Morgan Mays Documentary History and Theory Site

Stills from “The Colors of Serenity”

This project came about because I had a bunch of unused footage from a trip I made with a few other people to Mission/McAllen, Texas. We went down to Mission in early February with the task of documenting a migrant farmworker’s 100th birthday celebration and his entire family, but on the last day of filming, we had some time to explore before wrapping up and heading back to Austin. That morning, we sat down over breakfast and looked at a Tourist’s Guide to Mission, Texas map and looked for sites we wanted to visit. Due to timing, we settled on the Rio Grande River which serves as the Texas-Mexico border, and a place called La Lomita Mission, aptly referred to as Mission’s Mission.

We did not know exactly what to expect. The mission was located near the banks of the river, and we happened upon a quaint little scene. What’s left is only remnants of the once larger mission and now serves as a park. In this park, the mission’s chapel, though closed off, remains, as well as a kiva (an earth-made oven that is wood- fired), and a statue of the Blessed Mother, Mary.

Conveniently, La Lomita Mission is located past some citrus fields, which provided us with necessary B-roll footage pertaining to migrant farm working. Unexpectedly, though it turned out to be a tiny blessing, the day was thick with fog and grey with condensation. The air was moist, the world was quiet, and the colors were rich. Even though many may have considered it a bleak day, I thought it was stunning. As you can see in the short documentary, the gray helps the colors seem that much richer and the sounds stand out that much more.

There was a sense of serenity and tranquility that comes with being in nature. But even more so than that, since it had freshly rained, it felt like a period of rebirth. You could hear the various calls of birds, and the constant humming of bugs. In one scene, a colony of ants goes about the rebuilding process amidst the sprouting of new grass saplings growing in their midst. It felt as if the earth had been cleansed and everything was calm as it went about its natural processes. Even the chapel, the kiva, and the Blessed Virgin seemed to appreciate the calmness surrounding them. It was as if they were a part of the nature, brought about by Mother Nature, herself. They did not distract from the scenery; they served as quiet enhancements that did not have to be loud to gain attention. So what mode(s) do I consider this piece? Well, as you can see from the title, I think it is twofold.

Firstly, I think at the basic level, this is an observational mode documentary. Similar in nature to Sweetgrass, it does not offer any explanation as to what you should see. It merely presents what was filmed and compiles the shots in a way that tells a visual story. Anyone in the film acts as a social actor, and does not engage directly with the filmmaker while engaging with each other. As Nichols points out, this particular piece “chose to abandon all of the forms of control over the staging, arrangement, or composition of a scene […] [and] chose to observe lived experience spontaneously” (Nichols 172). There are no voice-overs and no supplementary sound effects, and nothing is staged. There are no interviews to be shown, only the natural processes at hand, undisturbed. It’s a look in on life as it is lived (Nichols  174), or in this particular case, as it goes about its natural inclinations. I chose to keep the original sounds in the film, though I did overlay some music with them (I’ll speak to that in a moment). All I really ask from this piece without a distinct plot line and no particular narrative to follow, is that the viewer just appreciates what they see before them. Take in the rich colors and sounds and see if you feel the same sense of peace I felt while experiencing them, and that I feel again every time I watch this.

Secondly and finally, I feel this can also be classified as a poetic mode documentary. For the most part, what is seen is a continuous flow of footage from these two places. However, there are some instances of continuity editing being ignored or played around with (Nichols 162). This can be seen in the scene with the ants, the cobweb, and the bird flying over the river. While we do see a few people (social actors) in this piece, we do not get to know them on a deeper level. This is done so as not to take away from the setting. Similar to how Joris Iven’s Rain treats the people that are shown as parts of the setting, this piece seeks to do the same. It is more about appreciating the “lyric impressions” (Nichols 162) created by the vivid sounds and colors that are shown throughout.

Uncustomary to the observational mode but common in the poetic, I chose to add music to a portion of the film. The reasoning behind this is because it adds a sense of calm and wonder to the images…it takes a bit further by being an enhancement to the natural sounds that I kept in the film. Just like the poetic mode, this film focuses on the “mood, tone, and affect much more than displays of factual knowledge or acts of rhetorical persuasion” (Nichols 162).

With all that said, I now give you The  Colors of Serenity and hope you identify with any of the colors and sounds, and that they help bring you to a sense of wonderment and appreciation for nature and tranquil processes.

The Colors of Serenity from Morgan Mays on Vimeo.