Simply put, this is a plea for a world without inequality.

In a world, which is flawed and designed to promote and strengthen inequalities.

A world in which the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

A world in which the minority make the decisions for the majority.

A world in which democracy masquerades as saviour and revels as executioner.

A world in which the right to speak freely permits the authorities to control and monitor that freedom.

A world in which the only real guarantee is that some will be the masters and some will be the workers.

A world in which the workers, allowed access to the consumer culture, dressed in the latest material fashions, are condemned to lives of the newest and most basic sense of fulfilment.

A world in which distractions bloom from technological development and serve to plug gaping spiritual, social, and political chasms.

A world in which mass media is controlled and manipulated by the few acting against the masses.

A world in which the modern cinema is the tool of the elites and is designed as an escapist technical spectacle for the workers. One that can even be accessed from home! Why should they ever have to complain?!

We must challenge this.

We must develop a cinema to enable and empower the people! Enable them by providing a platform to use their voice. Empower them by showing their strength in numbers. We must be a part of this revolution of cinema.

We must situate the cinema in the everyday. We must realise that politics is in the everyday. By situating our cinema in the real world with the real people, we reveal the everyday political, which births, finances, and sustains the ruling political. We must become the ruling political.

We must redefine what constitutes accessible cinema. We must challenge the elites who block access to alternative types of cinema by exhausting the workers, physically or mentally, and who enthusiastically place unchallenging entertainment at their command. The elites foster an atmosphere, create a culture, among the workers under which “arthouse” or “experimental” cinema is regarded as pretentious, as made by those who consider themselves as artists, those with something meaningless to say, those who consider themselves to be better than the ordinary worker. Yet the elite’s cinema, which costs millions and makes millions and exists in a reality and world completely alien to the worker is apparently the cinema best suited to the worker. We must confront the cinematic hierarchy with our cinema.

Equal Cinema

This is our cinema.

Our cinema must restore the people’s voice. In an age where transparency is hidden behind the self-serving lies of the elitist, populist mass media, our cinema has to represent the real truth. The real truth of the real people. It must magnify their faces, amplify their voices, and clarify their beliefs.

Our cinema will be one in which discourse prevails, in which the people can discover their shared similarities and differences, and in which the people can recognise their true power and abilities when they unite together.

Our cinema must convey that statistically, all that matters is 1=1=1=1=1…and so on until every last person is included in this equation. We must contend with and defeat the elite cinema whose only interest in statistics is in how large a figure can be made and shared by how few people.

Our cinema must resound internationally and be understood by our brothers and sisters hidden behind border after border.

Our cinema must be one of open-mindedness, of education, of acceptance, of beauty, and of truth.

Our cinema must be a cinema accessible to all, by all, and for all in order to facilitate a world which is accessible to all, by all, and for all.

Our cinema is for the people.

Our cinema is for equality.

Equal Cinema in Practise:

Equal Cinema has a preconceived form, which necessitates that every frame of the film features someone talking to the camera, with the sole exception of any title cards. These title cards may be used to contextualise what each person is saying in addition to providing the opening and closing credits. Each participant in the film will truthfully reveal their story or their opinion. The topic of the film does not need to be political or about equality so there are a virtually unlimited number of subjects to explore. The film will achieve its equality through the usage of the Equal Cinema form.

The practical requirements of Equal Cinema will be outlined below using bullet points.

Equipment:

• One camera of any kind preferably capable of being mounted to a tripod. The camera could be anything from a DSLR to a professional camera. Equal Cinema has to be accessible to all and therefore, should not be elitist on a technological level. The quality of the image from a camera is of secondary importance to the conveying of each person’s story or opinion.

• Sound equipment is necessary to ensure that each participant’s voice is heard clearly. This equipment does not need to be top of the range but should allow for the participant to be heard. Background noise should be preserved as clearly as possible provided it does not prevent the viewer from clearly hearing the participant.

• One tripod is advisable for the sake of stabilising the image. Ideally, each shot in the film should be static to allow for the viewer’s full focus on the participant and the background of the frame. The tripod should simply be capable of withstanding the weight of the camera. If a tripod is not available, this does not mean that filming should not take place as it is still more important to capture the person than the most stable image.

• Lighting equipment is usually unnecessary as the production should rely on the lighting available to them in the location. If lighting options are available to the production then they should only be used if they require minimal set-up time.

Crew:

• Crew should be kept to an absolute minimum. There should be no more than five people involved at one time. This should be the director, the director of photography, the sound engineer, the producer, and possibly the gaffer, if required.

Locations:

• The locations used as backgrounds depend entirely on the participants of the film. The background of each shot should be as relevant as possible to either the participant themselves or to the subject of the film. Locations should be agreed upon and be at the convenience of the participant. It could, therefore, be in the home of the participant, their workplace, or an alternative venue which holds significance for them. Depending on the subject matter of the film, it may be more advantageous to choose backgrounds which are specifically relevant to the topic rather than the individual. If the participant is unwilling to use a space that is personal to them but is still willing to be filmed then a neutral location should be chosen and agreed upon by the filmmaking team and the participant.

• The specific backgrounds of the frame do not need to be chosen until the day of filming unless the participant is willing to grant access to the location in advance of the filming day. Upon arrival at the location, a background should be quickly sourced with the consent of the participant. If a neutral location or a location relevant to the topic rather than the participant is required then it may be easier to select the background of the shot in advance but this is not absolutely necessary. The subject matter and spontaneity are of the utmost importance when deciding upon the background.

Participants:

• Participants should be sourced in advance of the production. They should be informed of the subject of the film and asked if they are willing to share their voice on it. If they agree to participate then a filming date and time should be agreed upon between the filmmaking team and the participant. They should be provided with information about the project at least a few weeks prior to the filming day. This information should tell them what they are to focus on when they speak and of the questions they may be asked to answer while they are on camera.

• Participants should be made aware that they are to share their own experiences, their own thoughts, and their own opinions about the subject of the film. It is imperative that they do not feel under any pressure to adhere to what society tells them is acceptable.

• Depending on the topic of the film, an effort should be made to have as diverse a range of people represented as possible. This diversity should be across ages, genders, ethnicities, class statuses, religions, professions, and so on. A subject focusing on a specific task or profession may result in a less disparate group of people. However, for a subject, which is inclusive of everyone, the greater the variety the more effective the film. Achieving this may be constricted by geographical issues or other circumstances but at the very least, attempts should be made to defeat these problems. The form of the film will accentuate their similarities, assisted by the equal spaces they will typically inhabit within the frame.

• More than one participant can be included within the frame provided it is relevant to the film and they all address the camera when they speak or talk to one another with the awareness that they are doing so for the benefit of the viewer rather than those behind the camera.

Production:

• Participants must address the camera when they speak. They are not just addressing the people behind the camera, they are speaking to the world; sharing their voice with their equals and beckoning them to do likewise. Participants should be asked to introduce themselves, state their age, and provide a bit of information about their background if they are comfortable with doing so. If they are not then they do not need to say anything other than their name.

• As little constraints as possible should be placed upon the participants during filming. The filmmaker should specify an overall time restriction that the participant has to comply with but this restriction should be reasonably lenient so as to allow the participant space to expand their dialogue. Any discrepancies in the lengths of answers between participants should be a result of the natural differences between human beings in their ability to talk and their desire to part with information. Simply, some people talk a lot, and some do not! It is vital that each person is given the same timeframe to operate within.

• Whilst being filmed, participants may refer to a sheet of their own preparing or containing a breakdown of what is expected from them, which is provided in advance by the filmmaking team. This may help to focus the person’s mind if they glance at it periodically or even read from it. It is a far better solution to have everything that the person wants to say than missing out important bits of information. It is perfectly acceptable for the sheet to be in the frame. Generally, it is unlikely that the participant will choose to do this as it may result in them feeling less relaxed.

• Pauses for thought during filming and the various “ums, ahs, ehs” that we are all guilty of making whilst we talk must be allowed as they are a part of human nature, and will allow the viewer to understand the grammar of the person’s language in addition to the film language.

• If the participant successfully voices their opinions on the first take without making any mistakes and is happy with their answer then there is no need for a second take. This avoids the tiring repetition to the person unaccustomed to answering on camera, and also prevents their opinion from sounding monotonously robotic rather than fresh and real. Soundbite filmmaking must be avoided and the onus must be on receiving depth rather than headlines. Second takes may be required in the event of a fault occurring with the camera or the sound equipment. They may also be necessary if the participants speaks at great length and is therefore, required to be more concise to fit within the time restrictions imposed by the filmmaking team. These restrictions will likely vary depending on the project.

• The positioning of the participant in the frame must be determined after choosing a background of relevance, assessing whether it is possible to set up the camera and the sound in that position, and ensuring that the participant will be comfortable speaking in this position, whether it is standing up or sitting down. Their positioning can be used as a tool of the filmmaker but must also appreciate and respect what is convenient for them.

• If the participant is willing, different backgrounds for different sections of the film may be used to highlight the variety and extent of their personal world, or the world in which the topic of the film exists in.

• If the film requires the participant to answer questions then these questions should be asked off camera and not included in the final edit. The only voice that should be heard is the participant’s. This is not an interview and interjecting questions would be quite useless for Equal Cinema, where, as stressed before, it is vital that the participants address the audience rather than those behind the camera.

• Overall, the production with each individual should not take more than a couple of hours. This is ample time for the filmmaking team to get what they need without further inconveniencing the participant.

• Participants should be instructed to look at the camera upon conclusion of their dialogue so as to continue the connection with the audience. If they choose not to and instead look to the filmmaker then this is also acceptable. The instruction is mainly a guideline from which they can choose themselves what they want to do.

Ethics during Production:

• If the production involves the participants answering the filmmaker’s questions then they must be allowed to interpret these questions however they wish to without being corrected, unless they ask for more information about the meaning behind them. It may be necessary to interrupt them if they veer wildly off-track but if they interpret the question within the realms of its possible interpretations then they must be allowed to do so as this will give a greater insight into the character of the participant, of which it is essential to reflect truthfully.

• The full consent of each participant is required. Any verbal agreements must be concluded with a written agreement such as a release form, stating the participant’s consent to being filmed and their acknowledgement that the footage will be used and released to a wider audience. This must be signed and dated.

• The participant must be consulted at the end of a successful take to ensure they are happy with the information they have just imparted. If there is something they regret saying then the take must be completed again with this omitted.

• The participant may not wish to discuss all aspects of the topic and this must be respected. It may be possible to attempt to sway them but they should not feel as though they are forced to talk about something they do not want to. If they insist then it should not be pursued any further.

• Participants should be allowed to express themselves however they like. Any swearing or controversial opinions are to be included in the final edit regardless provided they are a part of the answer given by the participant.

• Payment to the participants for partaking in the film should not be necessary. Participants should receive the most minimal inconvenience and should be allowed to proudly claim that they have contributed to the film and shared their views with their fellow brothers and sisters. Participants should feel that they are part of a creative collective collaborative effort. In the event that payments are necessary to secure people for the film, they should be agreed upon in advance and provided upon the successful conclusion of filming.

Post-Production:

• The editing must preserve the entire contents of each participant’s opinion about the topic of the film. In the final film, their voice must be heard from their introduction to the conclusion of their opinion on the subject. The participant’s dialogue must not be manipulated.

• Every shot in the final edit must be of someone talking to camera other than any necessary title cards containing the opening and closing credits or containing the questions the participants are answering or additional information about the subject of the film to contextualise it for the viewer.

Ethics during Post-Production:

• If the participant continues to talk on camera after stating their opinion and moves on to irrelevant matters, then it is possible to use this take but to cut before they digress into subjects unrelated to the film. This may cause the final edit to look as though that particular participant had been cut off but this will only occur with the very few participants who have successfully concluded their answer and then moved on. Their dialogue relevant to the film must remain in its entirety. 

For the viewer of the film, watching on whichever screen they fancy or have access to, consider this: Equal Cinema depicts one person or more talking to the camera with a static background; if your screen was a camera then it would capture something very similar to what our cameras have captured: somebody sitting or standing next to a background that is usually relevant to them or to their society. Our cinema is from one person to another. It is from one background to another. You are complicit and part of our filmmaking family. Your screen is like our camera, depicting a person full of thoughts and abilities, surrounded by somewhere of significance, just like a frame we have composed in our film.

This is our cinema.

– Collective Voices

Notes:

Equal Cinema does not account for all of the films produced or in production by Collective Voices. The individual pages of our films will clarify whether they follow the Equal Cinema form. Collective Voices is also producing a variety of other types of cinema.