the subject of their films. Tools and applications such as newsletters, RSS feeds, twittering, social networks, social bookmarking and bloggers allow filmmakers to reach their target audiences at no cost at all or at a fraction of the cost of print advertisements. It's not about 'marketing' but rather finding the people willing to pay attention to your message.

Means of expression New-media distribution platforms expand the common means of cinematic expression:

·Interface – New-media projects generally use GUI in various modes. The plain interfaces utilize only a video player screen and keys (i.e. play, pause, forward); the sophisticated interfaces are tailored to the subject and content of the project such as for Gaza/Sderot.

·Interactive Flow (or Non-Linearity) – The user's ability to interact changes the flow of the traditional linear narrative.

·Not just Video – New-media platforms allow the useful combinations of different types of media material: video, audio, animation, photography, graphics and text.

·Serializing – The user's ability to interact and the common method of VOD facilitate presentation of series or mini-series in addition to, or instead of, one-offs.

·Gaming – 'Serious Games' utilizing the same computing principles as those of online games are increasingly becoming prevalent in the planning of documentary new-media projects. They allow the user or viewer to be an active participant in the game or in a scene by allowing him to actively take a decision.

·Applications and Tools – Expressive conventions are established by using applications and tools developed for the internet and mobile environments such as hyperlinks, hot spots, video annotations and overlays, polls, send-to-friend, social bookmarking etc.

·Digital Cameras – In addition to the quality and efficacy the professional digital camera brought, other types of digital cameras such as webcams, wireless cameras, built-in mobile devices cameras and CCTV, increased the number of ways of documenting authentic or spontaneous real-life events with its own singular aesthetics. Filmmaking is no longer limited to the professional cameraman with a tripod (but may still be totally professional and conceptualized).

Devising a New Media Project

Part of the process of producing a documentary film is to plan the content according to its distribution platforms. Up until now this meant planning for cinema or television. The advent of new media platforms, such as the Internet and mobile devices, calls for the planning and design of documentary content to comply with those new platforms and take into account the fact that the content can be implemented in more then one platform, i.e. be crossplatform3.

Consequently, there are 5 main options:

1.TV or cinema as the main and sole distribution platform.

2.New-media as the main and sole distribution platform.

3.Cross-platform: New-media as the main distribution platform, and TV,print, live event, etc. as promoting platforms.3 Cross platform content – the deployment of content across several platforms, and the adaptation of the content according to the unique characteristic of the designated platform.

4.Cross-platform: TV as the main distribution platform, and mew-media, print, live event, etc. as promoting platforms.

5.Cross-platform: All platforms equally.

The usual workflow for most documentary filmmakers begins by developing their project in the traditional manner and only then adapting or converting it to a new-media platform, but that will usually lead to an ad-hoc outcome. The preferred method is to plan the new-media concept from the start along with the traditional one.

In order to do that, you should first determine which of these five options is the best way for you to convey your project. Analyze the nature of your content and decide whether it is presentable through more then one medium. Should you decide to use a new-media platform, you should then define the position of the user/participant in regards to your project and style. The user/participant may be in a 'position' of a spectator, bystander, voyeur, investigator/researcher, etc. The content might be straight forward or be organized as a puzzle for the user/participant to solve. The user/participant can be asked to be creative by responding to or assisting in the making of the content (this should be done with the notion that most people prefer to beentertained or be told a story, and do not have the inclination, will, or thetime to be creative). Defining the 'position' of the user/participant, or how active do you, the filmmaker, want him/her to be will guide you to select the suitable platform or the design of your project's interface.

Due to the medium's fragmentary nature and the intervention of the user/participant (see: variability, simultaneity, apparatus, interface, interactive flow), ask yourself how you can divide your story into small parts having their own beginning and end. You might need to make an informative exposition that all viewers will have to watch first, providing them with the story background and introducing the main characters. After planning the intro, keep in mind two principles which will guide you through the making the rest of the 5 episodes:

1.You would need to ask yourself whether each and every video clip/ episode can be understood, assuming the viewer had watched the introduction. If it isn't - revise it until it is, or consider excluding the segment from the project.

2.Try to create a natural link to other episodes and suggest them somehow (by creating a playlist, a guiding title on screen or a "Related Videos" screen or by designing a customized GUI).

The active role that the user/participant takes overturns the director's exclusivity on the narrative flow. The user/participant is allowed to set the order of watching the videos, but still, directors of new-media artworks should find the right means of expression suggesting or directing the user/participant where to go next. The fact that we, as filmmakers, no longer control a fundamental element such as the flow and order of the narrative, might be one of the most radical aspects that new media filmmakers have to deal with.

Why use new-media platforms and what do we gain from them?

Documentary films can be enriched by creating powerful and immediate means of communication and dialogue with the viewers. That can be achieved by combining common Internet tools such as talkback, video responses, ratings, polls, forums and remixes. A video remix allows users create their own edited version easily, without having to download footage into their computer or use customized editing software. A good example is Remix America where users are invited to re-edit (remix) content uploaded to the site by others. Two other projects, purely documentary, based on allowing users to re-edit footage, are Open Source Cinema in Canada and a special project commissioned by Renew Media in the US.

New media platforms allow you, as a filmmaker, to create an ever changing story, revised and developed according to changes taking place in the outside world. Documentary filmmakers often regret the fact they cannot update the story with events that took place after editing and completion, such as when the main character won the competition, the building collapsed, the refugees were expelled, and so on. The days when a film was declared finished are over. An inherent part of the filmmaking process is the discussion created with a community which might affect the final outcome.

New-media allows filmmakers to create a community of viewers, usually composed of people who are interested in the subject of the film no less than they are interested in films as a medium. Such a community can be established during the making of the film, before it is finished, and may continue to exist on its own merit. Although TV viewer ratings tend to be higher than the typical number of members in a new media community of viewers, they are more dedicated to the film topic and hence more active and involved. A research conducted at Tel-Aviv University (by Ben Shaul Rubinstein, 20094) indicates that compared to TV, the Internet serves as apreferred platform to participate in communal activity. Filmmakers can generate discussions with viewers through those communities and promote the distribution of the content digitally, and in the ‘real’ world concurrently.

Examples

Big Stories Small Towns is a an Australian new media project featuring short clips shot within the community of Port Augusta, arranged by subjects and chronological order. When entering the site, the user is presented with a grid of thumbnails, each representing a short movie (see Interactive Flow). When hovering above the thumbnail, a short sentence appears on screen, usually a citation from the movie itself. Users can also focus on three main topics/places. Whatever the users choose leads them to an introduction in the form of a short slideshow with informative title captions. At the bottom of the screen (which also serves as a video player) there is a timeline with links to sub-topics.

The project was funded by different public bodies in Australia (including Screen Australia, the equivalent of the Israeli Film Council), but has no broadcaster associated with.

Britain from Above is a cross platform project made for the BBC andpresented by Andrew Marr. The project features current videos (shot in HD) and historical footage, all depicting “Britain from above” literally: landscapes, buildings, a jet pilot's "bird's eye" view, a paratrooper's view, etc. In a special project, the production team gathered BBC's aerial footage over the past 60 years. With animations superimposed and fascinating camera angles, Britain from Above is highly impressive for lovers of aerial footage.

The project website's homepage is divided into 4 parts, each representing a theme with its own sub-topics and single video clips called ‘stories’. As mentioned before, the series was broadcast on BBC (Two and Four) but the internet site is actually richer in content, with a Behind the Scenes section, Rough Cuts (of clips which were filtered out during the editing) and more. A link near each clip allows the user to browse for more clips shot in the same geographical area. Clicking on the link brings you to a map page, divided into layers of information. Each layer represents a different aspect of the project and allows the user to browse locations through different axes, such as People, Technology, Rough Cuts, Secrets, Behind the Scenes, Wild Britain etc.

Rouxbe is a new media project from Canada, partially funded by Telefilm (the equivalent of the Israeli Film Council). Unlike the first two, this one has a definite practical idea behind it, beyond entertainment, education or social change: it’s a cooking school.

The site features very high quality video recipes where the food itself is the star, and no people appear on screen. After clicking on a video recipe, the user sees a short video clip which is actually a 30 seconds promo/trailer for the detailed recipe, which may be viewed as either text or video. The text is divided into 3 or 4 steps, depending on the complexity of the recipe, with links to video-tips for better cooking (‘drill-downs’). Users who want to delve deeper into the world of cooking and receive mentorship fromprofessional cooks can join the cooking school. Each lesson involves detailed videos, and accompanying texts and photos, along with quizzes and a “why- to” part - or as the site editors write - “Understanding why things happen during cooking is the secret sauce that will set you free in the kitchen and drive success every time you cook.” Sixty chefs are registered with Rouxbe and are there to assist forum members and students. The site is simply yet beautifully designed and a lot of work was invested in the user interface (UI),a component too often neglected in video sites.

Gaza/Sdertot - Life in Spite of Everything. "This project reports on life as experienced by men, women and children in Gaza (Palestine) and Sderot (Israel): their lives and their survival on a daily basis. Under difficult living conditions and the threat of air attacks and bombings, people do keep on working, loving and dreaming. Life in spite of everything." [from the About page].

The project was created in cooperation with ARTE and L'Express magazine and was co-produced with production companies from Israel, Palestine and France (full list) Over an eighty days period, two videos were shot, edited each day in Gaza and Sderot, and uploaded to the site, and aired concurrently on ARTE. Thehomepage features by default the two latest videos, in a chronological order.The user can browse the videos chronologically with up and down arrows or by clicking on the dots that separate Gaza (always on the left) from Sderot.

Other browsing options are the people documented in the project (under the 'Faces' menu), the locations (under the 'Maps' menu – using a customized Google map similar to the one used in Britain from Above) and themes covered in the project (under the 'Topics' menu). An interesting feature in the Topics section was borrowed from the famous tag cloud, where topics withmore videos in them are displayed with proportionally bigger fonts in the list. Iist a Flash site (similar to Big Stories Small Towns) and the graphic concept of a diagonal dotted line which divides the page asymmetrically is kept throughout the beautifully designed site.

The above examples demonstrate that meaningful documentary projects are being produced using new-media platforms and new-media means of expression. The described principles are not prerequisite, but rather an analysis of the key tools you can apply. A new-media documentary project ought to use a combination of essential principles according to the project's content. We hope that this review will facilitate your quest for your own project.

Udi Ben-Arie Tel Aviv University Film and TV dept dot udibenpost at tau dot ac dot il / Yoram Schaffer DocMovies

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