Ruby details the issues of documentary filmmaking, all of which will be important to keep in mind when creating our own. There are many reasons to want to make a documentary and there are many effects. Since we are not making one-man video journals I think it’s important to understand the realities of social construction. There is no one authority. In a collaborative piece of documentary journalism one might argue that the subject has the most authority yet the creator holds the power of selection and editing. Ruby explores the idea of allowing subjects to self-censor the filmed material. I think that if a subject knows they are being filmed they have already started self-censoring. Spending time with the subject and building a relationship should allow for enough trust to grow in order for the filmmaker to better understand the subject.
Ruby cites the Canadian project Challenge for Change in which filmmaker Colin Low helps minorities create media they deem accurately represents them. I hope to do something similar and have a project that strengthens the collective identity of the subject.
Here are some of my personal favorite documentaries…
Born Into Brothels
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Super High Me
King Corn
Skid Row
The Up series
Babies
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