Individual Statement

To introduce weight-lifting with dual responsibilities for this ‘roughcut’ piece has been a task, but no doubt through this experience, my editorial muscle has only grown. While performing these roles, as an Assistant Director during pre-production and production, and eventually the Editor, a role that emerged at the very end, but stayed alive along the way, allowing me to see this documentary from multiple angles, with respect to ideation, execution and finally, construction.

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A line from The Burnout Society, “The general positivization of the world means that both human beings and society are transforming into autistic performance-machines.” (Han, 2015, p. 23) did

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actually bring a sense of direction for our documentary, while we initially explored the positive aspect of human’s liveliness and realness and what sort of intelligent and emotionally complex beings we are. But with the help of this book, we shifted our perspective towards a different path, which helped us confront what happens to humans under societal pressure and digital influence. Due to this, we tend to disguise ourselves, behaving to be ‘perfect’ just like machines, lifeless. Ironically, when we give it a thought machines have been created by us, but at some point it becomes a reason for our own destruction.

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Another powerful line from the same book “The subject of self-exploitation has been seized by overwhelming fatigue.” (Han, 2015, p. 35) constructed and valued in our concept and interviewing style. It helped us explore the ‘tiredness’ humans experience and how long we can portray it to society while trying to belong and fit in all the time.  

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As an editor, I did experience conflicting views with our Director, Fatima. As we all know ideas have no limits, but they need to be put to a full stop at some point.Ethics, legality, and clarity are crucial in presenting our message effectively, and transforming ideas into a method that reaches the audience in the intended way.

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One of the most influential thinkers for this project, surprisingly, was Erving Goffman . His dramaturgical idea that “all the world’s a stage” branched into thinking about the life of an actor on stage and off stage and that's what happens in real life too where we are in front of a stage (society/social media) showcasing a never-ending performance where perfection is demanded and fakeness becomes a routine (Goffman, 1959).  This inspired the idea of interviewing theatre actors, which later evolved into a performative mode after our class with Professor Aaron, where we explored different modes and styles to convey our message simply yet effectively. While we understood that we can have a lot at play, using a performative mode emphasized subjective qualities, and keeping our subject a fictional character was an act of pure courage (Nichols, 2017).

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A constant reference in my mind was the Black Mirror’s “Nosedive” (Season 3, Episode 1) on Netflix, its portrayal of societal pressure and performing to look perfect, where Lacie Pound tries all possibilities to fit in, in the boundaries that have been set by the society itself. And I tried to capture and showcase a lot of elements likewise. 

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Musically, an enthralling concept was developing, but feedback from our previous Assignment 2 made me rethink my approach while ensuring it coexisted with one of our sub-themes: horror. Within this short duration, managing sound and silence became a deliberate design choice rather than a default.

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Almost every day at 5 p.m., I would meet my Roughcut crew with “silly ideas.” But looking back, I’m proud of those ideas. I pushed myself beyond my usual limits, and in doing so, I helped my team see how we could elevate this documentary to its highest calibre.

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Teamwork remained central to my role. I constantly checked with my crew to enhance that psychological tension that we are looking forward to creating. The editor sits at a unique intersection that is half creative and half managerial. This documentary taught me how to occupy both those spaces completely.

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I also guided my team to be able to look after the camera setup, shot interviews, and we were able to work together to capture cinematic components to bring our vision to life.

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Editing became the tool that ultimately shaped these ideas into a cinematic experience. Rabiger (2014) highlights the time-consuming nature of an editor’s work, from re-watching raw material repeatedly until we memorize the script to Revisiting footage revealed crucial scenes that might otherwise have been missed, every step of the way was a unique experience that helped me elevate my skills to a new level.

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And the moment that all the pieces start falling into the right places, it is an inexplicable feeling. I started off feeling overwhelmed with the amount of footages and the limited time we had. But along the way, shots seemed to blend in in a way that I would have never imagined it to. The timing, the connections, the wonderful people we interviewed and the energy of the crew who never failed to motivate each other at every step of the way, all contributed to the feeling that this was meant to be. That this story was aching to be said in the most beautiful way possible.

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In the end, editing this documentary was not just about constructing a story. It was about constructing the very meaning we aimed to present to the world, and refining it at the editing table until the documentary reflected both our creative vision and the truths of the world that inspired it.

References 

Han, B.-C. (2015). The burnout society (E. Butler, Trans.). Stanford University Press.

Goffman, E. (1959). The presentation of self in everyday life. Anchor Books.

Rabiger, M. (2014). Directing the documentary (6th ed.). Focal Press.

Nichols, B. (2017). Introduction to documentary (3rd ed.). Indiana University Press.