SECTION 2
About this documentary film, I have to say something.
In this film, I was camera man and editor, I felt if you want make a good documentary film, you need think about a lot of things.
First of all, this is a film, so I must to attract viewers. It’s easy for drama, but hard to documentary. As a documentary, my job is note something truth. So I have to find some interesting.
In a school, if I want show this school. Story is the point. Most idea is Interview Principal. But you know we Chinese students don’t have good English. In fact I don’t know how to find good story form principal.
Anyway, whatever skins, thinking, or something else, we are same people in this world. In fact I can guess if I ask some question for principal, what answers I will get.
By our talk, we choose children are our main point.
Second, we got our point; we need find a way for show.
Documentary is not same about drama, because we have to show truth for audience. We can’t control children. So we must catch something for our film. Thanks god, it’s just 3 min film. However, we shoot 4 hours for 2 tapes. It’s our plan, we think about interview+note. Because if we make whole story it’s very difficult, maybe some short story is easy for us.
Finally, interview is not so good. we got some questions before, but kids’ answers not so wonderful. We interview 5 kids, but in fact they answer very normally. So we think our question not so good, not wonderful. Next time we will repair that.
I like make film. It’s very funny. I like find interesting form film. I want try every breed of film. It’s really nice. I don’t know how about my film. I just want when audience watched our film can find some interesting and watch finish, and my job is finish.
Process
I have to say its amazing time. We saw we felt we did we learned. Whatever how about this film, I met a lot of people; I saw a village in UK, I really like it. In our team I was camera man, you know, in a school, everything will be happened, I don’t know what is next second, but I just try, try to note everything what I like. And sometimes I missed some interesting, finally I shoot 2 hours material, it’s enough for our 1 min documentary. And I am editing this film. It’s easy, all in the plan, so we did it, I think it’s not too bad, I like it.
Inspiration
Why I choose this idea, because sometimes, I watched TV, and I got some point about documentary. For example, most documentary always from a small point for a big space to explains something. If I want show 2008 BEIJING all people enjoyed Olympia Games, how to show? So maybe I can show it from most people teach English for welcome a lot of foreigner in 2008, but that is a lot of people, it’s not easy. Finally, for this documentary, maybe choose a old man teach English every day, maybe one day or one week. I think form here we can show our means. I think that better that some officer introduce. However, in my film, I choose some kids speak their opining, let us understand their world.
Experimentation and exploration
I think as a documentary film, I should be show truth for audience. However, as a documentary film, sometimes truth will be bored. So I think I need find something interesting for audience, anyway in my documentary film I don’t want talk about the history of that school, I can’t find any interesting for audience, tutor said we are story hunter, so I just think the interesting of that school should be that kids, we were kids, or we are have kids, so I want find something for you, for you will find something like yourself, or your kids. I don’t think as a documentary film like a history book, just introduce this school or this village how to create, who create, how old is that school, maybe I’m wrong, but I think if you watch a film, most people don’t cared about that, I hope my audiences can find something interesting in my documentary film.
Sources
I found this school by our tutor, this school in a little village, like a big house. And kids so cute, when I got that school, most time I was looking, I have to find some interesting for my film. In fact, I don’t want make my documentary film like a history book. I think as a film, it should be interesting to attract audience, so I choose shoot children. In a school, children are main people, I think children’s life is that school; I shoot a lot of children’s life in my film. I just want show some view of children, I want audience can know that children’s true life from my film.
