The film, “Extremis”, was extremely personal and undoubtedly emotional to watch. I enjoyed how up-close the filmmakers got to the families and patients in the hospital, most of who are grappling with impending loss and unimaginable decisions. From the very first scene, the viewer is hooked by the doctor trying to communicate with the patient and telling her if they take the breathing tube out she may die. Then it cuts to absolute chaos, a scope inside the behind the scenes of the hospital’s ICU. I think the dramatic pauses in the opening scenes are extremely effective, creating suspense, and the background music creating despairing angst.
Personally, I have not been to the hospital many times, other than visiting the delivery center, which is, for the most part, a joyous section in hospitals. That being said, this film created a window for me, as the viewer, as a look inside the realities of what is the ICU. Aside from being a window into the ICU, it also gives the background stories of the families dealing with life and death decisions of their loved ones. The film displays the utter emotional toll of trying to make these decisions in such a highly impassioned situation.
I also enjoyed watching the doctors work, and coming together to figure out the best treatment for patients without family and to making decisions for them. I give the doctors so much credit for it is such a difficult job to decide the fate patients who are unable to decide for themselves. This film was hard to watch but, it was an extremely moving rendition of the ultimate, unavoidable part of life: death.
I really enjoyed watching this documentary. The main reason it resonated with me is because I have a sister currently in medical school and she often comes home addressing exactly what Extremis is about. She talks about doctor-patient relationships and how every case is separate from one another and provides its own challenges. It was incredibly inspiring to get such a first-hand look at the challenging scenarios and decisions that doctors such as Jessica Sitter face daily. I was impressed by Zitter’s ability to remain compassionate and empathetic while still imparting her expert advice and opinions. The documentary really showcases the balance, such as in the cases of Donna and Selena and their loved ones, between getting everyone to comply when it comes to patient care and challenging questions, while still remembering that these people are being faced with impossible and life-altering decisions. The storytelling that went into this film was incredible and the ability to get so close to the patients, families, and doctors, both through observation and interview, really made the story come to life and made me feel as though I knew these people and was sitting in the rooms with them. Dan Krauss’ interview took this film one step further and reminded readers that there is much more to these stories than the 24 minute film shows. The lives of these people continue and these are not actors, but rather real people with emotions, thought, and loss. The article left me wanting more, and to me that is one of the most vital components of a great piece of media.
This was an incredible documentary, especially considering the runtime. I thought it really captured how complicated these end-of-life situations are, regardless of the specifics, and thought it was excellent storytelling how they managed to include a variety of both caretakers and patients but also keenly focus on one head physician and the family of Donna. I was really shocked by what the main family was willing to say and do in front of their mother/wife/sister in the ICU and by Donna’s daughter’s faith and obstinance. I was also shocked by the level of access the filmmakers were allowed, in all situations. It was a very compelling story with a clear narrative that managed to pack a lot of weight, information, and character building into only 22 minutes.
Regarding the interview with Dan Krauss, I found what he said about sensitivity interesting. He said he wanted to walk the line between “intimacy and intrusiveness,” which many journalists and filmmakers must do, and I was intrigued by how went about it, like how he used long lenses to create more physical distance from his subjects. He referred to the hospital rooms as “sacred space(s),” and I believe this reverence showed in the final product. I also like that Krauss went in wanting to show all sides of the conversation surrounding ICU patients. It’s not a film just about doctors, nor is it a film just about patients or about family. As the article says, it is a really small-scale, intimate film that speaks to a much larger concept, which, in my opinion, is the mark of a fantastic piece of media.
Monday’s class is a production day; I will be available on Zoom for any editing coaching you might need, but you can also take that time to do additional shooting on your videos if you need it.
Rough cuts are due by class time on Wednesday, May 5. Please submit them the way you did with your practice assignment: by uploading to Youtube or Vimeo and posting here on the blog.
Checking in about video progress if needed.
Here are a couple other student videos for inspiration:
This last one was made for the advanced multimedia reporting class I typically teach once a year. If any of you are interested in pursuing video further, I recommend looking into this class.
There is also some discussion within the department of creating a minor in documentary filmmaking, though the timeline is not confirmed.
Discussion: The Documentary Filmmaking Industry
It’s an exciting time in the documentary filmmaking world, especially with streaming sites getting in on the game and producing and distributing so many buzzy, prestige, high-production-value feature-length docs and docuseries. Think about how many documentaries in recent months and years have been talked about around the dinner table: The Last Dance, Leaving Neverland, the R. Kelly documentary, Wild Wild Country, My Octopus Teacher.
There are different kinds of documentary films: one popular genre tells stories that happened in the past, relying on collecting old/archival footage, usually from numerous different sources, and weaving in present-day interviews with the people who were involved.
Another popular genre these days is verité documentary films, which derives its name from the French film movement cinéma vérité, which basically translates to “truthful cinema.” When applied to documentaries, what it means it that the filmmakers are capturing life as it happens. A lot of the time, they take a sort of fly-on-the-wall approach.
There’s a spectrum of how journalistic documentaries can be. Some allow for moments to be staged or reenacted—this is usually disclosed or obvious—others are scrupulous about letting life unfold as it will and capturing it faithfully.
In this class, you have been learning to do things more or less “one-man-band” style. On a well-funded documentary project, there are more roles available: DP (director of photography), B camera operator, lighting technician, sound technician, producer, editor, etc. If you continue pursuing this field, you may find that there’s something in particular you are drawn to. Maybe you love shooting but hate editing, or vice versa. Maybe you’re a fantastic ideas person, extremely good with people and making things happen, and a good reporter, but not as interested in the technical parts of filmmaking: you could be a great producer.
All that said, there are still plenty of documentary films out there being made by one person.
Cartel Land: A film made mostly by one guy filming alone for nine months.
“As someone who [is] a director and a producer, and also shoots themselves, it makes it a lot easier to just jump in because I don’t have to necessarily raise money,” Heineman told IndieWire in a panel discussion at the Sundance Film Festival, where his first film “Ghosts” premiered. “Canon was very supportive of me — [they] give me a camera to help shoot this, so it was very easy to just dive in and start making this.”
Heineman has now become a big name who can get all the funding he wants for a film. He directed the Tiger Woods doc, “Tiger” which came out last year, and this is his upcoming film:
Feature-length documentary shot by one woman: First to Fall
While there seems to be no shortage of cursory stories from the front lines of recent Middle Eastern conflicts, filmmaker Rachel Beth Anderson decided to dig deeper. During the Libyan uprising the duo smartly embedded themselves not with emotionally inaccessible military units but with two Canadian students – friends who cast away their safe and secure western lives to take up arms in the fight to overthrow their homeland’s dictator. The resulting documentary “First to Fall” is an unflinching look not just into the struggle that would eventually oust Gaddafi, but a cinematic, exacting account of how war turns boys into men.
Lauren Wissot: So how did this doc come about in the first place? How did you meet Hamid and Tarek?
Rachel Beth Anderson: I had been living and working in Cairo as a journalist prior to the Arab Spring. When the Egyptian uprising began in 2011 I found myself filming my own friends as they turned from everyday civilians into revolutionaries. Their world as they’d known it was quickly consumed by protests, teargas, and risking their own livelihoods for the hope of a better future. I was fascinated by how quickly they rose to this “call to action,” never wavering as the danger increased, until the current dictator was removed and they were celebrating what they felt was a victory at the time.
It seemed natural to me that I should cover the next country, which happened to be Libya, where everyday people were rising up. Following the youth in Libya was an entirely different experience than in Egypt, because they weren’t just battling teargas, but were up against Gaddafi’s army who had turned his guns on his own people. Specifically, I found myself fascinated with stories such as that of my main protagonists, Libyan expatriates Hamid and Tarek. They were young men my age, studying at university like I did, living a free and comfortable life – and had felt it their personal duty to give up everything, travel thousands of miles, and go to war as untrained soldiers. I knew they would be the perfect individuals to help reach audiences beyond the borders of Libya. Tarek was incredibly sweet and he always felt it was his responsibility to help me tell the story of Libya, and Hamid had one of those strong and silent personalities that magnetized the other young fighters – everyone flocked to be around him. He took on the role of big brother to Tarek, and you could immediately tell there was something to take from these young men who idealistically wanted to create change as freedom fighters, but hadn’t yet considered the outcome.
How do these kinds of solo independent doc films get made, financially speaking?
Depends on the film. If it’s a passion project and the filmmaker has the access, equipment, and time, they might be able to do most of it themselves. Or the filmmaker may start off covering expenses themselves, and then once they have enough footage to show people, they cut together a “sizzle reel” and either crowd-fund it on something like Kickstarter, or they apply for grant funding, find a private donor, team up with a production company, etc.
Here’s an assignment that can be done any time between now and Monday, May 10. Watch “Extremis” (I assume most of you have a way to watch Netflix, but if not, please let me know and I’ll figure something out!) and read the following interview with the director:
Write a short (roughly 200 words) blog post about the film, giving your thoughts about the storytelling, the ethics involved, and any questions or takeaways that stuck with you.
