Points to highlight/consider:
1 | The hybridised nature of Brother Number One as an ‘independent’ or ‘festival’ film and a commercial television documentary reflects its multiple funding strands: The New Zealand Film Commission, TV3, New Zealand on Air, The University of Auckland. To what extent does this typify feature documentary production in New Zealand? Research the major sources of documentary film production in New Zealand, including The New Zealand Film Commission, TVNZ, TV3, New Zealand on Air, Te Mangai Paho. Are these organisations commercial/private/New Zealand owned/state-funded/independent/non-profit and what ideologies accompany them? Compare the mission statements presented by these different organisations and discuss the various outcomes which the funding is intended to produce. What different pressures are placed on documentary makers who are reliant upon multiple funding sources?
2 | Brother Number One is typical of many independent feature films, in that it was made on a relatively low budget, with a minimal crew, over a period of almost two years. Read director Annie Goldson’s production blog (below) and comment on the particular challenges faced by low-budget filmmakers and/or documentary makers.
ANNIE’S BLOG:
Brother Number One, like many documentaries, was made by a relatively small crew – at its largest, it included a lighting DOP [director of photography] (who operated camera and set lights), a sound person, the director and a line producer. Often, the director or DOP recorded sound too, reducing the crew to two. Increasingly, the low budget documentary filmmaker will undertake all key roles (director, producer, camera operator, lighting and sound).
The protracted production period, the extensive travel required (Brother Number One was filmed in the US, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Cambodia over a period of 18 months) and the relatively small budgets of documentary means that the production process differs significantly from drama production. The latter typically has a much larger crew, shoots in more controlled conditions, and work within a tighter shooting schedule.
Despite being dependent on unfolding and unpredictable “realities”, Brother Number One was scripted prior to production beginning. Some research had been undertaken prior to the director coming on board which had been conducted in Cambodia in partnership with DC-Cam, the genocide research centre in Phnom Penh that is providing materials for the ECCC court process. Rob and the Hamill family were an important source of information. Additional research strands included a) archives (both personal photographs and early film footage of Cambodia from the period, which was obtainable through archives such as Gamont Pathe in France and in Cambodia itself) b) written histories (such as those authored by Elizabeth Becker and Phillip Short) c) websites (such as the ECCC site and that of DC-Cam) d) conversations with potential documentary subjects in addition to Rob Hamill.
The director wrote a relatively structured script based on the research undertaken. The script had a narrative thrust with key turning points, such as Rob’s decision to travel to Cambodia, his presentation at the court, and the announcement of the verdict in the Duch case. However, the script was always intended to have observational elements and an observational feel to it, given that no-one, including Rob himself, could predict how he would respond to being in Cambodia and to the people he met there.
The idea of “journey” would become a central structuring device – not just literal journeys, such as Kerry’s and Rob’s, but also more abstract notions of journey – for example, the journey towards justice, towards possible forgiveness (or not), and towards understanding and healing.
Even when there is a script, the nature of documentary makes the shooting process unpredictable and there are inevitably variations (the exception to this are documentaries that are heavily dependent on a narration track which is scripted prior to production – images are then collected which conform to this narration). For example, certain ideas arise once production has commenced and may be triggered by events that occur during production, or certain individuals might emerge as potential subjects, while others that were going to be interviewed may disappear or no longer be prepared to participate. It is impossible also to predict certain outcomes and peoples’ responses to these outcomes.
As with Brother Number One, editing becomes an important part of the “scripting” process – the film is written again in the edit. The decisions about an overall structure and the creation of meaning - through the weaving and juxtaposition of images and sounds - are inevitably reconsidered during the editing process.”
– Annie Goldson
