Mothercare

An observational film exploring the perspective of a full time carer.

Mothercare is a documentary that follows the daily life of full-time carer, Sarah, who looks after her sickly live-in 81 year old mother who requires round the clock care for movement, bodily functions and for the treatment of various illnesses. We will be exploring the difficulties she faces as her relationship with her mother is turned on its head, and witnessing how she struggles to balance caring for her mother, managing her household, and dealing with her own health issues. Sarah suffers from arthritis and depression, both having intensified via stress, minimal hours of sleep, and endless hours on her feet within her own home. Her husband Andrew will feature, conveying his concerns for his wife and expressing the changes in their relationship with the introduction of his sickly mother-in-law.

Mothercare is an observational documentary with heavy use of participatory element. I aim to convey the stresses and strains of a carer as they work around the clock day and night to care for their elderly, sickly mother via the use of observational footage as she tends to her, prepares food for her and so on. However, in order to better understand her situation, I will need to appear as a voice behind the camera in order to ask her a variety of questions; this is where the participatory aspect of the documentary comes in. Whilst behind the camera, I will be asking a variety of questions ranging from inquiring as to how many hours of sleep she managed the night before, to the tasks she hopes to complete before the day is through. In appearing via questions voiced behind a camera only, I hope to prevent interfering in order for my subject to convey her natural and realistic behaviour, as the observational footage will support.

Expository aspects will come in the voice of simple voice overs or text on screen; this information will inform the audience as to subject relations, time periods, and the reason for my subject’s sudden decision to become her mother’s carer. Due to the use of these expository elements, it will eradicate the need for direct one on one interviews that will formally explain these facts to the audience; further conveying a natural, observational and familiar style to the documentary.

Unlike some observational documentaries in which cameras are hidden from sight, the ‘fly on the wall’ technique, I aim to follow my subject as she partakes in various activities around her home, whilst balancing the care of her mother. As the documentary is of a personal matter to both the subject and myself, I will be following my subject with the camera on my own mobile. I hope to create a ‘home video’ style to my documentary with the use of my own phone as the sole camera to record footage, this further expresses the personal nature of the story, as well as appearing relatable to audiences across the world who may be in a similar care situation. I feel as though this style would almost be impossible had I opted to use other styles of documentary, such as the Poetic style that originated in the 1920s. A poetic style to a documentary of this nature would eradicate the personal nature entirely, almost mocking the severity of the contents with abstract editing techniques that would convey an artistic style rather than any manner of truth. The truth is an important aspect to my documentary, and I feel it vital that it is conveyed as realistically as possible the through use of the observational style, with participatory and expository elements.

I have various inspirations when it comes to the style and creation of my own documentary. Irene (2008, Lindsay Goodall) is a documentary that portrays the director’s grandmother who suffers from Alzheimer’s, and conveys the stress her illness has on her family. Through the use of observational footage and participatory questions from behind the camera, the director has been able to convey the personal truth of people’s struggles with an elderly member of the family with such a severe illness. The use of a personal location and subjects has inspired me to use a similar setting in order to convey the truth within my own home. Director Lindsay Goodall has successfully conveyed her truth, and the truth of her mother who acts as Irene’s carer, and I mean to replicate her style through observational footage, expository facts via a voice over, and opinions via thought provoking questions.

Stills from the documentary, Who Cares?

I have also been inspired by Who Cares? (2013, Camilla Arnold), a documentary conveying three elderly members of the deaf community and those who help care for them. Again, this documentary uses observational footage to display a day in the life of an elderly member of the deaf community and the aid they receive from their carer, yet it also involves interviews with their subjects. These interviews from a direct member of the community in their own home, the interviews with Stephen Pink for example, allow the audience to understand their perspective. The fact these interviews have been recorded in their own home allows for comfort and honesty on the subject’s behalf, allowing for complete truth that may have otherwise been shielded should they have been questioned in a studio environment.

It is my goal to consider my final documentary amongst those categorised as Cinema Verite, otherwise known as Direct Cinema. Films within the genre of Direct Cinema observe the lives of their subjects, exposing a world otherwise unknown to their audience; whatever happens, happens. The Maysles Brothers were famous for creating documentaries within this genre, and it is also their films that have inspired me in the techniques I wish to incorporate within my own film. One particular film that has inspired me is Salesman (1969), and follows four door-to-door salesmen in their attempts to sell bibles for $50 to unsuspecting housewives. Within the film, the truth of family situations regarding lacking funds to purchase the item, to the stresses of non-existent sales equalling non-existent pay for the four key subjects are exposed. This use of Direct Cinema conveys both personal and uncomfortable moments, straying away from documentaries lacking in reality made simply for aesthetic or egotistical reasons, and it is this style I mean to incorporate. My own documentary is highly personal and often troubling to both myself and the subject, and I do not intend on conveying only the positives in order to create an overly positive atmosphere in an otherwise troubling and uncomfortable situation. There are various uncomfortable and stressful moments for my subject in her daily routine of care for her mother, and my inspiration from films of the Direct Cinema/Cinema Verite nature will hope to convey this.

As I live at home with the subjects of the film, I have constant access throughout the day and night to the content I intend on featuring in my film, as well as having continual and personal access to the subjects to attain interviews during any part of the day. I also have direct and constant access to my grandmother, who also lives with us. This allows for easy, personal and permanent access to various situations that will further highlight the themes and messages of my film; this varies from the care of my grandmother, preparation of her food, care during the night whenever she calls, food shopping for both the home and the collection of specific items for my grandmother, and the limited moments of rest the subjects are able to find during the day.

As I intend on filming the documentary on my own phone, I am able to simply collect my mobile and film any footage whenever something of interest occurs; however, I would need to ensure I have frequent access to sound recording equipment in order to collect high quality audible sound. The equipment of which I have none of for myself, aside from the microphone on my mobile.

Considering my access is highly personal, I am able to directly witness the perspective of a carer who is already used to my presence, this means they will not be put off by my being there following what it is they are doing, and so will be relaxed enough to convey their thoughts and stresses in regards to being a full-time carer. I am able to ask questions I already know the subject is comfortable answering in relation to the care of her mother. Due to this, I feel I am able to uncover the truth and express the reality of a carer’s perspective, which otherwise may be dulled or withheld should a film of this nature be created by someone without such detailed and constant access. I already have a clear idea of the tasks my mother is set to carry out each day, and more importantly, when. This means I am already aware of a potential schedule that I may need for filming should there be a need for such pre-production work. This allows me to film what I need, when I know I am able to attain said footage.

There are two key subjects in my film, but the main subject Sarah will feature more predominately as she has taken on the role of a full-time carer for her mother. Her husband Andrew acts as support, and he will feature to convey his concerns for his wife and express the changes in the household her new job has taken on. Audrey, however, will not physically appear within the production, as I intend on focusing entirely on the carer’s aspect. Also due to her declining condition and lack of space in her rooms for equipment of any sort, or a small group of people; this is due to her hoarding of furniture, which she brought will her upon her move to our home. She will however, feature via audio, which will help to convey the relationship between mother and daughter via the language they use.

My grandmother, Audrey (left), myself, and my mother Sarah (right) in late 1993.

Sarah:

Sarah was born in Birmingham in 1965 to Audrey and John Butler. She has two older brothers, Stephen and Chris. Sarah married her husband Andrew in the early 90s, and together they have one child, myself, Bea. Together they live in Halesowen.

Sarah has always been close with her mother, having shopped for her, aided her in delivering payment of bills, driving her to the various homes where Sarah’s autistic brother Chris had moved to and from, and taking here where she has needed to go for over 30 years considering her mother, Audrey, has never been able to drive. Sarah’s parents had a strained relationship, which lead to her mother avoiding her husband by locking herself away in her separate bedroom lest she see him and begin yet another vicious argument. This meant Sarah, from a very early age, had to tend to household jobs such as cooking and cleaning for herself and her family, as well as completing her school work. Up until the eventual day of her mother moving into her family home, Sarah would spend almost 2 hours a night, every night, on the phone to her mother. Clearly, Audrey has always been a big presence in her life.

For over 20 years, Sarah had various roles at Sainsburys. She first began in the bakery, and spent the majority of her career as a baker of various sweets and cakes. However, ten years ago the opportunity to move into a differing area of the cooperation arose, and Sarah decided to take it. For numerous years, Sarah moved from managerial job to managerial job, ranging from canteen manager to customer services manager. It is this role that gave her a wide variety of responsibilities, but the intense hours this role came with worsened her already problematic health issues; Sarah has long suffered from arthritis, and will soon require operations on various joints in her body. It was also this customer facing role that acted upon her social anxiety, intensifying her depression. Towards the end of her career in Sainsburys, Sarah suffered a severe swelling on her ankle. Sainsbury’s only offer of aid was to grant her a job an additional 31 miles away on top of her daily 2 mile journey to an office in Coventry, which would supply her with rest off her feet and a managerial role with her regular pay. Sarah took this job, but with her health still suffering both physically and mentally, she took numerous months off work to recover.

For years, Sarah dreamed of a time where she would no longer need to work, and would be able to spend her days at home tending to her family, her pets and her hobbies. It was during these months away from work that Sarah decided to leave her job, and attain that life for her own sake, both mental and physical.

However, Sarah had spent the past two years trying to persuade her mother into moving in with her, where she could spend her time with her family. Audrey had been living alone in Harbourne for two years since the death of her husband John, and moved to Halesowen to be closer to Sarah and her family, who at the time lived in the same road. Her son Stephen, and his wife Lynn, lived in the house beside Sarah at the end of the road. However, in 2010, Sarah and her family moved across town to a house and environment better suited to their needs. For 7 years, Sarah would visit her mother after work to deliver shopping, pay bills, tend to various household jobs, and would then venture to her home every Tuesday from mid-2017 to support her during nurse visits for her lymphedema.

Towards the end of 2017, Sarah ventured to Audrey’s house every day. Often Audrey would call and ask for help moving so she could go to the bathroom, or even for aid in getting out of a chair. During these times, Audrey would be unable to get onto the stair lift on her own, having fallen down the stairs numerous years ago and fracturing her leg, in order to get to bed. This meant Audrey was sleeping and living on her sofa. It was during these few weeks that Audrey finally decided to move in, but by now, she was far too weak to move of her own accord, and this meant that Sarah would become her full-time carer.

Sarah now aids her in the care and treatment of her various health issues; lymphedema, reynauds, gall stone related gall bladder issues, heart failure, low blood sugar levels and past hypothermia.

As Sarah rarely leaves the home as she intends on being by her mother’s side, or in close proximity, 24/7 in case her health suddenly and rapidly declines, Sarah is frequently available, and so reliable. Although she spends a great deal of time shut away with her mother, this gives me the chance to capture audio shared between them, conveying their somewhat changed relationship from daughter/mother to full time carer/patient. She is readily available to shadow and observe via camera when preparing various food items etc for her mother, during the rare occasions in which she is able to sit down for a cup of tea, and attend shopping trips. However it is the latter that may be somewhat limited. Due to her husband Andrew’s work pattern, I as the director/camera operator will be required to tend to my grandmother and await any calls she may make to my phone should she need my aid. This means that I will be unable to follow the subject on her shopping trips, as my grandmother cannot be left home alone. But as these shopping trips have become increasingly rarer, I am finding a great deal more reliable opportunities in which I am able to shadow and observe my subject as she tends to her mother.

Andrew:

Andrew was born in Langley in 1962, and lives at home with his wife and daughter in Halesowen.

For over 30 years, Andrew has worked a stressful and strenuous job that requires differing shifts. Due to these work hours, Andrew feels his health both physically and mentally has been greatly affected. On top of the stress of his job, he has witnessed the strain and struggles his wife Sarah has suffered day in day out in regards to her work, her health and now her role as full time carer to her mother. Andrew regularly aids in the care of her mother, helping her move her up or down the bed, a two-person job, and by tending to her when I myself am at university and my mother out shopping. He does however regularly display his concerns, and it is these concerns I wish him to express in my documentary, Mothercare.

Although Mothercare is an observational documentary without need nor requirement to convey facts and figures, I believe I personally have expert knowledge regarding the production in the sense that the care of my grandmother is an ongoing daily job that I live beside and frequently aid in during both the day and various hours throughout the night. It is my own experience in aiding my mother when it comes to moving my grandmother on her bed, preparing food and tending to her when my mother leaves the house to collect some shopping, that will help to better convey the meaning and truth of my documentary.

Had the documentary been in the hands of someone unfamiliar to the situation, I feel they will be inexperienced regarding what my grandmother needs, and the daily activities her carer completes in order to keep her comfortable, healthy and happy. They will need days if not weeks of observational research in order to note what will need to go into the film. Considering I live in the same house, I feel I have attained a breadth of knowledge regarding my grandmother’s various health issues, as well as witnessing and understanding the stresses on her carer, Sarah, and her husband.

There is one key location I intend on featuring; my own home. This helps to better express the personal nature of the film, as it delves into the carer’s own home to express her true feelings and stresses regarding the care of her mother, who has been living with us since before Christmas. As the subjects will be in their own home, it will hopefully allow them to relax even around the minimal camera/microphone set up, and display their true behaviour that may otherwise not be shown should they be placed in an unfamiliar environment.

I aim to show the subjects in a variety of rooms; the living room when they are finally able to relax for a few moments, the hall outside my grandmother’s current living/bedroom, the kitchen and brief shots of my grandmother’s room, though I don’t intend on featuring it fully nor frequently. As I follow my subjects, I will potentially follow them around the rest of the home.

The living room.

The downstairs hall, door leading into grandmother’s room.

The location, my home, is located in Halesowen, Birmingham, and was built in 1907. Upon redecorating the interiors over the past few years, we returned the home to an almost original style of the early 1900s, with various items matching the building’s age. The hall in particular conveys a similar style, however, mere months after completing the hall, we had a stair-lift built into the stairs for my grandmother. This however, has only been used twice since she moved in. This conveys the change the subject has accepted in order to care for her sickly mother.

As the subject’s job of a carer is full time, they are required to go out and shop for anything her mother may need. Due to the observational nature of the documentary, I may follow her with the camera in the car, and whilst she is shopping, to understand the stresses this may also bring; due to the limited time she has outside as my grandmother dislikes her being away from home, to the stresses of finding the correct items for her stubborn mother.

However, as the location is personal to both myself and the subjects, it may mean some areas are off limits, and there may be times in which the subject wishes for relaxation without the presence of the camera.

Mothercare’s budget will be minimal for various reasons.

Traveling costs will minute, if not non-existent. This is due to the fact that I live in the environment in which I aim to film, hence my lack of need to travel to said location.

Crew costs will also be minimal, or again, none existent. The crew for Mothercare will likely consist of myself and one further crew member, who has offered their out without want of pay due to their close relationship with myself and the subject.

As I mean to convey a day in the life of a full-time carer, I aim to show various aspects of Sarah’s day in the completed documentary. However, in order to capture a variety of tasks she has to complete, I will spend at least three days capturing physical footage as well as audio in order to convey what a carer is required to do in the space of one day.

Sarah’s days tend to differ, although not dramatically, and some tasks take far longer to complete and are far more strenuous on her mind and body. This can often depend upon the health of her mother. Some days she is as well as she can be in her condition, other days her health is quite severe, causing my mother to abandon usual tasks in favour of keeping her company, and tending to her comfort.

As Sarah is readily available every day, I feel fit to begin recording footage whenever possible;

From the 4th of May onwards, I am readily available at home every day in order to record footage for Mothercare during every hour of every day. However, before Friday the 4th of May 2018, the below shoot dates

Monday 23rd/30rd: 3pm – 1am Tuesday 24th/1st: 7am – 11pm Thursday 26th/3rd: 7am – 11pm Friday 27th/4th: 3pm – 1am Weekends: 7am – 1am

The hours stated on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Weekends are the times in which my mother tends to be available from, as she is called early each morning to tend to her mother, up until 1 in the morning, during which time she is aiding her in settling in for the night. However, as Sarah is frequently awakened during various hours of the night, on average her mother calls her 3 times during each night to tend to her if she is too hot, too cold, or in pain. As I live at home, I am able to wake during these hours in order to record footage to convey the additional hours of care she works throughout the night in order to tend to her sickly mother, a fact most people are unaware of.

This means my schedule is not limited to a timetable on my mother’s behalf, and I am constantly at home in order to attain the footage should a moment of importance arise during any hours of the day or night.

In terms of recording footage of Andrew, my timetable as shown above still applies, with some alterations in order to work around his shift pattern. This, however, shouldn’t post any difficulties.

I will spend perhaps a day of pre-production, organising a schedule pertaining to my father’s work hours. However, I feel as though pre-production regarding the rest of my documentary is unnecessary, as I aim to simply pick up the camera and observe my mother as in her full-time carer role. My living at home, and experiencing my grandmother’s declining health and own mother’s stress of caring for her, feels to be pre-production and research alone. Due to this, I feel I am able to spend more time on filming my documentary.

As the film is of a personal nature, and if to be filmed within my own home, I aim to keep the crew as minimal as possible. However, these small numbers shouldn’t be a problem for the production. As I aim to film the content on my own phone, and use microphones that are easy enough to set up alone, I shan’t need a large crew  in order to capture the required content.

There is a small group of roles necessary in order to complete the documentary, both during production, and post production.

Director:

It will be the responsibility of the Director to ensure all necessary aspects of the production are attained, ranging from the interviews whenever they are possible, to the observational aspects of the film. It is their task to ensure the best footage is obtained to help convey the message and meaning I wish to display when watching the final version of Mothercare.

This role I aim to take on myself. As this is a personal film telling of the stresses and strains of my parents, my mother in particular, and the declining health of my grandmother, I feel it best to direct the film myself. As I am already aware of the goings on in the household, and the somewhat scattered timetable my mother attempts to keep to during every day, I know when she is fit to film, and when she is doing something worth showing during the film; such as preparing food for her mother, helping her bathe and so on. Should there be another director involved, I feel their presence may interfere too much to create a natural sense to their behaviour.

Camera operator:

It is the responsibility of the camera operator to capture the necessary footage their director wishes them to obtain. However, as this is an observational documentary, it will also be their responsibility to study their subjects and have their camera prepared for anything. It is also vital that they know the equipment they are using, allowing them to prepare and use it at any given moment. They are also required to keep out of the way of the subject, ensuring a natural feel to the subject’s behaviour, however they must ensure necessary footage is attained without great interference on their behalf.

As well as the role of the Director, I have opted to take on the role of camera operator. This too is due to the fact that the production takes place within my own home. As I meant to film the content on my own mobile, this allows me to take it out of my pocket at any given moment and film what is necessary. This also means that I am able to film at any point within the day or night without the need to travel whilst something of interest occurs, something that may have posed a difficulty had another camera operator be involve, and a situation of importance to my film occur during the middle of the night. My constant presence at home allows me to study my subject’s without too much interference, and filming what is necessary without distraction. As it is within my own home, I will also know where best to place myself or cameras without them being in the way of the subjects. I feel that should I employ a camera operator unfamiliar to my home and my subjects, it will limit their natural behaviour and attitude to the content.

Sound Recordist:

Sound is a vital part of my production, as I aim to place microphones on my subject as she aids her mother in her room, allowing us to hear some aspects of conversation and care. As I mean to observe my subjects and question them on what they are doing, what they aim to complete by the end of the day, discover stresses they may be suffering from and so on, it is vital that I use high quality sound recording equipment. It is the responsibility of the sound recordist to know their given equipment, and record all content I need in order to support my film. This will also mean supporting the camera operator during interviews; aiding them with a clapperboard to match sound, ensure the microphones are set up correctly and out of sight, and ensuring nothing of importance is missed by a miscalculation of their behalf. The same can be said for the observational aspect of the film. As I aim to film on my phone, I will not be depending on the built-in microphone on my mobile, and will opt for sound captured on a separate device. This means they must shadow me, as well as the subjects, in order to capture necessary sound and conversations.

I have Tijay Salhotra involved in the production as a Sound Recordist. This is due to his experience with sound equipment. As he is a frequent visitor to the household, his presence will not disturb nor change my subject’s behaviour, and he knows the house well enough to know where microphones may be placed in order to attain the best sound quality possible.

Editor:

As I intend on displaying the truth of a full-time carer’s perspective, I require the editor to convey the truth without bias in their edit. Unlike various documentaries that convey a bias depending upon the wants of the director, I aim to show a subject’s reality regarding their job of a full-time carer for a close relative. This means they must work closely with the Director in order to understand the themes and meaning they wish to convey, as well as choosing footage that displays these messages.

As I am the Director, and the production is of a personal nature, I aim to edit the documentary alone. In doing so, I am able to convey the meanings and truths I have witnessed, as I live alongside the situation daily. Being a confident and experienced editor, I feel I am more than capable of producing a professional edit, as well as suitably conveying truths and messages within the final cut of Mothercare.

There is a minimal amount of equipment required in order to film all required content for Mothercare. All that is needed to capture all necessary aspects of the production, physical footage and sound included.

The footage will be recorded on my own mobile, a Samsung Galaxy S8 phone with a 12 MP camera, and is capable of recording 4K footage. The latter however, I do not intend on using. As I mean to capture the footage in an observational style with home video inspiration due to the nature of the film, the default settings of my phone are more than suitable to clearly capture all necessary footage both day and night.  My phone will require charging, and so there is a fast charger at hand in order to ensure the battery life lasts during recording. My mobile will be on me at all times, and so will be readily available at any given moment, both during times and dates noted on a filming schedule, and during hours beyond the noted times and dates.

Lighting will not be necessary for my production, as I meant to convey a realistic sense in my observational work. Any additional lighting will both interfere with my subjects, as well as create a false atmosphere and ‘studio’ set up. I aim to film during various hours of the day, and the natural lighting that will enter the home through the windows will also allow viewers to understand the natural progression of the day as my subject works without rest to care for her mother.