#hwa5 #watchingdifferently I think when a documentary also wants to haunt or disorient something, there is a whole other level being brought to the table which is a distortion of reality in some sorts. Even though the events that are being displayed did happen, there is something being added there

#hwa5 #watchingdifferently I think some responsibilities that come with staging reality is that one needs to realize that this will be released to the public, and it can have the effect on them to change their reality in real time. So it is important to really think about what you are creating

#hwa5 #watchingdifferently I think what it means to "claim truth" is to ultimately put out there what you believe is right, and what you believe is the real story. But we can't fully believe that truth as viewers because it is inevitable that something within there is fixed to the persons experience

#hwa5 #watchingdifferently My perception has shifted into accepting things that I might not understand, and as a viewer accepting that what is within a documentary, may not be entirely real. For example in the first doc, the poem was something actually written, but the father and son= actors

#hwa5 #watchingdifferently I think what a documentary means to me now is a story that wants to be told any way that the creator wants to tell it. Whether that be through an interview process, a short YouTube video of themselves talking, or a timeline of events of their life in real time

#hwa5 #watchingdifferently I think the responsibility is that you at least betray someone in the way that they want or expect to be portrayed. The permissions I think can sometimes be abused but once again, now that I think about it, people shoulnd't be portrayed and should allow audience to decide

#hwa5 #watchingdifferently I think to claim truth is that what your representing is reality. I think that reality is hard to determine. Did sound make this reality feel diffrent? Did the camera alter this reality ever so slightly or drastically from the norm?

Beliefs aren't made through authority, but rather the awkward pauses, the raw text that wasn't edited, and the natural nature of media. I watch how a film portrays a message to me, alongside the actual message being spoken or written.

#hwa5 #watchingdifferently

When a doc abandons purely "informing" to give us different perspectives, such as confusion, it turns a lesson into a weird experience. The flickering of moths forces discomfort, not a story that'll feed you information

#hwa5 #watchingdifferently

Staging the reality gives filmmakers permission to break classic documentary rules, but they have to watch it ethically. Whether it's editing raw footage, you are technically changing reality and human perception.

#hwa5 #watchingdifferently

The truth doesn't feel like just a fact, but rather a feeling. A voice in a classroom, for example, truth is made through the way it's framed. Like an invitation for us to join them on a journey of a feeling into a specific lived or material experience.

#hwa5 #watchingdifferently

So I once believed documentaries were simply neutral pieces of media meant to report facts, but watching these documentaries made me realize they're active narrations and stories that create sensory experiences to make us "feel" the truth.

#hwa5 #watchingdifferently

My biggest takeaway is that documentaries aren't always about giving us a clear answer. Sometimes they're meant to make us uncomfortable or confused. I now think understanding a documentary also means questioning how the filmmaker WANTS us to experience it. #hwa5 #watchingdifferently

I think filmmakers have a responsibility to consider how their decisions influence viewers. Even when the footage is real, editing certain moments can create a different impression. I hadn't really considered how much control filmmakers have over what audiences believe. #hwa5 #watchingdifferently

Its interesting how differently these documentaries presented their messages. Some relied on interviews, while others used humor or experimental images. This made me realize that a documentary doesn't need to follow one specific format to communicate something meaningful. #hwa5 #watchingdifferently

Something that changed for me was realizing that showing real people or events doesn't automatically make a documentary completely truthful. The filmmaker still decides what to include and leave out, which can influence how we understand what happened. #hwa5 #watchingdifferently

Before watching these films, I always thought documentaries were mainly meant to inform viewers about real events. Now I realize they can also challenge how we think and make us question what we consider reality. #hwa5 #watchingdifferently