I think I am turning academic, I really think so...

Abstract

In this 15 minute reflective film I consider how I might develop the documentary film form into a method of “writing” with video to articulate a more complex understanding of the world. My professional career and more recent academic practice has led me to consider two strands in my practice as a film-maker: (1) the meaning of evidence in the use of documentary video; (2) the value of documentary video as a creative academic research tool. Currently I am examining these aspects by considering the application of ambiguity, stilling, and silence in my practice-based doctoral research project: a worked-through example of an original historical investigation which began as a broadcast project but has developed into an exploration of the creative use of documentary video across a range of platforms. I will suggest that by moving away from the limited formulaic, traditional constructions of broadcast documentary practice, film-makers can adopt the more complex notions of truth familiar to artists and academics operating within a post-modern framework marked by competing narratives. The current challenge I face is to let go of my own broadcast training and conventions and view the material in new ways which are informed by the rigour of scholarship.