Haoran Zhang

  Citation: Walsh, S. (2024). The documentary filmmaker's intuition: Creating ethical & impactful non-fiction films. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003320296 Annotation: In chapter 6, "Autobiography, Family Histories, & Personal Storytelling", describes the development of the personal documentary and the shifting standards of judgement. In the early days of personal documentary, personal narrative-driven documentaries and family stories were seen as self-absorbed and judged to be inoffensive. However, in the course of documentary development, film and television makers found the further exploration of their own stories compelling, and audiences were happy to buy into the plot conflicts and developments of personal documentaries. These stories, derived from the creator's personal experience and everyday experiences, can reveal to the viewer the truth about the world that may have been hidden from them from a particular perspective. An example: Sol Guy...

 Citation: Walsh, S.(2024). The documentary filmmaker's intuition: Creating ethical & impactful non-fiction films. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003320296 Panahi, J. (Director). (2015, October 30). Taxi . New Wave Films. Annotation： Another camera angle concept mentioned in Chapter 9 of the book, showing a strong untouched (unedited) frame can emphasise the conflict and does not image justice and the viewer's thought process. One of the ways to do this is to use a wide shot. Finding key emotional moments in the shot and recording them, while embracing the shooting of both, accommodating both subjective and objective perspectives in a single shot, and then showing the most realistic character reactions through the wide shot. In Jaffa Panahi's Taxi also uses a wide shot to include both subjective and objective perspectives to present a powerful picture of conflict. For example, the first shot, in which the two passengers discuss whether the thief's offence sh...

  Citation: Lebow, A. (2012). The cinema of me: The self and subjectivity in first person documentary. Wallflower Press. Antonioni, M. (Director). (2004, May 19).  Lo sguardo di Michelangelo . Cinecittà Luce. Annotation: It is mentioned here that the camera angle can be used to balance perspectives. films use video to convey information, and the direct output source of video is the camera. So camera angle is the most direct way to balance subjectivity and objectivity. It mentioned a film here: A personal documentary film "Lo sguardo di Michelangelo"-Michelangelo Antonioni 2004. In this film the number of shots of Antonioni and the sculpture is basically the same, which means that the number of subjective and objective shots is the same, and fairness is achieved in terms of quantity. Also many of the shots are semi-subjective, meaning that the camera is positioned behind Antonioni's head, filming the side of his face and the field of view beneath his side face, allowing t...

  Citation: Lebow, A. (2012). The cinema of me: The self and subjectivity in first person documentary. Wallflower Press. Annotation: Personal documentary challenges: The creator must confront the material, listen without any preconceived notions, relate the most compelling pieces, and construct plot points or arguments. This is normal when film maker find contradictions in perspective. Because subjectivity and objectivity are generally opposed. Subjectivity often lacks fairness, and fairness is the essence of documentary. A documentary about one's own family inevitably involves the film-maker in the film to tell one's story - how do you mix fairness with personal relationships? Here's an example:     "Out Of Roach"-Annie Griffin 1994:  The film uses the family as a backdrop to tell the story of the filmmaker himself (the director, as the protagonist, never appears in front of the camera, but is always behind the camera, using an narrative voice to show a subjecti...

  Citation: Walsh, S. (2024). The documentary filmmaker's intuition: Creating ethical & impactful non-fiction films. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003320296 Annotation:      In the third chapter of the book there is a theory "CRAWL" - (Consult, Read, Analyse, Watch, Listen). These are the things that make a good documentary. But here are some questions to consider before you "CRAWL"：  Why did I make this movie? Through this film, I hope to rebuild the dialogue channel with my father and repair the father-son relationship. Also give my past self an answer, let myself no longer doubt my own existence itself, find confidence.      2. What is the potential significance of this topic to me? I want to know if my father does not care about me, whether my growth and achievements make him proud of me, and where I am in his heart.      3. Is there a good story here? Is it engaging? It's a good story. The film mainly use...

 One thing to be clear about before researching, what is a personal documentary? Citation: Lebow, A. (2012). The cinema of me: The self and subjectivity in first person documentary. Wallflower Press. Annotation:      First-person documentary films often focus not only on "me", but also on one thing, which is a narrative way to record the process.     " A director does nothing other than seek himself in his films - which are documents not of a finifshed thought but rather of thought in the making" - (Antonmioni 1994:57; author's translation)      Directors of personal documentaries often explore themselves through their own films and see film as a way of documenting the thought process. ( Emphasis: The making of a personal documentary is an evolving and changing thought process, not just the expression of a certain opinion or thought - exploring and expressing one's feelings and thoughts through film) Citation: Nichols, B. (2017). Introducti...