The story of the documentary will be about the everyday lives of nurses during a pandemic, and the unique struggles they face by being a medical worker. I would create interview questions asking them about if/how their jobs as nurses have changed since the pandemic hit, and then I would ask them about if/how their personal lives have changed due to the pandemic and being an essential worker. For example, the information that I am trying to get at is if they need to take extra precautions when they get home from working at the hospital as to not get their household sick. Do they quarantine themselves away from their loved ones? Did they use to do their own shopping but now they have someone else do it for them? Has someone in their household gotten sick, and do they feel guilty about perhaps being the cause? Have they had a loved one die from COVID, but they were unable to see them due to being an essential worker?
Due to not being allowed at their workplace with a camera, some B-roll will be taken that is related to the narrative but not essential. As stated from the reading, “B-roll illustrates talk” so the B-roll will be in conjunction with the nurses talking about their pandemic routine. The B-roll is as follows:
- B-roll of them getting ready in the morning and leaving from their house. The footage will show their routine, either normal or abnormal. This will be in conjunction with them talking about their routine. This footage highlights how even though people may only see them a few times per year, they are people with individual lives of their own. This footage may highlight precautions they take while being home with loved ones, or perhaps that they take a long time getting ready to work at a hospital.
- Time-lapse footage of patients coming and going to and from the hospital, hopefully getting some shots of long lines and wait times. This view will go from a bird’s eye view, showing people arrive in their cars and walking to and from the building, then also a shot in front of the building of people going in and out. This footage, depending on what is caught, may show the demand on hospitals and their workers.
While I am personally not allowed in with a camera, I could ask the nurses I am interviewing if they would be willing to vlog updates about their shift, the focus being on their work conditions and what they have to deal with. There will not be focus on patients (as this is probably the reason why I am not allowed inside with a camera). This will be my only “evidence” to show their working conditions, and if they match with what they tell me. As stated in the reading “…shoot people doing what they’re do… Plan the location so that it becomes part of the evidence for the scene”. It’s important to show them at the location they talk about so that it becomes “real” for the audience.
The following footage will be them going home, and what they do at home. For example, their interactions with their family, how they deal with being a parent or partner, how they balance work/life or perhaps a lack of balance, the boundaries they set with other people in their household, and any precautions they take when living with other people while being a hospital worker. The footage captured would widely depend, but the point of this footage is being visual evidence for how the pandemic has impacted the everyday lives of nurses. Visual evidence is important because it shows the audience the truth of the situation, whether if what is happening matches with what is being told, and to give the audience a real sense of the reality.