I’d like to do my short doc on a week in production with The Ticker. I pitched this idea for the video poem, but was told that it would work better for the short doc. When a lot of people think of a college newspaper, they think of just a club of kids who want to write for fun. The Ticker is so much more, and I’d like to document that. I want to get interviews with people, videos of them working when it’s hectic, and even show how much work goes in at 2am on a Friday (technically Saturday morning). It’s more than a club, and it’s members love it like a second home and second job, which is why I would like to document how important it is to them to do their job in “educating the Baruch student body.”
Category: Uncategorized
Algeria Protests
I’m not sure how I can execute this, but Algeria has never seen anything like what’s currently happening. They’re finally coming together to stop their current president from serving a fifth term. When I was covering a protest for the beat reporting exercise, people were so passionate and had so much to say. I feel like this could be a really informative project, I just can’t imagine having interesting shots. I hope I can come up with something different soon, but I do feel like this could still work.
Documentary Pitch
I have two ideas that I am thinking of doing:
The process of a handmade textile being made such as Malian mudcloth (bògòlanfini), Senegalese baskets, Ugandan sisal ekibbo baskets, or another handmade textile.
The experiences of resettling for a refugee, such as the challenges of adjusting to a new environment and getting support for education, employment, and social services.
Central Park Minstrel
I want to do my documentary on the Central Park Minstrel. He’s a bit of an urban legend. He’s a musician that dresses in medieval clothing and plays a LUTE and dedicates himself to never breaking character and going around Central Park and singing in rhyme. I don’t know how to find this guy, so I’m hitting Reddit forums, and keeping an ear to the ground to see if I can locate him. Since this project is time sensitive I’m giving myself a week (I’ve already been looking for a week) and if I don’t find him I’ll do something else. I have a few other ideas, but some of them may be similar to other projects I’ve done so I’m hoping to get a bit of inspiration today.
Documentary Pitch
Still toying with a few ideas, but my first idea for the documentary will be to follow Vince Bracy, a professional event host. His ultimate goal in life is to a be Steve Harvey-scale host. He used to be the emcee for the Harlem Wizards and now is the in-arena emcee for a New Jersey Basketball team the Seton Hall Pirates. He also has his own podcast, a radio show on StationHead, and the host of a show called MVNT Mondays that gives budding artists a platform to perform. I think he is involved in charities as well. He has a lot going on and is a big personality, so I think he may be a good subject for the doc.
Getting access shouldn’t be a problem. I would follow him to his different events, find out his goals, why is hosting his passion, maybe sit in the car while we travel to one of his events. Not sure how long this is supposed to be, but maybe interview a few people around him to get an outsider perspective on his drive to the top.
In class today: Pitch workshop.
Wednesday: We’ll look at a selection of short docs for inspiration.
Rough cuts of your docs will be due on April 17, before we split for spring break. Final cuts, reels and portfolio websites will all be due May 13, which was originally scheduled to be the last day of class (now the last day of class is Wednesday the 15, thanks to the snow day). This will give us two days to get through screening everyone’s work.
Documentary: Ultra running
I would like to document and follow Nikolas Drekonja’s journey as he attempts to win the upcoming Sri Chinmoy self-transcendence 6-day race in Flushing Meadow park.
I hope to be able to capture Nikolas’ struggle as he aims to transcend his physical and mental limits through the discipline of ultra running. Furthermore, I plan to present a quick overview of the race’s history, its organizers and philosophy.
Documentary Pitch: El Sueño Americano
Every day many immigrants try to cross the border in search of a better life. From escaping domestic violence to fear of being murder by gangs, thousands of people want to live in the United States with the belief they will have the opportunity to transform their lives. However, most of the time, due to the lack of opportunities, these people have to come to the US illegally. Whey they are caught by authorities, especially the ICE, they are take to detention centers where they stay there for an uncertain period of time.
Nevertheless, these facilities are worse than prison because they don’t present an educational or professional training for these people who might stay there for months or even years. According to podcasts, news articles, and reports, people in these facilities also live in terrible conditions.
For my documentary, I would like to tell the story of Juan Carlos, an immigrant who stayed in a detention center for one and a half year. I would like to show his story and how he overcame the challenges of achieving freedom and finally being able to live in the United States.
Documentary: A Chocoholic’s Paradise
For my documentary, I️ would like to follow a chocolate cafe/restaurant and the process of how the chocolate is made and then used in a dish.
- Hopefully, I️ can get in touch with:
- Max Brenner – a chocolate bar, restaurant, and shop for all chocolates and fondues. As the founders of Max Brenner said, “chocolate is not just about taste. It’s a symbol of different aspects in our lives – of romance, of sensuality, of decadence. These aspects actually create the new chocolate culture of Max Brenner.”
- The Nutella Cafe as it is the second Nutella Café in the country – Ferrero’s first delicious launch of the Nutella Café was in Chicago.
Documentary: From hive to table
Nothing is sweeter, to me, than fresh and local honey. Every weekend, I find myself drawn to a vendor in union square that sells honey harvested from a farm in Ithaca. Tremblay Apiaries not only sells honey but also soaps, candles and gum made from bee’s wax. They even make their own mead!
Bees are magical insects and crucial to our environment. No bees, means no pollination, means no flowers.
Every year, honey is becoming a rarer and rarer commodity. Tremblay Apiaries’ website explains that “parasitic mites … antibiotic resistant foulbrood diseases, hungry bears, and the changing environment” pose a massive risk to bee populations, globally, and beekeepers with small businesses are struggling to turn a profit.
As a result, they “sell what we can produce. Occasionally [they] run out of items, especially when Mother Nature only provides limited quantities.”
For my documentary, I would like to track a piece of honeycomb from hive to vendor and use it as a backdrop to examine the future of beekeeping and how it is effected by climate change. It would capture how climate change is not only having an immediate effect on those with small businesses but also the very food we consume.
I got the business card of the owner and he seemed excited to potentially show me around his bee farm. Let’s hope I don’t get stung!