In this blog, Irfan unpacks how his relationship with social media changed after working on the Neurodivergent at University documentary. Irfan explains how he learned how to better distinguish valuable information from the noise of video content online while cataloguing footage.
Written by Irfan Mohammed, Documentary Assistant, Master of Information, Human Centered Data Science
Sometimes, I can spend up to eight hours per day doomscrolling on my phone. To put that into perspective, I sleep for 8 hours a day. Spending so much time on social media helped me to recognize strategies that video creators use to grab my attention. Over time, I found myself saving specific videos into different themes like Recipes or Job Advice, to go back to and use them as a reference or share with my friends.
When I started working at the iHub, I noticed how consuming and saving a large volume of content on social media is similar to the process of cataloguing content for the documentary team. Without realizing it, I was flagging clips that used the same strategies as online content creators.
During the documentary filming process, participants film content and upload it to a shared folder for our team to review. We call this process cataloguing. Essentially, cataloguing involves labelling each clip of participant footage with its theme, tone, and describing the content, so that when we craft the documentary, we can quickly organize the footage into a cohesive storyline.
Two Ways of Attracting Attention
Looking back at my own catalogued social media posts, I realized how there was a distinct theme: some were more aesthetically presented while the other posts contained more substantial information. This made me realize that a video/post can have different ways of creating an impact. Depending on what you want to share and how you want to share it, a video might use a different kind of hook on the viewer.
Separating the actual depth of content from the way it is presented or marketed helped me approach information without bias. This turned out to be a valuable skill. Not only did I start using it while watching videos online, but also when I was cataloguing footage for the Neurodivergent at University documentary. Voracious online video consumption taught me to recognize two ways you can draw attention, which helped me pick out the most effective clips from participants’ submissions.
First, when the subject of the video is conventionally beautiful or has an aesthetic presence in the video, the content grabs attention, but offers little substance. Think about lifestyle creators whose content features beautiful outfits and lavish living. While visually compelling, their content is light on substance. I found this method of grabbing attention useful when I was sorting through B-roll clips, because it helped me choose clips that were visually interesting, but that wouldn’t distract viewers from the main story.
The second way of drawing attention is taking a more methodical approach. For example, having a quick hook like Top 3 ways to get employed or How I built my brand using AI! paired with very catchy edits. This allows the audience to focus on the material of the video first, and everything else is complementary. When I was watching the participants’ submissions, this method stuck in my mind. Only afterward did I realize that “soundbites” were a prime example of how we can quickly grab the viewer’s attention and sustain it.
This fundamental understanding of how different content and footage can be used to build a story and engage an audience is critical to the work I am doing with the documentary team. During the documentary project, getting to exercise my newly found skill to distinguish footage through cataloguing helped my team to strategically align each participant’s story with the documentary’s vision.
Responsible Representation
One of the most important stages of the documentary process is cataloguing the footage. This process breaks down individual footage into smaller clips based on scenes, themes, emotions, and more. For the Neurodivergent at University project, we noted which storyline a clip might fit into and if the footage included an impactful soundbite. Now imagine repeating this process for more than 60 clips, some of which were videos that were 40-50 minutes long. At the time, I viewed it as scrolling my social media feed but with an analytical lens. Not only did I have to engage with the clips I was watching, but I would also have to remember what participants were talking about and recall their stories when weaving the final storyline.
A big part of cataloguing is also the collaboration that takes place between different viewers. Working with my team members allowed me to look at the same footage through various lenses. Something that I found funny could be very informative for someone else. For example, a clip of someone introducing themselves with a nosebleed was hilarious to watch, but my peers noticed that the way the participant figured out a way to tape up their nose demonstrates their quick thinking. This taught me how to look at documentary clips not just as a passive consumer but as an active creator.
Cataloguing responsibly means representing effectively. Each label I assigned to a video, and each clip I prioritized for the final draft, had a big impact on how the overall documentary told the participants’ stories. Working on the documentary meant being more intentional and empathetic with the final product.
Through the cataloguing process, I quickly realized how content creation (or in this case, documentary creation), isn’t some magical and mysterious process. There are structures in place to help you express concrete themes and build empathy more creatively.
Learning to Ask the Right Questions
As both a creator and a consumer of content, I can confidently say that my screentime won’t decrease any time soon. But after my experience with cataloguing, every time I watch a video on social media, I inevitably question how information is presented to me, and whether it is worth absorbing. Now, I pay attention to how different content creators talk about a topic, if there is any bias in their approach, whether the video is an advertisement, and whether the topic they’re discussing is thoroughly examined. Asking these questions helps me sift through what’s useful to me, versus what’s drawing my attention thanks to a gimmick or clever editing.
While I still have a lot to learn about storytelling, one thing I learned from working on the documentary project is that I can’t take others’ experiences too personally. I have to look at the stories objectively to craft a good viewing experience for others. This more objective perspective has helped me feel confident on social media, to watch high achievers on LinkedIn without doubting myself, and listen to health gurus on TikTok without shaming myself.
Ever since I learned to catalog during my time at the iHub, I found myself being more intentional and asking questions. Whenever I’m watching a video, I always ask myself: “Is it entertaining? Is it funny? Is it informative?” And, if not, then why am I scrolling until I reach my doom? Whether it is a cooking video, a GRWM with my favourite influencer, or learning about the stock market, I’ve started to urge myself to consume consciously — with the same objective lens I brought to the editing suite.
Curious about what other documentaries the Innovation Hub has worked on? Check out this article on the International Students: First 48 Hours Documentary: Link
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