Documentary - Production paperwork
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| Vadim Gjirda, Child in a bus window. (Ghirda, 2022) |
During pre-production, as well as working to establish a group of potential contributors, myself and another member of my group brainstormed some potential questions to ask. We were conscious of the difficult subject matter and wanted to be sure that we were acting in an ethical manner and had carefully considered our approach. I spoke to a friend of mine who is Psychotherapist; specialising in trauma based counselling, who pointed me in the direction of some resources to inform our approach.
I also looked online at other resources, finding an invaluable document that is used by Police for interviewing victims of sexual assault. Although this is not the subject of our documentary, many of the considerations that needed to be kept in mind were applicable to our approach.
Some helpful advice that helped to guide our questioning:
(Successful trauma informed victim interviewing, 2022)
"Consider reframing • questions that start with “why”;
• directives such as “explain to me...”; and
• requests for a chronological account with prompts such as “and then what happened?”
"For victims, this method helps their brain retrieve information from a traumatic event and offers them more control as they recount a time"
We tried to apply these directives to our questions. Here is the list of questions and notes that we compiled:
Questions for Tuesday:
Speak generally before asking questions.
Get them to say their name aloud and spell it.
Check sound.
Reassure them that they can take as much time as they need, they can decline to answer questions if they’d prefer not to answer and they can take a break at any point if they feel as though they might need to.
Notes: Susie-Lou Burden - She and her Husband Tim both have type 1 diabetes.
They were in Prague with the girls as a stop, between moving over to the UK.
Nastiia (Anastasiia) - Father still in Ukraine, Mother in Carpathian Mountains.
Lisa - Father is in Germany working. Mother in Ukraine with her Grandparent who is elderly and requires care.
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Ask about any old photos that they might have etc.
See the space that the girls would have lived in.
Explore previous relationships with the girls that they want to bring over to the UK.
You knew the girls prior to this, can you tell us about your relationship and how that began?
Could you explain how you felt when you heard that Russia were invading Ukraine?
How did it make you feel knowing that Nastiia and Lisa were there?
Was it a difficult decision to offer your help?
What were the considerations that had to be made before offering to help the girls?
What was the process that you had to undertake when you were trying to get the girls to the UK?
Visa applications (Travelling without Parents)
House checks/DBS etc.
Flew to Prague.
How/Why did they meet in Prague?
I know you had difficulties when in Prague regarding your medical needs/finances, can you tell me more about that?
How did you make contact with the BBC and what were you hoping to achieve from that?
When you had to make the decision to come home without Nastiia and Lisa, how did that make you feel?
How often are you in contact with Nastiia and Lisa since returning to the UK?
Are you still intending to try and get Nastiia and Lisa to the UK?
How do you feel about the support that the UK government has provided to you and those seeking refuge in Ukraine?
If your appeal is unsuccessful, what’s next for you?
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Susie will get in touch with Nastiia and Lisa via video call and will chat with them before our interview, we will film the process so that we can observe their relationship.
Questions for Nastiia and Lisa:
Ukrainian interview questions:
Be aware of the potential language barrier.
Speak a little about how they are.
Get them to say their name aloud and spell it.
Check sound.
Reassure them that they can take as much time as they need, they can decline to answer questions if they’d prefer not to answer and they can take a break at any point if they feel as though they might need to.
Get a profile of their living/family arrangements at Home.
Can you tell us about your life before the War? (Whom they lived with, their local area, family, friends, education)
Do you have family left in Ukraine?
How/When were you made aware that Russia was invading Ukraine?
How did it make you feel when you heard the news?
How soon after the war began did you hear from Susie and Tim?
How does it make you feel being away from your family? Are you able to contact them?
Where are you both now?
What happened between leaving Prague and arriving where you are now?
How did you feel when you found out that you were not able to come to the UK with Susie and Tim?
How do you feel about your future and the future of your home country?
If you could speak to the world right now, what would you like to say?
Do you have any recorded mobile video footage that you’d be happy to share with us?
Thank them for being involved and wish them well.
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| A Ukrainian Soldier stands atop a destroyed Russian infantry vehicle (Bobok, 2022) |
Post-production
Edit notes:
Chronology
Opening shot:
Susie and Tim standing at their front door/Anastasiia recorded footage
Possible opening text:
“Since the War in Ukraine broke out on…. Susie and her partner Tim, a couple from Ashford, have been trying to transport two Ukrainian girls they have known since 2010- Anastasiia and Lisa to the UK. So far, their efforts have been unsuccessful.
Give context around their relationship with Nastiia and Lisa.
The paperwork and the photos.
The book that Nastiia and Lisa made them both.
Show government docs that they’ve sent off.
Skip to the phone call.
AUDIO NOTES:
TASCAM 1761S1:
They’re living in the basement, they’ve seen bombs outside of their windows, they’ve been bombarded. We couldn’t do anything else, we didn’t have a choice.
TASCAM 1768S1:
We’ve given them a chronology of all the different trips that we’ve taken
All that we did in Prague for a month, all the different visas, all the trips to visa offices we've been to 5 times, we also went to the embassy.
TASCAM 1764S1:
Phone call goodbye
TASCAM 1765S1:
Tim: Their decision to go and how that was an instantaneous choice and how he felt after hearing the girls becoming upset. “We just wanted to get them here and get them safe, that was our priority.”
TASCAM 1766S1:
After this, then what?
We’re stuck really, they could come when they’re 18. Not 18 until December and we don’t know that they’ll be safe until then. Travelling across Ukraine has been dangerous and changeable, just because they moved in March, doesn’t mean they’ll be able to later.
We would have gone to Poland, we would have gone anywhere to pick them up.
We hope you come back and see us when you’re here.
TASCAM 1767S1:
Similar circumstance (12-year-old moving to the UK)
They applied at the same time, a bureaucratic nightmare. “Dealt with as a slightly different case” The process is loaded with red tape- she’s got that right. Well done UKVI, Well done Priti Patel. We’re 6 weeks from when we first applied and we’re no further along.
TASCAM 1768S1:
3:30. Speaking about history (Photo page)
SHOOT PLANNING
SHOT LIST
SECOND VISIT - 09/05/22
Try not to reiterate too much of the traumatic.
Speak about whether they’ve heard anything more from Nastiia and Lisa.
House exterior
Susie and Tim standing at the door and going indoors
Wide shot of house
Closer on front door
Bedrooms
Follow upstairs
Ask about bunk bed anecdote
Wide of both rooms - Stationary
Shots out of the window, focus on the foreground
Tim and Susie standing in the rooms
Susie laying clothes out onto the bed (wide) maybe close up option too
Tim/Susie looking out the window wide/close
Living room
Photos again, longer stationary close up shots
Anything of interest- clocks, patio doors to gardens, books
Showing us through the book again. “English Mum and Dad” page
Shots of Susie in the chair close up.
Kitchen
If possible - Making Tea, looking out of the window.
If they are making dinner, film and ask about the girls cooking.
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