TECHNIQUE DOCUMENTARIES
D ocumentary filmmaking isn’t news reporting, and it isn’t reality TV. This film genre is as much about visual storytelling as any narrative project might be, its truth ultimately told through the eyes of the director and DOP – and the kit they choose. Some filmmakers, like Ellena Wood ( The Ripper , Louis Theroux: Talking to Anorexia ), gravitate towards documentaries, while others stumble upon them unintentionally. It’s ‘a strong instinct that people have it wrong’ that Wood says draws her in. “I feel there are things I can show people about something they think they know. My job is to figure out what the story could actually be – and what the film could look like.” EXPLORING CULT PSYCHOLOGY Wood’s latest documentary project, Inside the Cult of the Jesus Army , details the rise and fall of Northamptonshire’s religious cult dubbed the Jesus Army, and follows former members as they navigate life after leaving. Directing the two-part series, Wood called on former collaborator Matthias Pilz to handle the doc’s cinematography. “It helps when you’re shooting to know how the other thinks and have trust when things get tricky,” she describes. Together, Wood and Pilz developed a visual sensibility that blends English countryside idyll with eerie natural imagery. Using an ARRI camera with vintage Canon K35 zoom lenses, Pilz honoured the series’ historical context while employing visual tricks, like slow zooms, for a hypnotic effect. “You’re being pulled into the spell of this place; it’s luring you in,” says Wood. “It adds tension and a kind of beauty as well. We were particular about the lenses, look and atmosphere that we wanted to create.” Many of Jesus Army ’s main events took place in the seventies and eighties, forcing Wood to scour archival material for clues as to what happened and why. “We discovered more as we went along,” she recalls. “I had to find a visual palette that gave the same vibe. I wanted people to feel like they’re in that world.” The series then combines this retrospection with an observational and present-tense approach. “When it comes to retrospective filmmaking, you get to
We speak to three documentary filmmakers about storytelling, exposing the ‘truth’ and choosing the right kit for the job
WORDS KATIE KASPERSON
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