Documentary - Pre-production - Content research and finding Contributors

During the pre-production phase, I took on the role of Researcher, this meant reaching out to potential contributors who would be suitable for our Documentary.

Once we had agreed on a subject for our documentary, I began to research some of the different approaches that we could take to achieve it. We had decided to make a documentary about those who had been affected by the Ukrainian War as well as people based in the UK who had provided aid. This was a broad field of investigation, so I started holistically, looking at bigger areas of approach, rather than targeting anybody specifically and then whittled it down from thereon.

 

Ukraine War photojournalist, Wolfgang Schwan (The Independent, 2022)

I consumed a great quantity of news about the War and the Aid that UK citizens were providing to keep myself informed and find potential lines of enquiry that I could follow. I joined Facebook groups, reached out to people I knew who might have contacts in Eastern Europe and posted locally to try and get a response. Few people shared my post, but fortunately, from the few who did, I managed to get in contact with many people. 

I spoke to many people, but those who helped in some way inform the narrative, or direction of the Documentary are as follows:

Ganna

A Russian Woman living in the UK, Ganna is housing Ukrainians at a property she owns in Italy. Ganna’s perspective varied slightly to others I spoke to, but she did not condone the War. She mentioned that there had been a profound effect on her since the War and told me that she was embarrassed to speak Russian in public because of the response she would get. She told me of Russian family members escaping from St. Petersburg, terrified that their sons would be conscripted. She also spoke of a National paranoia, phone tapping and random Police checks to find any signs of anti-war thinking. She told me that her Father lived in Moscow and that when they spoke on the phone, “We don’t talk about the War.”

Shane

Kat put us in touch with Shane, a member of the Rotary Club and a Mechanic who owns his own Auto Repair shop in Ashford. Shane had been involved in accumulating a large amount of medical aid to go out to Ukraine, and with his Auto vehicle knowledge, was making a custom 4x4 Ambulance to take to Ukraine. 

Shane was passionate about helping those in Ukraine and admitted that it had effected his work and Family life, but that he felt it was important for him to help. Shane delivered the Ambulance to the North Eastern Polish border, where a Polish support group then drove across the border to deliver it safely. 

The 4x4 Ambulance that Shane provided, having arrived at its destination in Ukraine

Reza

I reached out to a Woman called Olga who had posted in a “Kent support for Ukraine” Facebook group. She was looking for donations to support a Mother and Daughter from Ukraine, whom she and her husband, Reza, had housed. Olga put me in contact with Reza, an extremely passionate individual, Reza was well informed on the idiosyncratic processes of seeking Asylum, his Father had passed in an Asylum camp in Iran while waiting to flee the country. Reza is keen to help out those who are seeking refuge and also wants to reward those who have helped provide aid. He intends to throw a party for both Ukrainians here in the UK and those locally who have helped provide aid. He hopes that this will make those who have fled a terrible situation integrate into their community. Reza put me in contact with Lana, a Ukrainian Psychotherapist whom he told me would be happy to help translate for an interview with the Mother and Daughter whom he had housed locally.

Lana

Lana, as a Ukrainian, was passionate about this project and enthusiastic about “baring the soul of Ukraine” it was important to her that the Documentary painted those fleeing from Ukraine in a positive light and was respectful of their trauma, whilst also acknowledging the objective truth of it. Lana spoke to the Ukrainian Mother and Daughter who agreed to an interview, however, they decided that they would no longer like to be a part of the documentary the day before filming. Lana informed me that another Ukrainian woman, Olga, would be coming over to the UK soon, and put me in touch with her.

Olga

Olga now lives in the UK after fleeing Kyiv with her two daughters, who are 6 and 9. Olga is a very accomplished individual and had a steady, successful occupation and lifestyle back home. Olga told me of her disbelief when the War started, she, like many, believed that this was another empty threat by Putin. She told me that just two days before the war began, she had visited a massage therapist who had applied muscular tape to her back. She said that although the tape was supposed to be temporary, she kept it on for a month; a reminder, she says, that she had a ‘normal’ life.

Olga has an ex-husband who has been conscripted into the Ukrainian army. She told me that he has just two weeks of training before he will be deployed. Olga also told me of the very basic equipment that these men are provided; practically just a gun and basic military garments. He has sold his car to pay for a helmet and a bulletproof vest. 

Although Olga is safe in the UK, she told me of the emotional turmoil that she was feeling, “I feel like I’m in space. My whole life, my whole life I’ve made plans and now I cannot plan for my future.” 

 

Susie, Tim, Anastasiia and Lisa

Susie and Tim are a couple who live in Ashford, UK.

When I contacted Susie and Tim initially, they were in Prague. They were staying in temporary accommodation (Airbnb, I believe) with Anastasiia and Lisa, two 17-year-old girls from Ukraine, with whom the couple have had a relationship for 7 years. Meeting initially through a charity scheme to offer help and respite to the children of families affected by the Chernobyl disaster, they have had a familial bond for many years now and have been on multiple holidays together. The girls were also bridesmaids at Susie and Tim’s wedding, and Susie and Tim were both invited to Ukraine by both sets of the girls’ parents. 

Prague was the most straightforward and safest place for both Anastasiia and Lisa to travel to, and it was also feasible for Susie and Tim to get there to support the girls. They submitted their Visa applications and went through every step of the process, including their DBS and house checks and were told that the process should take no more than a couple of weeks. However, this was unfortunately not the case and things quickly became more challenging. Both Susie and Tim are insulin-dependent Diabetics who did not have access to insulin beyond the timeframe that they had planned to stay, complications in healthcare in the Czech Republic, meant that they were unable to get any insulin and manage their medical needs there. They also had a finite amount of money to cover the “couple of weeks” they were told the visa would take and they struggled to manage the cost. Despite having written consent from the parents of both girls, another complication arose during the Visa process; as the girls were travelling without their parents, and are under 18, they required an advanced Visa process, despite the couples’ extensive relationship that they have with both Anatastasiia and Lisa. 

Susie and Tim during our interview (Stranded at Home)

After 28 days, the couple had to make the difficult decision to go home, something they both recalled as “Heartbreaking. The most difficult decision of our lives.”

Since returning to the UK, the couple has stayed in contact with Anastasiia and Lisa, both of whom are back in Ukraine and have compiled a comprehensive document detailing the extent of their relationship, with evidence to support this. They have sent the document to both the Home Office and Michael Gove and are hoping for a response.

When asked what they’d do if their appeal was unsuccessful, they said.

“We’ll keep trying, we’ll do whatever we can to get the Girls here and get them safe, we’d do anything.”

The process of reaching out to people and often receiving positive responses was reassuring to me that I felt as though I was doing something worthwhile and meaningful, but also doing it right. It also allowed me to remove my figurative ‘blinkers’ and open myself to broadly different perspectives and experiences. There was also something exciting about speaking to these people, discovering more about their lives and how they intertwine with others. What started as only a very small amount of people, gradually branched out into many more potential opportunities and stories to be told.

"Documentaries have recast the form as one that shows the truth of a particular interaction, that of filming. The films show the reality of a relationship that the filmmaker and his or her subjects embark upon together. In those circumstances, there are many who will agree to take part."  (Quinn and Ellis, 2015)

Bibliography:

The Independent, 2022. Olen Kurilo. A 52-Year-old Ukrainian woman fleeing from the conflict.. [image] Available at: <https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/ukraine-war-photo-olena-kurilo-b2026568.html> [Accessed 8 May 2022].

Quinn, J. and Ellis, J., 2015. Adventures in the lives of others. p.14.