Reflexive Commentary

I presented four different forms of activism, an animal rights demonstrations, a political rally, a ecological clear-up and an animal vigil. I am a part of the animal rights community, which is a recent move and something I feel very grateful for. I wanted to express my move into this community, my shift into activism and how it has personally effected my life for the better as well as made me connect with other, human and non-human lives. However, I didn't want the film to turn into a "GO VEGAN NOW" advocacy campaign. This is what I do in my routine activism with the filming I do at the vigils and not something I felt the film had to focus on, as also it may disengage some viewers that are not open yet to this message. This is where I decided to make animal rights, one (or two), of a variety of movements which I would explore. This would also show me the elements of activism that were present across the board, no matter the issue, and allow me to see in from a more objective perspective.

I am fully aware that my perspective, just like anyone else's cannot be fully objective. I am an avid supporter of activism for any cause that does no harm to others and believe that everyone should be engaged with life enough to fight for something. I find my subjects, therefore, both inspiring and courageous people and I do not hold back in showing that throughout the film. Although I aim to show all the events in their best light, I believe this is advocacy, or even anthropology 'for', activism but not necessarily 'for' the activists agendas. If showing the activities themselves, inspire viewers to act and join that movement then that would be an incredible outcome. But the aim is to show the value of the individual getting active, no matter what that may be. One of the hardest parts of interviews was trying to keep the activists talking about their experience of activism in general as opposed to advocating their messages. None of the activists were present in the editing process either, so the outcome of the film is really a complications of musings that I find most relevant and impactful.

An interview-style format seemed most appropriate as I had to engage with strangers on the spot. I tried to balance out their sound bite with overlaying an much visually description as possible. I didn't always want to stick the camera is peoples’ face, and break their flow, I feel like you have to be prepared not to make friends when you are trying to capture the best bits. However, this seems to go against anthropology's values of needing to be accepted, to make friends that will help and collaborate. Therefore, I always felt the horrible sensation that all the best bits were coming as soon as I turned the camera off. However, no matter the final product I caught on film, I resonate with Sarah Pink's philosophy that what you learn for the engagement with the subjects in the moment of filming is the most important insight and that I did capture is shown through my position, where I was standing, sometimes immersed in a crowd.

Early on, I decided I didn’t like having the camera to high up as to show the participants that talking to the camera was more important that talking to me. The result is a consistency but arguably worse shots of people from below looking above the camera to me, their eye line not obstructed. This was another methodological stance I too, to prioritise the momentary relationship over the quality of the final visual result.  

The question I began with was; what is activism? It seems so important to me yet, the boundaries seem hazy to what is and isn't 'activist'. The answers that I got were varied and if anything, I think the process has complicated the notion more for me rather that helped untangle it, although I do hope I finally presented, the possibility for anyone to be active if they truly believe in something. The overall threads that transpired I felt came close to expressing an answer where those of personal engagements, the fact that activism is still alive today and in diverse forms, the importance of community, it political groups termed solidarity, and the camera as an activist’s tool and power. 

I wanted to be present throughout the film to allow for reflexivity and for the viewers to grasp that although not an observational piece, I was still directing the camera to what I thought was most relevant. I am mainly behind the camera, although I did collaborate with Liam for the Herne Bay segment where he captures me as a participant in the beach clean. My choice to be behind the camera wasn't strategically planned, more the natural progression of just grabbing the camera and heading to my first march, exploring the topics as I went. I also wanted to be the one deciding what was and was not capture (as well as the camera being really expensive and not wanting to trust anyone else with it!). I found however, that I couldn't stop talking and would joke with my participants that I really wanted to be in from of the camera.

During the editing process I decided to include some of my provocations to participants for two reasons, one theoretical, the other more practical. Firstly, I wanted to show the truest representation of the events and how I directed the conversations. Second, I was having trouble cutting my voice out as I really, won't stop talking.

It soon became apparent that the stories didn't link into one coherent narrative. I was reluctant to include voiceover as we have been taught to show, not tell. I attempted to stich it together by making a storyboard, however, I did succumb to the needs of the viewer to have a full narrative, not needing to fill in gaps as they go. This, luckily, was only required twice. I also realised that I way overshot the projects breadth for the length restriction. Four different events over twelve minutes with personal reflections was a misjudgement in planning out the time and has now meant that the final product is stripped to the bare bones of what it needed to say. In retrospect one consistent subject may have been more effective and produced richer content, however I have done my upmost to balance breadth with insightful exerts that follow the theme; what is activism? 

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*Pink, S. (2015). Filmmaking with visual ethnography - an interview with Sarah Pink. [Online] [Date Accessed: 1st May 2018] Available: https://vimeo.com/125571530.