The FetSocDoc
The FetSocDoc is a documentary by Matthew Zeffertt about FetSoc - the infamous Fetish Society of the University of York. The production provided an insight into how the student society operates, how the rumours surrounding it impact its members and what the active engagement with their fetishes means to the participants.
The documentary was a long-term pet project of Matthew Zeffertt and took nearly one-and-a-half years to complete. Upon its release, it became one of YSTV's most popular programmes due to the wider interest of the student community to learn more about the usually pretty secretive FetSoc. The film later on also enjoyed a fair amount of critical success.
Production
The FetSocDoc was born at the day of Freshers' Fair 2018. While walking around campus in search of new contributors to YSTV's livestream, Matt encountered FetSoc and promptly wondered, whether YSTV had ever made a documentary on the society. When no one at the station could remember anything like this, Matt decided that he would embark on a mission to produce such a documentary.
Over the next couple of months, Matt started chatting with the leading committee members of FetSoc and built up their trust into the project - including figuring out the ethics and how to deal with the necessary anonymity of the interviewees. The anonymity actually was one of the biggest concern during pre-production, due to having a huge responsibility in protecting the identity of FetSoc members.
Ultimately, Matt decided to have the documentary consist of three main elements:]
- In-depth interviews conducted in the YSTV Studio with some of them being anonymous
- Filming an exemplary meeting with presenters Thomas Schubert and Hayley Clark acting as audience surrogates
- B-roll from a rope workshop that the presenters could take part in
All elements were filmed around February 2019 with a minimal crew who were all contractually obliged to protect the interviewee's anonymity. During the interview shoots, Matt also realised he wanted to focus heavily on the question why BDSM and fetishes were still considered a societal taboo topic and how the rumours surrounding the sexual activity within the society hurt and affect its members.
After the shoot, the project disappeared for a long time into edit hell. A first large chunk of post-production was done during summer 2019, with Matt and editor Thomas Schubert figuring out the structure of the documentary, the connective tissue between different segments and the transcription of all anonymised interviewees.
Work on The FetSocDoc was only picked up in winter 2019/20 with the deadline for NaSTA 2020 drawing closer. Once the edit was locked, Matt and Thomas set out to record voice-over dubs for all anonymous contributors. Luckily, a wide variety of YSTV members were happy to lend their voice work for this. Additionally, Matt brought on Andrew Waddle to figure out the stylization of the green-screen footage.
Ultimately, the documentary was officially released publicly one week after the deadline for NaSTA 2020 and gathered an fair amount of praise for the nuanced insight into the secretive society.
Crew
- Directed and Produced by Matthew Zeffertt
- Edited by Thomas Schubert
- Presented by Hayley Clark and Thomas Schubert
- Camera: Andrew Waddle and Matthew Zeffertt
- Sound: Joseph Wharfe
- VFX: Andrew Waddle
- Voice-Over:
Awards
- Best Collaboaration at The Societies Awards 2020
- Best Feature at the YUMAs 2020
- Shortlisted for Best Documentary and Factual at NaSTA 2020
- Selected for the gala screening at LUMA Film Festival 2020