'LIFT' a Documentary Short by Marc Isaacs

'LIFT' Synopsis:

This short documentary shows Marc Isaacs, inside a lift of a London Tower Block, interacting with residents and visitors. He spends many days watching over the commuters and we can see them slowly trust and open up to him. They tell him their thoughts and feelings as they warm up to him and he just becomes a natural part of their day. 

It clearly represents what it was like in London in 2001 and all the different types of people there are in the world. Different cultures mixing in a metal box for 60 seconds at a time. Sometimes getting emotional and delving deep into the average persons mind.

My Review of 'LIFT':

I found 'LIFT' quite unsettling at first when it was just the residents reacting to the camera man but as they opened up and conversations started I was captivated by the normality of it. I felt very nostalgic all of a sudden - the accents and mannerisms of the characters took me back to when I lived in Kingston in housing similar to the documentary. It was very unexpected but it made me feel very warm and comforted - even though most of the people that interacted with the camera seemed ordinary, we got to see a more complex side of their everyday lives.

I felt a bit sad when it came to an end honestly, I wanted to keep getting to know these people and hear their fascinating stories.

I also liked how even though the camera was very intrusive most people where just curious and let it happen. The colours through out the documentary are grey and boring but this contrasts the different people in the lift and therefore attracts more attention to them.

Questions:

• Thinking about the proximity and awkwardness of the filmmaker do you think that this helps the narrative form naturally or do you think it forces a story?

        I think it depends on each character that interacts with the         filmmaker. Some people are naturally curious and will infer         what is going on, others will try there best to ignore it            until they can either get out of the lift or the filmmaker         talks to them. The filmmaker was never overly pushy it just         took a few trips in the lift before the story was told. 

• If it had involved the specific level of planning that usually associate with the factual genre and used footage of the people outside of the lift do you think it would have been as good? Or better?

        I think the documentary would have been just as good if it         used footage of the people outside the lift because it would         have seen more of why they have entered the lift feeling or         acting a certain way. I find it difficult to                      visualise scenarios so having that extra bit of information         may improve some aspects of the documentary, however it did         make me look back at some memories so that I could connect         the dots.