The practicality of editing an observational documentary
As mentioned in my earlier post: “The struggles of shooting a purely observational documentary” I am in the process of assembling an edit for a documentary about a Stoke boxer and the struggles of deriving a story for a non-fiction film with no narrator or “Talking Head” interviews but merely footage of training, sparring and fighting. It is because of this that we decided as a crew to give a focus to Jamal’s domestic life. Filming Jamal at home or in the areas he grew up in gave a new, personal element to the film, developing the story, while building the backdrop to the contributor of the film. Our aim when setting out to make this film was to show Jamal not just as an alpha male, aggressive boxer but also show the funny, compassionate side to him as that would not only contrast the preconceptions of an audience but also give justice to his strong character.
To show a personal side to Jamal we got him to give us a walking tour of his home town and the places he grew up. We interviewed Jamal as he took us to his former primary and secondary school before taking us to the house he grew up in. Through this shoot we were able to develop a personal understanding of his circumstances leading up to the current situation while establishing this to the audience in the film. This will be a great help for editing purposes as it gives a break from the violence and action of the film and also gives us a deeper understanding of the contributor in it. Therefore, even without “Talking Heads” or a narrator we will be able to produce a cohesive, in depth story that will hopefully be captivating and thought provoking for potential audiences.
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