Month: March 2019

Screen final cuts of visual poems.

Today as we watch these short docs, I’d like you to pay attention to the following things and make notes so that you can refer to them when we discuss afterward:

Is there music? How is it used? How do you feel about the sound mixing in general?

How would you describe the filmmaker’s shooting style? (For instance, are there lots of slow-mo, lots of handheld shots, lots of close-ups?) What about their editing style? (Frenetic/fast-paced? Clever transitions? Slow/lingering/meditative?)

What is the pacing like? How does it serve the story?

How is the story structured? Are there different scenes/chapters? How many? Are there clear scenes or does it all flow together?

What kind of B-roll is there? Is some of it creative/thematic B-roll, rather than a more literal visual of what is being discussed?

Finally, ask yourself what went into the making of this doc. How do you think the filmmaker got access? How much trust was necessary in order to achieve the sense of intimacy the film conveys? How much time do you think they spent with their subjects? What challenges would they have had to contend with in their audio/mic setup?

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.