Advanced Multimedia Reporting

Author: r.ostrow

Video Profile Pitch

(1) Springing off of the recent fad of raw cookie dough served like ice cream at a Greenwich Village store called DŌ, I think it would be interesting to look at another specialized bakery. Schmackary’s, in the Theater District, nearly exclusively sells cookies. Although it does not currently amass four hour lines like DŌ, Schmackary’s has picked up a following from the surrounding theater community from its location, catering and partnerships with local Broadway shows.

In profiling this institution, I think it would be interesting to cover both the physical baking and sale of the cookies as well as their acclaim within a community. It would be visually compelling to watch the staff prepare the dough and informative if paired with interview clips explaining what was happening. In terms of covering their reception, I could both interview customers about their experience and show their immediate reaction to the product.

(2) Student artists could be great representations of what it means to be committed to a passion despite the hardships that come with pursuing it. I think it would make a very good video to profile an artist at a CUNY school who embodies the constant hard work characteristic of New Yorkers while showcasing what it takes to succeed in the current arts scene.

The person I am thinking of, specifically, is a dancer at Hunter College. Mariya Gordon is a sophomore studying marketing who balances three jobs, an internship and six classes while pursuing her career as a dancer. Since Gordon is constantly working and trying to strike a worthwhile balance of what she needs to do to sustain herself with what she wants to do, I think it would be especially interesting to follow her schedule over the course of a day (or even a week). Her work as a dancer and job as a rhythmic gymnastics coach would provide for some interesting visuals, while interviews with those she works with might provide compelling insight.

My qualm with profiling Gordon is that she is not necessarily someone of pertinent importance, though I would argue that her being unknown makes her story representative of a larger experience.

Visual Poem Pitch

I’m interested in doing my visual poem centered around the High Line. From a filming perspective, I think that the park would be incredibly visually compelling and uniquely representative of New York “nature.” Since it is a public space, it would be somewhat accessible to film in without having to receive extensive permissions.

I think it would be interesting to start with someone coming off the actual subway before traveling to the refurbished rails. I would either want to follow one distinctive person or group of people as they travel down the park, with cutaways to the surrounding scenes. I think that between the art, length of the rails, and fauna, there would be a good opportunity to get both wide and close shots.

The park would also probably come with a lot of interesting natural sound to work with. I’m anticipating being able to layer clips of people speaking and laughing as well as street noise and the rustle of leaves in wind.

Some challenges I’m anticipating are working in a cramped space and weather conditions. If I recall correctly, the High Line is supposed to be the most-visited New York City attraction, and the crowd of people on a good day might make it difficult to set up large equipment. Working in the rain or with harsh wind also seems sort of difficult.

I’m also not sure that there’s much of an angle to this piece? If I had to go with something, I would probably want to explore the idea of the High Line either being a respite from the city, as they pride themselves for being in promotional material, or merely a tourist hell. I’m not sure if that’d be enough to carry an already highly-covered attraction.