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CC- Inclusivity and Filmmaking- A Conversation with Emily Lieburg
CC- Hello and welcome to Chris’ Chats and today’s special guest is Emily!
EL- Hi!
CC- So Emily, it’s great to see you back.
EL- Oh, thank you for having me!
CC- Pleasure! Can you introduce yourself, please?
EL- Of course! So, I’m Emily I’m a final year journalism student and for the past 6 months I’ve been working with Chris on a documentary, which is a student project for me. And the documentary focuses on Chris, on this podcast, on Aspire but it also deals with employment and employment inclusion for people with learning disabilities.
CC- Did you enjoy making the documentary?
EL- Yes, yes I did! It was a new experience for me, because I’ve never put together something long-form before, so it definitely had it’s challenges. But I really need to thank you, Chris and everyone who’s been involved in making this documentary because you’ve been so warm and open with me and made me feel so welcome, which has just been a great experience, and I really hope you enjoyed it too!
CC- I loved it! So, why did you choose learning disabilities as a focus for your documentary?
EL- Right, so it wasn’t a focus initially. Because it started out when I just stumbled across a post on twitter about Aspire about your documentary and introducing your documentary. I watched the first episode and loved your energy and loved the podcast and the idea of it and that’s when I got in touch with you. And it really started rolling from there, so then I started doing research looking into the numbers and statistics about and that lead me to employment figures. But once I’d seem then I thought it was really important to use them, to highlight you, the podcast and Aspire but then put it in a broader context.
CC- Emily, what were your expectations going into the documentary?
EL- Well, because as I said it wasn’t my initial focus I suppose I didn’t really have any expectations, or maybe I did but- I think I left it out of my initial introduction, so I’m not from the UK I’m from Estonia and when I compare those two, employment inclusion but also inclusion in general is in a much better place in the UK. So coming from that background I just saw it as better than what I had seen before, so I didn’t really know how to look, or to think to look into it. And so yeah, I suppose I thought they were a bit better than the reality actually showed to be.
CC- Has working with me, made you overcome your fears?
EL- Yes definitely, I mean from the moment we started the interview because you’re so open and I suppose because you’re used to talking about these things such as life with a learning disability, it really made me relax and because you know, we were able to have this open and honest conversation I think it was just a really great interview. Because I learned a lot and I hope that through this documentary other people will as well, thanks to you and your insights.
CC- I totally agree with Emily. I mean I loved working with Emily. Non-stop the questions were going non-stop and yes I am open and you are going to get some- I am going to ask questions and you are going to get some hard answers back. And it’s just been a breath of fresh air working with Emily.
CC- So your documentary talks about the challenges for people with learning disabilities achieving the same goals as others. On this note- have you encountered many (or any) people with learning disabilities in your film making studies and career?
EL- That’s a great question.
CC- Of course
EL- And I think the answer, quite sadly, is simple; no I haven’t, apart from this documentary really. Because people with learning disabilities aren’t really represented in the news or in the media more broadly as either contributors or producers. I think there are some exceptions, and I think it’s great that these individuals are there, but I don’t think that’s the broader picture. And even if I think about my studies as a journalist, we did have diversity training but that didn’t really involve people with learning disabilities, or disability more generally. And I think that’s something that’s really missing because it prepares aspiring journalists for their careers, so if it doesn’t come from there and if the industry is as it is right now, then I guess it’s hard for that change to happen. So yeah, I think this really ought to change.
CC- I completely agree. I think it’s a real shame that people don’t have those opportunities.
CC- Is there anything you wish people knew about working in a film with people with learning disabilities?
EL- I think just that, you know, by pushing people with learning disabilities to the sidelines the industry really misses out on some amazingly talented people. And including them is beneficial for everyone. Just notice these people, their stories, and approach them because everyone should be represented. It could be a sort of fear, because as I said I didn’t know how to best approach the interview at first, or whether it’s just a fact that people don’t think about it, because they don’t see it in the media so it’s sort of this cycle. So you know, just include everyone because everyone should be there.
CC- What impact would you like your documentary to have?
EL- I just hope that it makes people think about it. And that it brings both this underlying problem but also these achievements to people’s attention. Even if it is just a few people, because you know it is still a student film, it’s not a big Netflix documentary, if it even changes a few peoples perspectives it’s a step in the right direction.
CC- How does it feel now the documentary is finished?
EL- It feels great! I’m really grateful for this entire experience, for you Chris, for everyone who’s been a part of it. And I’m really proud of it because I’m happy with the way it turned out. And we’ve been working on this for 6 months or so, so it’s been a lot of work but I think it’s all been worth it. So I’m glad, I’m also a bit relieved now that it’s all put together and done, but I’m glad.
CC- Working with Emily, for me, has been a breath of fresh air, like I said. And it’s just been, every time I have interviewed with whoever, I had two cameras I had this camera and Emily coming anywhere she wants! It’s been great! I really wish we could promote this young lady.
CC- So what is next for you and your career?
EL- Well, I’ve got quite a few changes coming up now. So I’ll be moving back to Estonia in 3 days, so that’s quite a big change and then in a few weeks I’ll be up starting as a journalist in our local paper um so it’s exciting and a bit scary all at the same time. And obviously it’s a bit sad to be leaving Leeds as it’s been my home for the past few years, but then we’ll just take it from there and see where life takes me!
CC- Will you be coming back to the UK?
EL- Definitely to visit but for now probably not long-term. Because my family is in Estonia. I love the UK but I feel like my home is back there.
CC- So Emily what are your thoughts on the Eurovision song contest?
EL- I liked it, it was quite interesting this year because there were a lot of different entries than there normally are. I really enjoyed it. What did you think?
CC- I agree, although there was a clear win I actually think Estonia or someone else should have won. So yes, I thought it was really really cool.
CC- And that’s come to the end of Chat! Thank you very much- keep it rolling keep it rolling- it’s been great to interview Emily. I don’t know who we’re interviewing next but, thank you for tuning it to Chris’ Chats.
