ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

11 years, 6 months ago - afia nkrumah

Hi Simon,

I don’t think such a database exists, but when I have researched different subjects for documentary or fiction, I find it best to start with friends and family. Ask everyone you know if they know someone who knows or works around the subject of your research.

Then the Internet is also useful for facts and background research. In documentary research we also use ‘fixers’ to gain access to difficult to reach contributors. Journalist use fixers frequently, so it is worth contacting journalists who have previously written about your subject matter. They are usually happy to help.

The key to getting close to subjects/ interviewees is to be very observant, listen, not judge and most importantly, you have to be able to put yourself in their shoes. This will help you ask the right questions and they will open up to you. It takes time to win the trust of people, so make sure that you give enough time to research your film or novel and to properly absorb the experience.

For the short film I’m currently making ‘Shadow Man’ the protagonist is an illegal immigrant. I started off reading and watching videos and talking with charities and the UK border agency. The most useful research has been the introductions got through visiting local African shops and churches where I live in Tottenham. Even though my script is less than 15 minutes, I have spent over four months talking to and spending time with several people who have just arrived in the country illegally and couples where one partner has uncertain immigration status. Mostly cooking for them at my house and listening to their life stories, problems, hopes and ambitions.

It is important to think laterally when you research. For example if you were writing a screenplay, where your protagonist is an astronaut, your basic ‘fact’ finding research might involve history of space travel and the latest developments and how that affects astronauts. If you lived in London, for example, you could visit the Science Museum for its exhibition on the history of engines, which includes some displays of spacecraft.

You would also probably require a basic understanding of some of the technical knowledge required to be an astronaut. You would need to read biographies and autobiographies of astronauts to get ‘first-hand’ accounts of their professional and personal lives and to discover if there are any specific eccentricities that come with the job.

You could get in touch with NASA, the European Space Agency and Virgin Galactic to find out what is involved in their training of astronauts, including any actual video footage they may have of this process. The British interplanetary society has a great archive of material and the professional membership includes astronauts and spacecraft engineers. It would help you to watch other films that have been made about astronauts, including Apollo 13, Gattaca, 2001 Space Odyssey, Planet of the Apes and so forth.

Has any music been inspired by space travel or astronauts? Have a listen for emotional triggers that might help you in the process of writing your script. Paintings, photographs or little mementos can also help fire the imagination. Oops sorry to go on for so long, but I am passionate about research and I don’t think writers do it enough! Hope this is helpful if a little long.

Afia