Hey guys! Long time no see!
Over the course of this week, I have been thinking about this documentary more and more and I have really started to put some thought into who could possibly be an interviewee for this piece. After all, due to our lack of voice over (we plan on doing indirect interviews and letting the interviewees "tell the story"), we need people that will be able to not only present themselves well on camera, but also talk about the subject in depth. The main issue with this documentary is that many people do not know about the male gaze, which instantly narrows down the pool of potential interviewees for our doc. Luckily, I happen to know some socially aware individuals that have been affected by the male gaze personally. Here are the ones I am considering:
*Note: For privacy reasons I will not be using their names, only describing them and what they could bring into the production.
Potential Interviewee #1:
This person is an artist and has actually been basing their entire AP Art portfolio on women and oppression. I have talked to them personally about complex matters and they seem mature and honest, which is definitely something that we need for this documentary. I remember talking to them about the male gaze specifically (I also happened to mention this project, and how I was looking for people to interview), and they told me that they would love to discuss it, however the main way in which the male gaze has impacted them is in their sexuality, which is something they may not be ready to talk about on camera - especially since they really have not been interviewed for a documentary before. I told them that I completely respected that and that we could talk more about it when we saw each other in person, since I think Kim and I could make them feel comfortable enough to open up. We obviously do not want to force anyone to do anything so if it doesn't work out then it doesn't work out, however we think they would be an amazing candidate, especially with their artistic background. The artistic part of them could also result in some new B-roll ideas, which is exciting.
Potential Interviewee #2:
This is someone that Kim and I have worked with personally before. I have wanted them to be in one of our docs for so long, so since the topic is the male gaze (and they love to consume media critically), I am basically jumping at the possibility of working with them. I have also told them about my idea already and they seemed to really like it, so I think they are likely to say yes.
In terms of their value as an interviewee: I think this person is extremely well spoken, is knowledgeable about not just the male gaze but other topics as well, and could be a fantastic person on camera. They have been in my productions before and they have no problem acting or showing off in front of a camera, which would be extremely beneficial for filming. This person is one of my top choices, 100%.
Potential Interviewee #3:
I am not too close with this person, however they have been in my classes in the past and they seem to be constantly aware of what is going on in the world, they are exceptionally well-spoken (they compete for debate, so no surprises there), and they are always advocating for women's rights (as well as marginalized groups), so I think this topic would be right up their alley. Even if they do not know about the male gaze in particular, Kim and I will be writing questions that are more personal, therefore not requiring the interviewees to know anything theoretical or overly specific about the male gaze. We will simply focus on the perception of women through the media and how this affects not only women's view of themselves, but their view of the world/society and how they may subconsciously change their behavior as a result. I definitely think this person is intelligent and emotionally aware enough to answer our questions, so I would love to see if they were interested in participating. Also, they happen to be a very close friend of one of Counter Conformity's interviewees, Florence Laurent, so they are familiar with us and our work. We'll see if they are willing to be a part of it!
Potential Interviewee #4:
This is someone that I have spoken with about the male gaze multiple times, and each of those conversations have sparked a lot of deep thinking on my side. I really do think that this person is very knowledgeable about the male gaze and could definitely give Kim and I some good answers, especially since we have worked with them multiple times for projects. However, because we have worked together before, we are aware that they are very busy and sometimes unreliable, which could be risky. Also, because we are so used to working with this person, I think it would be best to work with someone new and mix things up a little bit. I think that one of the things I enjoyed most about Counter Conformity was getting the chance to not only meet knew people, but also get to know them as human beings, which is an experience we could not get from working with this potential interviewee. I am keeping them in mind due to their strong camera presence and knowledge, however I am only thinking of reaching out to them if we cannot find anyone else. I definitely would like to work with them for other projects, much like we have already done in the past.
Potential Interviewee #5:
Last but certainly not least, this person actually reached out to me to make something about the male gaze together. I already told them about this documentary and they seem to be interested, which is nice considering I know that they have done their research and could probably talk about the topic extensively. The only downside is I am not sure how much they would fit the "look" we are going for, however that is something that we might be able to figure out. I am also keeping this person as a backup, however they are definitely not a bad option.
Alright guys! Hopefully that gives you a slightly better idea of what the potential interviewees are looking like for this project. I really take this selection process seriously because if I am being completely honest, one of the things that made Counter Conformity so special was the interviewees, 100%. They were so well-spoken and honest, and they were even able to bring in some comedic moments throughout the piece (which definitely helped lighten up such a complex - and occasionally dark - topic). I also loved how Florence in specific would bring up some very significant points in a poetic way, such as when they stated that people "weave in" gender expectations into clothing, despite clothing having no designated gender. I really do hope that we can recreate or reimagine those sort of moments in this documentary in order to make it not just entertaining and engaging, but also memorable.
We have plenty of people to choose from (I might even have other options as well), so I cannot wait to contact them and finally have them picked out! I am really excited to have this idea come alive. Let's see what happens!
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