From the outset I wasn't sure if we were actually making a documentary film. In fact, as our three-year Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) funded research-creation grant rolled into its second year, I proactively insisted on referring to our project as an experiment and not a film per se. This of course irritated my filmmaking colleague to no end. "We are making a film... right???" was his refrain during our team meetings, and in the minutes that preceded one of our joint conference presentations. While I admittedly enjoyed winding up an old friend and long-time collaborator, the truth of the matter was that in many respects there could be no film; or, put another way, SSHRC required it to be a means to an end, an integral product of the research process. In other words, we would not be able to answer our research questions without engaging in the art of documentary filmmaking.
展开▼
