A Day in the Life

Q&A

Are you really interested in my life? It's pretty boring...

You might think your life isn't eventful enough to be filmed for a documentary, but this isn't about some riveting "story" in the traditional sense; this is simply about peering closely into the life of another person. It's being able to stare at someone without having to look away. A high-schooler in Tibet or a stay-at-home mother in Beijing may not think their lives are especially interesting, but they would be to someone who is far from those circumstances! Your life may not seem particularly interesting to you, since you live it every day, but that's not to say it wouldn't be interesting to someone who knows nothing about you.

So what would I have to do?

After you fill out the intake form, I will get in contact with you to setup a meeting. We will meet several times to get to know each other, answer each others' questions, and nail down logistics. Since everyone's day-to-day life is different, how each person is filmed, and the logistics of filming, will be unique to that subject.
You will need to tell the people you will be interacting with on the day of filming about this project, and ask their permission to be filmed as an "extra" in your documentary. I will help you with ways to ask, and important information to relay to those people. Of course, not every single person you know will appear in the film, so you won't need to ask everyone you know.
During the actual day of filming, just try to ignore the camera as much as possible, and go about your day! We will do a rehearsal filming, so you are accustomed to being filmed on the actual day of the shoot.

Will I be paid?

No - since this is kind of a cross between a film and journalism, it doesn't make sense to involve payment to subjects. Please note also, this is not a commercial project. At this time, no one is being paid.

I am not sure...

Yes, being a subject is pretty intense, and certainly not for everyone. But being a subject is a great opportunity to positively represent the demographics you belong to. Part of the point of "A Day in the Life" project is show the humanity of people from all walks of life; people who are wealthy, poor, genderqueer, marginalized, young, old, differently abled, worldly, spiritual, LGBTQ+, and from all different regions of the world, and in all sorts of circumstances. Of course, you are not the representative for anyone but yourself; but I believe that people who agree to be a part of this project are making a significant positive impact on making the world a more understanding, peaceful place.

What will the narrative be?

There will be no narration, and no music. Just the sounds and visuals of a day in your life. This is an exercise for me, as a director/producer, to be as unbiased as I possibly can be. My only agenda is to represent your day as accurately as possible, while deliberately minimizing my own bias in the film. The goal is to show a day in your life as raw as possible, while keeping the film entertaining and flowing.

Are you going to film everything?

Not everything. I will not film anything illegal, pornographic, or anything I consider morally reprehensible. I will not film anyone using the restroom. Nudity will be on discussed beforehand, and will be on a case-by-case basis. And if there is anything that is off-limits to film, just let me know and I won't film that. Besides all that, yes, mostly everything will be filmed. This includes eating, going from place to place, talking, sleeping, working, playing, etc.

How long will you film me?

How many people will film me? What will it be like?

At any given time, there will be either one or two people filming you, or no one, if I decide that moment is not worth filming. We will aim to stay as far away from you as possible, to make it as easy as possible to ignore us. There will be no artificial lighting, and no boom poles (those long poles that hold microphones above a person's head). You may or may not need to wear a body mic, depending on the circumstances. This will be discussed beforehand. We may plant some recorders around your area, to capture sound. You can expect, though, to easily move through your life unobstructed. We (the people filming you) will only interact with you if totally necessary, and ask that you only interact with us unless totally necessary. Again, how your day is filmed is very dependent on what you will be doing that day. All logistics will be discussed beforehand.

Where can I see my film?

I will submit films to film festivals to be screened, and then will live on this website.

How long will the finished film be?

My goal is 10-15 minutes, but this is highly dependent on each short. Your film may be longer or shorter.

One final note...

I know that being a subject for a documentary like this takes bravery, as having your life filmed, even for a day, is quite invasive. I want you to know that everything will be totally clear before the record button is pressed; everyone will know what to expect, what the boundaries are, and what will be happening, and when. Allowing us to tell your story is an honor, and your comfort, safety and foreknowledge are my priorities. If there is anything you would like to discuss beforehand, do not hesitate to talk with me about it. There will be no surprises on the day(s) of filming.

I have a question that is not here.

Awesome! Shoot me a message on the "Contact" page and I will answer your question.