Doc Mode #1 - "Community Garden: An Observation"

            Planting a garden is a process that, if done well, never really has an end. Flowers, plants, vegetables all need constant care. The start of a garden, though, is an exciting time to observe. Starting with seeds, starters, and a mound of dirt, the garden seems to vibrate with it’s own potential. I attempted to follow one person through their experience with the community garden, but found that it was far more difficult, logistically, to keep that one person’s actions within shot. It also didn’t seem to make sense for a story line since what one person does in a community garden is only a small piece of what everyone does together.

            It quickly became clear that the garden was, in itself, the subject. Watching the garden brought to life seemed like the best story to glean from the footage I shot. Although I began filming with a certain story in mind, the footage seemed to lend itself much better to a more general story.

            Through the editing process it became clear that there were a lot of shots that would have aided in the final compilation. But because it was in no way directed, I had to work with what I got. In films like, The War Room and Primary, the filmmaker was able to shoot hours and days of footage then use that to create an hour and a half long story. It’s clear that in any decent observational work, there must be a thorough sampling of different shots. I am used to working in a very participatory mode when I create documentary films, so being detached from the subjects was difficult for me. That may have also influenced how many shots of plants and dirt I gathered opposed to how few of the gardeners themselves.

            I think the footage gathered would have lent itself better to a more poetic documentary, but in terms of observation, it was still an enlightening and humbling experience. Creating a fully observational film takes a lot of self-control and discipline when you, as a filmmaker, know exactly what would look best for the camera. Holding back a direction or two (i.e. stand a little more that way, hold the shovel in your other hand, etc.) was a big challenge for me, but I now have a much greater appreciation for the observational films we studied and watched.