02 Nov Bridging Artistry and Science: Insights From Working With a Film Director
It’s Boston, January 2021, and I am standing in the middle of an empty schoolyard, with an audio recorder strapped to my belly. I’m holding a long boom pole with a big fluffy microphone, and my face just lost the ability to convey expression. It is, as we locals say, “wicked cold”.
My colleague, Fluent’s Director of Productions Heath Cozens, is pointing his camera at a focus mark on the ground, messing around with various buttons, knobs, and attachments. What we both know is that a slew of kids are about to come outside and, since they can’t stay out long due to the dangerous cold, and we have limited time to film them, there’s no room for mistakes with this shot.
Snow starts to fall, the wind picks up, and I raise my pole and call out to the gymnasium door for our first kid. Without hesitation, a seven-year-old girl runs up to her mark, displays her painting to the camera, says her name and age, and bolts back inside to comfort.
Personally, I love the cold, and I’m always happy to step out of my comfort zone. In this case, I’m working with a seasoned professional director, capturing some closing visuals for a documentary film, kicking off a professional collaboration and friendship that’s not only expanded my skillset but also given me an entirely new perspective on the world of data gathering, analysis, and reporting.
One of the truly unique aspects of Fluent and the vision of the President and founder, Nellie Gregorian, has been the way that video is used as a storytelling device to bring research to life and create the opportunity for deep connection with the people that we study. Initially, I regarded this approach as creative embellishment. Really cool stuff, but it was an add-on to the “real” research that it was being connected to. As I delved deeper and had the privilege of collaborating with our Director of Productions, Heath Cozens, I came to understand that it was far more than mere aesthetic flourish.
What struck me was the uncanny parallel between Heath’s documentary creation process and the research work I was familiar with. He meticulously compiled questions and goals, collected data, analyzed those data, and then wove a compelling narrative grounded in the data. This process felt very familiar, connecting easily to my training as a researcher.
What was new to me, or at least underdeveloped in me, was the artistry of his process. At each stage of production, Heath was unwavering in his pursuit of aesthetic excellence and in ensuring that the stakeholder’s experience was nothing short of exquisite. He would patiently wait for the perfect conditions, fine-tune lighting incessantly, and bear the physical strain of holding a camera up for what seemed like an eternity, all in the name of capturing an enlightening conversation between two eight-year-olds on a chilly January day. In the realm of academia, where I trained to be a researcher, scientific rigor was the sole beacon.
But Heath taught me that we need not sacrifice the artistry of our work for the sake of scientific rigor. This shift in perspective has breathed new life into my work and offers valuable insights for all researchers:
1) Always stand poised to seize a moment and be prepared to immerse yourself in it, however long it may take.
2) Ensure you do not overshadow the voice of the participant; their narrative should shine unhindered.
3) Recognize that every facet of the process holds significance, and each step should be executed with meticulous care and artistic flair.
4) And, at the very least, stay out of the shot!
As I continue to work with Heath, I look for new ways to learn from him and think not only about how we can incorporate more video into our reporting but also about how his methods can help our whole Fluent team see things through a different lens.
By Dan Warren, Director of Youth Development & Education.
Image: Cinematographer Michael Werner (left) and director Heath Cozens (right) film a discussion led by Dan Warren (center).