Pre-production research: Queer/Drag history

Drag and Queer culture has been apart of society for many decades and only recently has started to be accepted by mainstream viewers. In England, men (often boys) playing women's roles became an institutionalised mainstay of the Elizabethan playhouse of the early 1600's (The Drag Queen Anthology:The Absolutely Fabulous but Flawlessly Customary World of Female Impersonators)

Drag Queen - traditionally a man who dresses in women's clothing and makeup with exaggerated personalities and femininity for the purpose of entertainment.

Queer - an umbrella term for anyone who isn't cisgender (your gender identity matches the sex you were born with) or heterosexual(you're attracted to the opposite sex). 

1500's

The Buggery Act in 1533 made sodomy a capital offence for the first time in English law, it was exported to all British colonies. (Gender Speaker)

1800's-1900's

Madam Pattrini

In the 1800's cross dressing and drag queen shows have been popular among men like Brigham Morris Young who made a successful career in drag as Madam Pattrini, despite being the son of a major figure in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

William Julian Dalton

Other famous drag queens in this time were, Francis Leon who performed as either 'The Only Leon' or 'Leon', William Julian Dalton the first 'ambisextrous' drag queen who presented as very masculine off stage but would actively try to pass as feminine on stage.
Even though cross-dressing was popular among men in the 1800's it was still a source of prosecution and regular arrests. One such occassion where this happened was in Manchester in 1880, 47 gentlemen were arressted for hiring a ballroom and using it for "one of the foulest and most disgraceful orgies that ever disgraced any town" (This Is What A Drag Ball Was Like In The 1880s Bust). 

Half of the men were dressed as women while everyone was engaged chiefly in grotesque dances, such as familiar at low-class music-halls, even worse in Victorian standards was what the men did while they weren't dancing certain proceedings which were seen in an ante-room adjoining the dancing-room and the retiring room carefully hidden, into which they seemed to have gone in twos.
After observing the men the police used the code word 'Sister' to gain entry into the hall, after a struggle and the assistance of some working men near by all the men were arrested despite trying to escape through the window. The men were charged with soliciting and inciting each other to commit, improper actions. The magistrate at the time was glad to learn that the great majority of the men came from places at a distance—ten being from Sheffield—and he sincerely regretted that some of the prisoners were Manchester men.” The newspapers printed all 47 of the names of the men. In the end the men had to bind the defendants over in two sureties of £25 each to be of good behaviour for twelve months, or in default to be imprisoned for three months

Other cases similar to this is the Thomas Ernest Boulton and Frederick William Park who made headlines across the country for incitement to commit and unnatural offence, they were later acquitted.



1900's-2000's

During the 1920's and 30's LGBT bars and meeting places started to appear, this started what is known as the 'Pansy Craze'

(Dates taken from StoneWall website)

1951   

• Roberta Cowell is the first known British trans woman to undergo reassignment surgery and have her birth certificate changed.

1958

• The Homosexual Law Reform Society is founded to campaign for the legalisation of same-sex relationships in the UK.

1964  

• The North Western Homosexual Law Reform Committee (NWHLRC) is founded to promote legal and social equality for lesbians, gay men and bi people.

1969  

• North West Homosexual Law Reform Committee becomes a UK-wide organisation and is renamed as the Committee for Homosexual Equality (CHE). The Committee attracts support from leading figures in the medical profession, the arts and the church.

• The Stonewall riots in America - a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations by members of the LGBT community against a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, Manhattan. This key event triggers the modern LGBT liberation movement in the US and beyond.

Marsha P Johnson

Marsha P. Johnson was an African-American trans woman and LGBTQ+ rights activist as well as being an advocate for trans people of colour. She spearheaded the Stonewall riots with Sylvia Rivera and went on to establish the Street Transvestite (now Transgender) Action Revolutionaries, a group who help homeless trans youth in New York City. (Taken from Marsha's Bio)

S.T.A.R

STAR started after a sit in at New York University in the 70's, to protest the school admins cancelling a dance because it was sponsored by a gay organisation. It brought together a lot of gay groups including 'Radicalesbians'. They succeeded in getting the dance back. Marsha and Sylvia saw that the needs of street youth and trans youth weren't being considered by other group and founded STAR to fill this gap. Their first house opened in a parking lot and functioned as a shelter and social space, and ended up becoming a house years later. It was the first LGBT youth shelter in North America and first trans woman of colour led organisation in the US. (Information taken from Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries found STAR House)

1972  

• The first Pride is held in London, attracting approximately 2,000 participants.
• Gay News, Britain’s first gay newspaper is founded.

1980

• Sex between two men over the age of 21 ‘in private’ is decriminalised in Scotland.

RuPaul

RuPaul started performing with his friends and roommate in the East Village area. His confidence on stage meant he was a hit club dancer and by the end of the 80's he was dubbed the 'Queen of New York'

In 1991 he signed a recording contract and has had multiple hits as well as duets with Elton John. He has been a strong presence in bring drag to a modern mainstream audience.

1983

• UK Crown Dependency, Guernsey, decriminalises sex between two men.
• Men who have sex with men are asked not to donate to UK blood banks amid the AIDS crisis

1986

• Mark Rees, a trans-man, brings a case to the European Court of Human Rights, stating that UK law prevented him from gaining legal status recognising him as male. The case was lost but the court noted the seriousness of the issues facing trans people.

1988  

• UK Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, introduces Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988. The Act states that a local authority "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship".

1991  

• Sir Ian McKellen meets UK Prime Minister John Major - the first time any sitting Prime Minister has met with LGBT activists

1995 

• Mermaids is founded by a group of parents brought together by their children’s longstanding gender issues. The UK charity offers appropriate resources to young people, their families and carers, and professionals working with gender variant young people.

1999

• Trans Day of Remembrance  is founded in the USA, and then later in the UK and worldwide, to memorialise those who have been murdered as a result of transphobia and to bring attention to the continued violence endured by the trans community.

From the 1950's to the 1960's the American public started cracking down on the LGBT community, in order for a man in drag to not be arrested he had to be wearing at least 3 items of male clothing. It was also in this time that Drag Balls became common and drag queens would form houses with the 'mother' being the head drag queen. In the 80's Drag became a mainstream phenomenon where drag queens were being featured on TV shows and in films. Drag Queen Divine starred as Tracy's mother in the movie-musical 'Hairspray'.

2000's-now

2000

• The UK Government lifts the ban on lesbians, gay men and bi people serving in the armed forces.
• Legislation is introduced to repeal Section 28 in England and Wales. The bill is defeated. Scotland abolishes Section 28. It remains in place in England and Wales

2002  

• Equal rights are granted to same-sex couples applying for adoption.
• Brian Dowling becomes the first openly gay children’s TV presenter in the UK.
• Alan Duncan becomes the first Conservative MP to be open about his sexual orientation, without being coerced.

2003  

• Section 28 is repealed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, lifting the ban on local authorities from ‘the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality’.

2004  

• The Civil Partnership Act 2004 is passed, granting civil partnership in the United Kingdom. The Act gives same-sex couples the same rights and responsibilities as married straight couples in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
• The Gender Recognition Act 2004 is passed giving trans people full legal recognition in their appropriate gender. The Act allows trans people to acquire a new birth certificate, although gender options are still limited to ‘male’ or ‘female’.

2008  

• The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 recognises same-sex couples as legal parents of children conceived through the use of donated sperm, eggs or embryos. 
• Gendered Intelligence (GI) is founded in the UK to increase the understanding of gender diversity.

2010

• The Equality Act 2010 officially adds gender reassignment as a protected characteristic

2011  

• The Department of Health lifts the lifetime ban on gay and bi men donating blood, although a 12-month celibacy clause is still in place in order for men who have sex with men to be eligible to donate.

2013  

• Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act is passed in England and Wales.
• Alan Turing is given a posthumous royal pardon for his conviction of ‘gross indecency’ which resulted in his being chemically castrated and later committing suicide

2017

• The UK Supreme Court rules that the discrimination against same-sex couples on pensions rights needs to end immediately. 
• The Department of Health reduces the deferral period for gay and bi men wishing to donate blood from 12 months to three months.

In the modern day drag has been pulled into the mainstream spotlight, being available on multiple platforms drag has exploded in popularity. You tubers and instagrammers are doing drag challenges and collaborating while getting millions of views. Now more then ever drag is being shared and celebrated by the world.

“We’re dealing with people who have been shunned by society and have made a life regardless of what anyone else thinks of them have decided,” RuPaul says. “It shows the tenacity of the human spirit, which each of us watching relates to. And we root for them. I think that’s what’s so captivating about it, seeing how these beautiful creatures have managed to prevail.” (RuPaul in the Guardian). 

While the general public seems to have accepted drag and the LGBT community there are still incidents where it isn't as accepting as it seems. There is still room to grow in terms of acceptance and understanding with the new publicity of Drag Kings etc. coming out.

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I found this research important as;

• It highlighted why it's so important for a doc like our to be made, it's aim is to bring light to the different aspects of drag and educate people further
• It's given me an understanding of how much of an integrated part of society it actually is as drag has been around for decades
• It's also shown me how much of an aversion people can have to something different

I'll use this in my pre-production package by; acknowledging my audience and making sure we're not forcing information at them, it's important for our format to be user friendly but get the message across too.

I'll also ensure that the history that's behind drag isn't lost in our message or delivery as the journey to present day is just as important as where we are currently at with acceptance and understanding.

Pre-Production: Terminology

As our documentary aims to educate people on the different aspects of Drag culture, I decided it would be best to do some research into genders, sexualities and general drag terms. This is because our main contributor is bi-sexual and non-binary.

What is the difference between gender and sex?

Gender

Either of the two sexes (male and female), especially when considered with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones. The term is also used more broadly to denote a range of identities that do not correspond to established ideas of male and female. (Oxford english dictionary)
Gender is an ideology that is established through social constructs, it can go beyond male or female.

Different Genders include but are not limited to:

Genderqueer

A genderqueer person may identify as neither gender, both, or a combination. They do not subscribe to the traditional gender binary. 

Genderfluid

Someone who is genderfluid feels that their gender is fluid and can change and vary over time. They may use gender-neutral pronouns such as “they/them,” as can non-binary or genderqueer people.

Non-binary

Non-binary is an umbrella term for people whose gender is not just male or female. Someone can be trans, genderfluid, genderqueer, and non-binary all at the same time. (Cosmopolitan)

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From this I learnt the different genders and how it is a spectrum, through this I am able to talk to contributors about it if it gets brought up in conversation. Since our lead contributor is non-binary, by being educated on that I can be more respectful towards them.

Sex

Either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans and most other living things are divided on the basis of their reproductive functions. (Oxford english dictionary) 

Sex is defined from someones genitals/biological sex.
Sexualities

Someone's sexuality is defined as who (if anyone) they find attractive, some sexualities include:

Heterosexual- The attraction to a gender different from their own (commonly used to describe someone who is gender binary [female or male] attracted to the other binary gender).


Homosexual- The attraction to a gender the same as their own (commonly used to describe someone who is gender binary [female or male] attracted to the same binary gender).  Sometimes referred to as gay.


Bisexual- When you are attracted to two or more genders.  This term is generally used to describe being attracted to men and women, but can apply to being attracted to any two or more genders. Note that you do not have to be equally attracted to each gender.


Pansexual- When you are attracted to all genders and/or do not concern gender when you are attracted towards someone


Polysexual- When you are attracted to many genders


Monosexual- Being attracted to only one gender


Demisexual- When you only experience sexual attraction after forming a strong emotional bond first or a romantic bond (PBHS Closet Sexualities)

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From this I was able to learn the difference between sex and gender which is often an important point of reference when people talk about drag queens, or trans people etc.

Pro-Nouns

A pronoun is a word that is used instead of a noun or noun phrase. Pronouns refer to either a noun that has already been mentioned or to a noun that does not need to be named specifically.(Merriam Webster) In most cases in general conversation they refer to someones gender.

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From this I was able to become aware of different pronouns, this was important as our contributor Tanya has already stated that she has different pronouns while in drag and this could be the same for our other contribs. This will avoid potentially offending anyone involved in filming.

What is drag?

Drag queen, a man who dresses in women’s clothes and performs before an audience. (Britannica)

Transvestite, someone who gets pleasure by wearing the opposite gender's clothes.

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This was an important difference to understand and be able to explain to people when defining the difference between a drag queen and a transvestite. This again avoids offending anyone who is taking part or watching the Documentary

What's erasure?

Erasure is the act of removing or ignoring something and is most commonly in relation to Bisexual people "Bisexual Erasure", the act of removing, ignoring or falsifying Bisexual People in the media or other sources eg. believing bisexuality does not exist. It also means people generally only believe that all other genders between male and female and any other sexuality other than heterosexual doesn't exist.

Other terms

Heteronormative- believing heterosexuality is what's normal.

Cishet- some who is cisgendered and heterosexual.

Polyamorous- people who have or are open to have consensual relationships with multiple people at a time.

Monoamorous/Monogamous- people who have or are open to having relationships with only one other person at a time.

Queer- anyone who doesn't identify as cisgender and/or heterosexual.

Ally- a supporter of the LGBTQ+ community that doesn't identify as LGBTQ+.

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This research helped me get a better understanding of the LGBTQ+ community it's allowed me to become more educated on things that can/do affect our interviewees. It's also allowed me to have a better general over view of different terms and subjects in general.

Producer research (3)

Daniela Carson

Is a series producer with experience in documentary, observational documentary and entertainment TV. 
She's produced shows such as 'Queer Britain', 'Don't tell the Bride' and 'Embarrassing Bodies', her work has been aired on Channel 4, ITV and BBC.

As part of our research Jemma (director) emailed Daniela some questions and found some to relevant to my role as a producer.


Where did the idea for Queer Britain come from?

A BBC development team consisting of producers and researchers will be continually researching current trends and coming up with ideas and topics to make into documentaries. These then get pitched to the channel commissioners who determine whether or not the idea is original enough and whether the programmes commissioned are diverse enough.

Do you have any advice into researching contributor stories?

Decide what topic needs to be discussed, and then begin to research and write a draft script. You start this by blocking out what your beginning middle and end is. You want to know what your topic is, how you want to conclude your topic, or whether the topic shouldn't be concluded and left for people to come to a conclusion.


How do you script to get specific answers from your contributors?

...your pre script tells you what you journey your film needs to take you on, and so you should be casting your contributors to fulfil a certain function in your film. You may have the best contributor ever who has loads to say on the topic of gender, but if your film is about racism then their knowledge on gender might not be relevant. So you are casting contributors specifically to tell part of your story. Your script should be a thesis. And you should simplify this thesis into film 'BEATS'. So that each contributor is giving you a beat or a few beats, whether it be that they tell you about the feeling of being victimised (at the stat of the film)- this would be a beat. Then at the end of the film, you may come back to that contributor give you another beat about the feeling of being empowered. And the journey in between from victimisation to empowerment you might want other contributors to tell you their personal account for all that's in-between. Peoples personal experiences being marginalised etc. But then finishing the film with empowerment may be a situation where the contributor is not empowering others who they identify with.

How did you make sure it was original for the documentary market?

Once production starts on the programme the series evolves to take its shape. The directors and series producer will research and discuss topics that are relevant to the Queer community. We spent months talking to people, researching and understanding topics that are relevant to the LGBTQ+ community.

How did you make sure the contributors were right for camera?

Generally it is the skill of the director to meet the contributor without cameras in advance so the contributor gets to know you and can relax and understand your intentions for filming. The the next time you are with them and filming, you would have already broken the ice.
If the contributors are suitable for filming because of a lack of ability to open up, then you would have already screened them at your first meeting. And if they aren't suitable then you are likely to need to find another contributor.

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From these questions I have learnt;

• How I can ensure the contributors I have are good for camera and will help the story I am trying to tell.
• How I can effectively research into my contributors.
• How to keep our idea original.

I will use this in my pre-production when I Skype Tanya with Jemma to see if she is a good contributor/how she well she is when asked questions, by doing this not only can we get to know her and break the ice but she is also able to ask us any questions she may have. I'll also use it for scripting, by using contributors that will add to the impact of the documentary and having a strong structure that will use the experiences the contributors have had to tell the story.

Pre-production- Representation of gay and queer people in the media

PAST

All minority groups have been underrepresented and stereotyped in the media. Stereotypes that the LGBTQ+ community faces are; characters lacking stable relationships, being preoccupied with their sexuality, and being laughable, one-dimensional figures (Changing media and Changing minds: Media Exposure and Viewer Attitudes Toward Homosexuality)

One of the earliest representations of a same sex couple is arguably in the 1895 short film 'The Gay Brothers'(Dickson Experimental Sound Film), the film features three men one playing the violin while the other two dance to the music.

The film was never commercially released by the people who made it possibly due to discrimination within society and Hollywood against gay people. The film was initially an experiment at syncing sound and was considered a failure, the lack of known history behind it meant that people developed their own stories about what it meant.

One thing that was consistent between the stories was the obsession with the actors sexuality, it's been argued In Straight,(by) Wheeler Winston Dixon (who) argues that the actors are heterosexual, reasoning that society at the times had a more relaxed attitude to seeing two men dancing cheek to cheek, if not for aesthetic reasons, then at least for entertainment (Dixon Experimental film website) Further reinforcing the idea that homosexuality can be used as a source of entertainment and ridicule on screen.

This way of using LGBT characters to reinforce masculinity and be used as an entertainment purpose is also seen in the 1923 silent comedy film "The Soilers". While he can be seen to be the butt of the films joke's, nobody within the film world within the film world laughs at him or teases him or bullies him. (Shane Brown, Queer Sexualities in Early Film: Cinema and Male-Male Intimacy), it's something that represents the feelings in society.

In 1934 the Production Code was enforced as an attempt to reaffirm the standards under which silent films had been produced since 1922, and to revise, amplify and add to those principles in the light of responsible opinion... (The Motion Picture Production Code - Link), in general the idea was that LGBT members wouldn't be represented as negatively as they had been, however it didn't get as much of an impact as was hoped.

These representations still existed in films such as Hitchcock's 'Rope', it pushed the boundaries of the Hay's Code (Motion Picture code) in which it states Sex Perversion or any inference to it is forbidden, how ever the two protagonists in the film had a heavily implied relationship. During the casting process for the film, Hitchcock "wanted to be able to get away with" the "homosexual element of the script" and "was interested in perverse sexuality of any kind...but being a strong Catholic he probably thought it was wrong" (A Companion to Alfred Hitchcock)

“We knew they were gay, sure, but nobody said anything about it,” Farley Granger said of his and John Dall’s characters in the 1995 documentary

Stonewall

Fed up with the constant harassment from the police members of the LGBT community started what's known as 'The Stone Wall Riots', these were a series of demonstrations by members of the community against the police raid that took place at the Stonewall Inn in 1969. One of Stonewall's aims is to reach more people and have a greater impact by transforming institutions and by embedding an inclusive and accepting culture (Stonewall website). By doing this Stonewall had a huge impact on the media and Hollywood in terms of representation.

AIDS/HIV 

The media's portrayal of AIDS were Government backed campaigns through the 1980's and 90's and resulted in the idea that, if you had aids then you were either a drug user or a sexual deviant. Gay men were often singled out as the general view from society was that they were responsible for the transmission of HIV. Press reports were becoming increasingly more homophobic, with headlines such as "Gay plague may lead to blood ban on homosexuals".

Ellen

In 1997 the Puppy Episode of the sitcom Ellen, staring Ellen Degeneres aired with 42 million people watching it. It was in this episode that her character announced over the tannoy that she was gay, after Ellen recently told Time magazine. Even though the episode had successful ratings and won a Peabody award there was huge backlash and Ellen's career was nearly lost. There were advertising boycotts and even though ABC renewed the show for another season, they put a 'parental advisory' warning at the start of each episode.

It was criticised for being 'too gay', even by the LGBT community and was then cancelled. Even though Ellen wasn't the first gay character on TV her coming out on air brought huge media attention, and despite Ellen nearly loosing her career other shows like 'Will and Grace' were able to start airing.

PRESENT

In present day LGBTQ+ representation has made huge strides, however it is yet to be equal and be a true representation of the community.

The advantage of television today is that it has a far greater reach to different demographics, including gay people. Over time society has become much more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community being in TV shows with some of the most love characters from shows being LGBT.

Shows like 'Will and Grace' and 'Friends', to present day ones such as 'Glee' and 'Doctor Who' are able to have these characters and it doesn't face anywhere near as much backlash as it once did. The fact that modern TV storylines are no longer focussed on sexuality and that characters have become more 3-dimensional helps with this representation too, LGBTQ character stories are being shown in the same way other's are.

It is not simply a choice, but a process of acceptance, and entertainment is able to bring viewers who are struggling with their true identity to a healthy place where they can be proud of themselves and who they are. (USA Today 20-year flashback: Ellen DeGeneres came out, and paved the way for more gay TV roles)

However despite all of this development there is still a sense of heteronormativity on our TVs, writers and producers can face challenges with how difficult LGBTQ character storylines are. Some viewers can also think that a 'gay agenda' is forced down their throats when their shows start to include an LGBTQ character.

The Bury Your Gays Trope

The Bury Your Gays trope is one that is persistent in modern day TV, gay characters just aren't allowed happy endings. Even if they do end up having some kind of relationship, at least one half of the couple, often the one who was more aggressive in pursuing a relationship, thus "perverting" the other one, has to die at the end (TV Tropes- Bury your gays). It can often go against the main work the screenplay is based off and can nearly always cause an uproar from the audience. 

Link to VOX video "Why do so many queer female characters die on TV"

Lesbian representation dropped dramatically on broadcast television, down to 17% of all LGBTQ characters. Lesbian representation is also down on cable to 20% from 22%. (USA Today 20-year flashback: Ellen DeGeneres came out, and paved the way for more gay TV roles)

This can be attributed to the 'Bury your gays trope', essentially referring to the amount of deaths given to LGBT characters. Most of these characters are killed after confirming their sexuality or relationships.

The broadcast media's portrayal of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual people continues to be judged both sparse and unrealistic by a significant number of gay people. More than half (57%) of gay people say there is 'too little' portrayal of lesbian, gay and bisexual people on UK television is unrealistic (Stonewall)

Overall the media has come along way from previous representations of members of the LGBTQ community being denoted as bad, however it's still no where near as good as it could be. With shows like RuPauls Drag Race which has a huge world wide fanbase are representation is getting better slowly, as writers and producers are becoming more aware of what their viewers want.

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From this research I have learnt:

• How important it is for the people we are interviewing are represented accurately 
• We also need to acknowledge the history of LGBT people in the media and ensure we learn from it
• I also learnt about how significant this is to teach the audience about the topic

I will use this in my pre-production while I co-script with Jemma including any facts and figures. I'll also be able to ensure that the people we are representing cover the gap in media representation  that LGBTQ+ people are missing. 

Producer research (2)

Helen Curston

Has experience as a Producer, Director, Assistant Producer and Series Director. She's worked for the BBC in documentaries and current affairs for the BBC. 
After helping Helen with research for the 'Untold Stories' documentary (Link to article about the exhibition)for Black History month, I decided to send some research questions that would help me understand my role more.

How do you involve yourself creatively in an idea in all stages of the production?

I work as a Producer/Director generally, so I tend to be the driving force behind all editorial decisions (ie content/storytelling), as well as directing and scripting both the shooting and the edit script.  It’s quite normal in factual for this to be the case – often production teams are small, so they come down to one or two core people (Researcher/Producer-director) who then hire in presenter (if needed), a camera op (lighting cameraman/DOP) and sound and then picture editor.  Thus all others on the team are working only after all R&D *research and development* has been completed and agreed, by myself and whoever I am working for (client/Programme Editor etc) – in this sense they are working under my creative vision.

This said, the presenter/camera/sound/picture editor are ALL creatives also, so the presenter for example might get involved in scripting their PTC’s or how they deliver something; the camera and sound are given autonomy to control their own material, but I would always agree WHAT and HOW this would be done with them; the picture editor would work to my edit script, but again would offer guidance and ideas during the edit, which we would discuss and agree.

How soon after filming did you schedule reshoots if needed?

I tend not to re-shoot – it is costly and usually unworkable with schedules too.  I make what I have work and am more likely to ADD more shoots, rather than RE-SHOOT.  If I did have to re-shoot it would be ASAP, but in my memory I have only ever re-shot anything once, and that was after I was self-shooting for the first time!  Any work shot with a camera/sound crew would be costly and they know that they are expected to deliver first time – hence why they always ask and agree with me what I want and highlight any problems/concerns at the time/before the shoot!

How did you find funding for the filming?

My films have all been funded through the company I work for – in the past this was the BBC, we did not need to seek external funding – on one production it was a BBC/Open University co-production; more recently I have worked on projects in which the University became a partner of EU (European Union) and HLF(Heritage Lottery)funded projects.

How did you stay within budget/compromise if things were too expensive?

Again this is never an option – you simply work if possible well UNDER the budget and always keep a contingency!  If you can’t afford something you find a way of doing it cheaper/for free or you simply do not do it!

Do you have any advice with gaining funding for our project?

It takes a LOT  of time to get ANY funding – whether it is a specific film fund, broadcaster commission, branded piece or something funded by a charity – it is NEVER quick!  So allow PLENTY of time.  Find someone/something relevant who will have an interest in what you are doing but bear in mind in doing so they will undoubtedly have a vested interest, so it will often mean compromise.

What inspires you to take part in a documentary?

I never ‘take part’ as such, but in terms of why I make docs, it is because I love to open up the world and share what I find with others – real life is often more surprising than fiction, and offers such a rich opportunity to give a platform to people and things which we might not know about.. I like to ‘educate, inform and entertain’ in that classic PUBLIC SERVICE mindset – it’s inspiring to see when a story throws the spotlight on something and even, on some rare occasions, is part of changing the status quo.

How much do you stick to a script?

Very tightly – I like to work all the problems and solutions/ideas out on paper – but of course things happen during the shoot and edit which we can adapt to and include, so  I never rule out ideas and opportunities.

How do you find contributors and then keep them on board with the project for a long period of time?

Lots and lots of research!!! Online, in person, in books and directories, through contacts – keeping people on board is difficult, especially if you might not have funding /a screening platform in place.. Keep in touch regularly and have meetings in person to ensure the people get to know you enough to feel safe and allow them to keep in contact if they have any concerns.

Do you have any advice on building trust with contributors?

Honesty and openness, humanity and respect – understand that they are giving you their trust, time and often opening up about very sensitive personal things.  Also allow them SPACE – don’t over-pressure and give them time (so therefore allow PLENTY of time for this and have plan B, C and even D!!)

How easy was it to gain access to locations, people etc.?

Generally people are happy to help – but again allow time because finding someone who will give you access needs time.. Always recce locations and notify appropriate individuals/seek permission.  If you have no budget this need not be a problem – finding something which can be mutually beneficial is a way of convincing people.

How detailed was the original script compared to the filming one?

Very detailed – I write all shot ideas, music/VO and draft out what each answer is likely to cove r from each person and structure those elements so that I have a clear framework.  It forms the TEMPLATE for my edit script, into which I will add all sync clip timecodes etc so it is REALLY important!

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From these questions I have learnt:

• All the different ways I can find contributors for interviews and the importance of having regular contact with them
• The benefit of having a highly detailed script 
• It's given me ideas/resources to find funding to help with our budget
• How it can help the budget in terms of reshoots if everyone in charge of the camera and sound knows what is expected of them fully preventing any need for a re-shoot
• The importance of acknowledging that everyone involved in the filming is a creative in their own respect so might have an input in what happens/what is included

I'll use this in my pre-production by; doing more research into potential companies/organisations/charities/groups who could give us funding, I need to look for people who have a connection to the subject matter being covered so they have an interest in supporting us.

Work with Jemma as co-writer for the script to give as much detail as we possibly can making us more pre-pared for the shoot.

Have regular conversations with Tanya (our main contributor) over skype (as she lives too far away to visit) and make sure she is fully updated with everything that is occurring and any questions/worries she has are answered, as she is 17 I will also be in regular contact with her father to ensure he is comfortable with everything too.