Today I watched one of a three part documentary by director/cameraman Gavin Searle, called Welcome to Lagos.
It was centred around a group of men and women who works as recyclers in the rubbish dumps in Lagos. Having immersed himself in the group Searle gets responses and access to the group that can only be obtained through trust. Spending time with the group the viewer gets an insight into the hardship and difficulty these men and woman face to make a living but through it we also see that these people are more positive and entrepreneurial than most of the people you and I know in our lives.
As I said in my research on the history of photography I am going to try and stick to the 5 questions about photography to at least try and view each piece critically rather than at face value.
Who Took the Photograph?
The 3 part series was directed and filmed by Gavin Searle.
Why and For Whom Was the Photograph Taken?
It was a commission done for BBC Two to document the hardship and lives of the people in those situations.
How Was the Photograph Taken?
It was shot on a range of cameras, some were professional broadcast cameras and some of the footage were shot by the people themselves with cheaper hand held cameras.
What Can Companion Images Tell Us?
Watching two of the three documentaries has shown me that the essence of the films are the same and the positivity by the people are reflected in both.
How Was the Photograph Presented?
It was broadcast on BBC two and is distributed by the BBC. It has been uploaded to Vimeo.com too.
Was it skewed in a direction? It has to be, thats what documentary is all about, it's shot with one eye. Just like when we close one eye we lose depth perception, the same thing happens when one person directs and shoots a documentary there are bound to be an opinion, a point of view. For this one I feel it was probably the feel good factor and the positivity that Searle finds in each of the characters. But the truth is still that these people find themselves in dire situations, situations that would be very difficult to explain was it not for the film footage that puts you into that scene.
I feel that its a brave series to make, to go and spend time in those conditions and to get close to these characters and their environment must have been scary at times. But as Robert Kapa said, “If your photographs aren't good enough, you're not close enough" and this is one of those instances where a documentary made out of the comfort of a London studio would not have had the impact this series has.
References
BBC2,. 2009. Web. 5 Apr. 2016.