Appendix 2
First Blood [working title]
Protocol & Guidelines
Team:
Director / DOP / Co-producer: Flore Vallery-Radot
Co-Producer: Marcos Alexiadis
Production Designer: Eleanor L’Estrange-Stranieri
Cinematographers: Anna McGuirr and Kevin Nguyen
Editor: Thea O’Conor
Sound Supervisor: Jason Boyd
Composer: Gerard Nicholls
Consent Coordinator: Michela Carattini
Here are four different charters or sets of rules we intend to use during the process of making this film:
● between Leonore and I, for the purpose of giving Leonore agency,
● for the whole production team,
● for the other participants: adults and children as well as their parents or guardians,
● for the viewers for the film.
Rules between Leonore and I, for the purpose of giving Leonore agency.
A family is not an example of democracy. It is more a dictatorship where the parents set rules that need to be followed.
In the process of creating this film Flore would like Leonore to be the co-director. For her voice to be heard well and fairly, she needs agency. A new set of rules need to be defined for the context of making the film.
Co-director means that Leonore will be interviewing other participants, prepare the interviews with Flore, film some of the interviews, film and interview Flore. She will participate in the choice of outfit according to a collaboratively chosen colour palette. She will be invited to attend a rough cut and fine cut screenings.
Rules for Leonore. She…
o Can say no, or “maybe not” or “can we not do this” and change her mind and it will be respected and accepted.
o Can ask any questions without any limit.
o Can have a break when she decides to.
o Her participation in filming will be limited to 4 hours per day, 5 days per week.
o Will be told what is expected of her in terms of length of time and content/action at least 24 hours prior to starting filming or testing or talking for long sessions or interviews. For the rest of the time, to keep the film spontaneous, Flore will tell Leonore that the following week will be a casual filming week.
o Can tell Flore if she’s uncomfortable with a question. It will be rephrased or dropped.
o Will be given a phone or a camera to film parts of the film. She’ll film what she thinks is useful and make sure the footage is nice (as steady as she can, framed carefully) to watch for viewers. Not perfect by any means but reasonably nice.
o Will be shown different string outs of the film and will be able to veto footage or sound recordings.
o Will be informed of the film’s suggestions and complaints processes.
o Understands that being part of such a project demands effort and work.
o Agrees to give it her best go.
o Agrees to follow the codes of conduct for the whole production team.
o Creates a closure practice with Flore to keep the project separate from the rest of her life. A consent and launch meeting will be organised at the beginning of the project. A closure, celebratory meeting will be organised when the film is complete.
o Can contact Michela Carattini, (XXXX*) the intimacy coordinator if she feels that she would like additional advocacy or support.
Rules for Flore. She…
o Can veto camera footage, Leonore’s phone footage and sound recordings.
o Can have a break when she decides to.
o Will explain clearly what is expected of Leonore and the other participants in terms of length of time and content or action at least 24 hours prior to starting filming or testing or talking for long sessions or interviews or AFTRS visits.
For the rest of the time, to keep the film spontaneous, Flore has agreed with Leonore that the filming process has started when Flore takes the camera, and it is finished when she puts it down.
o Will respect/accept Leonore’s “no”, veto, change of mind and/or request to contact the intimacy coordinator.
o Will try to answer questions to the best of her knowledge.
o Agrees to give her best go at creating this film.
o Talks through with Leonore where the film might be published/screened, and potential reactions and consequences of film becoming public.
o Will keep explaining the goal of the film to Leonore and the other participants, which is to make children, teens, and parents more comfortable with the changes going through the body and the mind during puberty.
o Provides team members with referral or AFTRS counselling scheme information if the content discussed activates previous trauma that requires support.
o Shares half of any revenue generated by the film with Leonore on a bank account to her name she will be able to access on the day she turns 18 years old.
Charter for the team
The team is made of a director, producer, production designer, sound supervisor, cinematographers, composer, and editor. In any interaction with Leonore and the other participants we need, as a team, to be mindful of age, level of understanding and stress.
Team members will…
o Obtain a free Working With Children Check.
o Try not to be too overwhelming as much as possible (eg, no small talk or jokes on set, or being too loud).
o Use age-appropriate language (eg, no swear words).
o Be mindful that stories shared can be very intimate and look away and do not comment.
o Only be present in the house or during interviews if strictly necessary and be discrete during those times.
o Try not to be judgmental in the edit when Leonore is present during string out review. Keep negative remarks on her presence on screen, her story and Flore’s for other sessions when she’s not around.
o Organise at least three meetings. The first in pre-production where everyone can ask questions about the process and the subject. The second one is mid-production to discuss how the shoot is going. The last meeting will be conducted after the completion of the post-production to provide feedback on the experience and suggestions for further models of collaboration.
o Try to put aside our biases around puberty and its taboo elements (eg, menstruation, body hair, body odours, growing breasts, mood swings, etc). Simply reflect on our common thoughts about menstruations, the girl’s body and growing up as human; exerting a critical reflection on what we think. Discuss it together openly at the different production meetings.
o Reach out to Flore (XXXX*) or Marco (XXXX*) and AFTRS Counsellor Rachel Roberts (XXXX*) in case of a doubt or a problem.
Charter for the other participants, adults, and children
Keep in mind the duty of care for participants: interviewees, main characters, the audience, and ourselves.
The director and/or producer will…
o Discuss the film’s framework with Intimacy Coordinator, psychologist and consent expert, Michela Carattini.
o Approach participants with a sense of collaboration. Make them feel part of the project.
o Explain what the film is about clearly and what it wants it to achieve to all participants and for kids also to their parents or guardians.
o Explain that the participants’ image will be potentially accessible for people they know or do not know for ever.
o Get informed consent from adults, children, and their parents or guardians. Have a release form signed after the screening of all the rushes involving them or their child.
o Will respect and accept participant’s “no” or change of mind.
o Explain that what is being filmed or recorded might not end up in the film. That a lot of the content created is for our Flore’s research.
o Keep participants informed of the progress of the film, let them know if the footage or recording where they appear won’t make it to the final film.
o Give clarity around when participants are being recorded and when not, and which part of them is being recorded and not.
o Signal when the filming session starts and when it finishes.
o Encourage the team to reach out to Flore (XXXX*) and AFTRS Counsellor Rachel Roberts (XXXX*) if they feel that something is wrong.
o Provide participants with referral/AFTRS counselling scheme information if the content discussed activates previous trauma that requires support.
The participant(s):
o Can say no, or “maybe not” or “can we not do this” and change their mind and it will be respected and accepted.
o Can ask any questions without any limit.
o Can have a break when they decide to.
o Their participation in filming will be limited to 4 hours per day, 5 days per week.
o Will be told what is expected of her in terms of length of time and content or action being filmed.
o Can tell Flore if they are uncomfortable with a question. It will be rephrased or dropped.
o Will be informed of the film’s suggestions and complaints processes.
o Agree to give their best go and be honest in their statements.
o Agree to follow the codes of conduct for the whole production team.
o Will be shown different a cut of the film and will be able to veto footage or sound recordings.
o Can contact Michela Carattini, (XXXX*) the intimacy coordinator if they feel that she would like additional advocacy or support.
Charter for the viewers
The film has a responsibility toward its viewers. It wants to represent the theme of puberty simply but as accurately as possible for a parent to child. It wants to represent the participants fairly.
The film will endeavour to:
o Depict a fair representation of menstruation as (red) blood.
o Offer a simple but relevant and correct anatomical representation of the body.
o Propose explanations to the level of Flore’s knowledge and as accurate as possible.
o Identify harmful biases and stereotypes and denounce them or take them off the cut.
o Respect the participants and represent them fairly.
It is agreed by all parties that this framework is a work in progress document and will be adapted and evolved along the way. Each change will be agreed by all parties.
*personal contacts have been removed for this web presentation.
Sydney, 12/11/22