The messages and advice that Brooke Gladstone was uttering during her talk were very insightful. As I was listening to her, I was applying some of her messages to documentary work. At one point, Brooke mentioned that the human individuality is a fragile thing. Since, the human individuality is fragile, then it is the documentarians’ responsibility to ensure that they don’t destroy or tarnish people’s individuality. Understanding and keeping to the forefront of out minds about the fragility of the human individuality, we can take great care of those who chose to participate in our documentaries. Last week, KJ said that if we, documentarians, are to gain the trust of our subjects that we have to move the camera around and get close our subjects so that they know that we’re present with them. We do have to get close, not just with the camera, but also with our own individuality as well. To add to KJ emphasizing the importance of seeing and understanding others, Brooke discussed the importance of having empathy. She stated, “Eye contact creates empathy.” Not only are we to do justice to those we capture, but we must also empathize with them. If we are to ensure that we pay respect to the human individuality, we have an (deep) understanding about our subjects. By understanding them, we’ll be able to connect with them. Documentarians must make the attempt to “see” their subjects beyond the camera lens. They have to see beyond the surface of the people they film and get acclimated with their distinct individuality.
