Working Title: Black Resilience

The opening scene starts at the Skyblue Design Gallery in Brooklyn, New York. The camera will show different angles of inside the gallery, the artworks, gallery-goers, and the artist who are there. There will be close-up shots and wide shots of people talking and interacting with the art. The artists will be speaking about the gallery and what Black art means to them. The camera will capture Jimmy James Greene, an artist featured at the gallery. This gallery showcase will dominate the first three minutes of the documentary. B-roll will include artwork on the street in Brooklyn and Harlem, as well as landmark Black places in Harlem.

A flashback scene will be talking to Jimmy before the gallery show while he is at home in his studio. The camera will capture him working on his paintings and talking about his different pieces. The camera will catch all the beautiful artwork throughout his apartment and his art studio at home. The camera will also capture what inspires Jimmy and shoot them leading up to the next gallery showcase.

The documentary will showcase works from Calabar Gallery in Harlem, NYC. The camera will showcase the different contemporary African artists and African diaspora artists globally. It will capture these artists works that are often underrepresented in their zone creating Black art. I will also capture a conversation how about a recent incident where the gallery was burglarized and vandalized. Designer Sahara will tell the camera briefly what happened and there will be a shot to show what the break in looked like and the repair window.

The narrative arc is the challenges this person faces as a Black artist, especially as the pandemic still lingers. The main character of the documentary is the Black Artwork with jimmy and Sahara as supporting cast mates. The documentary will end with another art gallery showcase.

Main Characters: Black artwork, Jimmy and Sahara

Crew: Bre

Filming Locations: Brooklyn and Harlem

Shooting Timeline: End of February 2022 to April 2022

Pitch: Food is defined as any nutrient-dense item consumed or absorbed by humans, animals, or plants in order to sustain life and growth. It’s what makes us strong and keeps us healthy. When many Americans are hungry and want a healthy dinner as opposed to fast-food, they resort to Asian cuisine, specifically Chinese food. According to Oxforde, food from China began to draw a rapidly rising non-Chinese clientele of varied ethnic backgrounds in key cities across the country around the end of the nineteenth century, and by 1980, Chinese food had become the most popular ethnic cuisine in the United States. Chinese food is what most Americans look for when it comes to authentic and delectable, home-like meals. For this reason, there are various  Chinese buffets located across key neighborhoods in New York City. The China Buffet King, located in Valley Stream, is a cornerstone in the Valley Stream community and has been recognized for its outstanding Chinese cuisine, excellent service, and friendly staff. Like most other Chinese buffets, China Buffet King is known for its modern interpretation of classic dishes and its insistence on solely using high-quality fresh ingredients. 

This visual poem will capture different types of Chinese food served at the China King Buffet. The hue of the food is something I want to pay more attention to. I also want to display food that many people are familiar with as well as food that no one has ever had before. The Valley Stream neighborhood will be introduced first in the visual poem. I’ll film several signs and/or streets that point to Valley Stream as the location. Then I’ll go to the buffet and film the front of the establishment, as well as the parking lot and the name of the Chinese buffet. After I’ve entered, the other images will show the restaurant’s booths and employees.  If possible, I want to show some people consuming the food served. I also want to film customers entering since they are drawn to Chinese cuisine. Then the visual poem will shift and capture the cultural artifacts and signs that have been put in place to highlight the Chinese culture. To conclude, I want to either end the same way I started or I want to end with the door closing. This will be symbolic, in a way, since it serves the highlight the ending of a home-like meal/ buffet.

Location: Valley Stream, NY

 

Discussion

We’ll talk about the documentary we watched last class, your impressions of it, and your analysis of the storytelling framework at play.

We’ll also check in on your visual poem treatments, which are due today, and make sure everyone knows what they’re doing. (Reminder: Treatments for documentaries are due on Thursday.)

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A few practical considerations as you really get started filming:

Get comfortable with the settings and equipment before you go out, especially your tripods since those can be a little tricky.

Bring snacks/water! Filming is physically demanding work.

Know where the public restrooms are near you.

Fully charge your spare battery (as well as the one in the camera) and bring it with you.

Dress warm! Keep your spare battery in a pocket where it won’t get cold;  battery power and camera equipment in general don’t do well in extreme cold or heat.

Consider what kind of light you’ll be working with ahead of time and plan accordingly; if it’s likely to be a low light situation, you may want to check out a lens with a lower f-stop.

In video recording settings, Movie Servo AF is the setting which, if enabled, will automatically cause the lens to focus on a subject as it moves. In some situations, you may want this enabled, but remember that it takes control out of your hands so in many situations you may want to disable it.

Settings Cheat Sheet

Movie rec. size: 1920×1080 and 30fps
Shutter speed: 1/60 (or multiples of 30, ie if it’s very low light you can go down to 1/30 or if it’s very bright you can go higher)
ISO: Remember that if you go much higher than 800 or 1600, the image will start to get grainy. Sometimes this can’t be avoided, but avoid it if you can.
Aperture: The lower the f-stop, the more light you’re letting in, and the more dramatic the depth of field.
White balance: You can use Auto White Balance (AWB) if you expect to be changing light temperatures mid-shot (following someone outdoors, for instance). Otherwise it’s best to set it manually.
Movie Servo AF: Disable if you want to be able to control focus manually, and set the button on the lens itself to Manual Focus (MF).

Narrative Outline

Themes

Change, transition, hope, winter and spring, changing of seasons, cool and monochromatic at the beginning, bright and warm in the end.

Motivation

This isn’t as applicable to my visual poem as it would be to a full fledge documentary. I would say if anything, my video is plot driven over character driven. Although it deosn’t have a specific plot, it will have a narrative structure – the transition from winter to spring – that can translate to a plot.

Dramatic Arc

Exposition – The visual poem will begin with vague shots of New York City streets and people in the winter. It won’t immediately be obvious that the focus is on the winter season. It will simply be monochromatic colors, cold weather clothes, overcast days, and so on. Upon grabbing the attention of viewers, the video will gradually reveal the apparent theme of winter. Slow shots of ice skating, twinkling lights, snow if we get any, masked commuters, that uninterested look everyone gets on the train in the morning, and the lack of greenery. I have a shot of the “EXIT” sign on the ice skating rink decorated with snowflakes that I think would make a nice literal indication of “exiting” the cold weather.

Rising Action – At this point, I will begin to introduce hints of spring through a variety of shots. This will continue building intrigue with viewers through a subtle change of visual content. I will include some shots of rainy days, bright clothing/umbrellas in contrast with primarily dark colors, the first flowerbuds emerging from the ground, rising music and speed of shots. It will still be predominantly overcast and gloomy, with glimpses of warmth.

Turning Point – To demonstrate the turning point, I will begin to dramatically shift the shots I include in the visual poem. I will include brighter colors, more contrast, sunny days, greenery, people shedding their winter layers, taking off their masks, smiling, outdoor dining, quick pacing, chorus of song, close up shots. I will get a lot of the natural shots indoors at the Brooklyn Botannical Garden.

Falling Action and Denouncement – To create a feeling of resolution at the end of my visual poem, I will transition slightly from contrasting, bright colors to lighter, pastel colors. Softer embraces between friends, slower pacing, broad, sweeping shots, and a more content feeling to end on. I may include a few literal shots at the end, similar to the “EXIT” sign mentioned before.

Timeline and Shooting Plan

Week of February 20th – February 26th

During the past week, I filmed a few preliminary winter scenes. I got a shot at the Bryant Park Ice Rink to capture some winter scenes. By writing the treatment for my visual poem, I was also able to plan out the locations, narrative, and timeline for filming and editing.

Week of February 27th – March 5th

This week I plan to get a good portion of my filming in. I want to get as much B Roll as possible so I am able to devote the following week to editing. On Wednesday, I am going to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden to get late spring footage. On Friday and Saturday, I am filming at various locations across the city. On Sunday, it will be rainy so I plan to get some late winter/early spring shots. That way, I will hopefully only need to obtain any shots I feel I am missing once I have begun the editing process.

Week of March 6th – March 12th

This week will be devoted almost entirely to editing, selecting music, and getting any missing footage I feel could add to the visual poem. As I won’t have to schedule specific days to go out and film, it will be a lot easier to complete the editing. I can work on it throughout the week. I plan to be almost entirely done with the poem this week.

Week of March 13th – March 15th

Though this is not a full week, I will use these two days to make any final touches to my visual poem.

Logistics and Locations

As I decided to expand my filming locations from Brooklyn to all of New York City, I now have a lot more to work with.

Brooklyn – Prospect Park, Brooklyn Promenade, Brooklyn piers, Park Slope, Williamsburg waterfront, Brooklyn Botanical Garden.

Manhattan – Bryant Park’s ice skating rink, the subway, SoHo, Central Park.

 

Jon Kasbe’s documentary starting “X”, his assistant Luckas and his cousin Asan was very well executed. There are so many frameworks that were used to alleviate the story and make the reader feel part of it. In Kenya, there are many illegal activities that locals have to do to survive. This is exactly what “X” did. Following in his fathers’ footsteps “X” became a poacher to help his family and be praised by them.
There was a dramatic arc in the film when the rangers were introduced because it brought up a conflict for “X”. What surprised me the most was how the film focused on X and why he was doing what hes doing and how. Then we see him going to the rangers who are the ones that are supposed to stop/catch him and finding out one of them is his cousin who knows about his work.
I feel like the way the story of their lives and struggles as told in the documentary was good. For instance, Asan started by saying if his son were to become a poacher he would shoot him, but they ends up helping X to get the job done. There was another moment when I felt like the filmmakers made me feel as if we were in their situation. When Lukas, X, and the others were trying to hunt the elephant and successfully shot him they realize that there were rangers nearby and they start to run. This part of the story was also very impactful because X was there and we knew that he had a fear of dying as his father did.
The turning point when X gives up being a poacher and goes to join the rangers was almost unexpected but gave the readers a full circle. Similar to finding out that Asan left the rangers and started looking for another job to help his family

PITCH: Serwan, a senior at Baruch College has been watching the news all night, he receives an email saying that his classes will now be online. He is directed by the CDC to quarantine because there is a deadly disease in the air that is apparently killing millions of people around the world. He has been diagnosed with severe asthma and anxiety in the past, he reaches for his inhaler as it gets harder to breathe.

Serwan’s parents own a small pizzeria that now has to be closed, he loses his job because of the pandemic. He is now unemployed, scared, lonely, and anxious. 

He plays video games and calls his friends to pass the time. He eventually starts to lose track of the time along with his hope for the future. He is reading article after article until he gets a panic attack, he goes to the supermarket with gloves, a face shield, and a mask. People are standing 6 feet apart and no one is talking to one another.

He was supposed to see his mom and dad but they had gotten covid— they’re in the hospital and in order to cope with emotions, he sleeps. He sleeps and dreams of all the things he missed. He dreams of the small things, like commutes, laughter with friends, happiness, closeness, traveling, hugging, kissing, etc. He wishes he could go back and hug his parents again. 

The world is dark, and lonely, the scenes are dim and blue, until we get to his dreams, where everything is bright and colorful. 

There would be a poem that accompanies the visuals, the music will be ambient and slow at first and then fast and upbeat when he is dreaming of the past. 

Main characters: Serwan Serwan’s mother Serwan’s brother	Crew: Producer/ Director: Yasmine Mohamed
Filming locations: New York City	Shooting timeline: March 2022,  New York City

When I viewed the documentary When Lambs Become Lions, I noticed unique visual storytelling unfold. The components of the film such as the plot, structure, visuals, characters, dialogue, scenes, and editing seamlessly fit into the elements that bring a compelling story to life through sound and video. From the two frameworks we looked at in class, both worked for this particular story. The theme of this film could be poverty, and the motivation is money. The dramatic arc is the controversy of acquiring money. Then there is the exposition which is the introduction of the ivory trade and its downfalls. The rising action is the hunts. The turning point is when the government tightens on the consequences of the illegal practice. The falling action is how the trade becomes too difficult to keep practicing, and finally, the denouement is how the characters find different forms of labor to provide for their families, thus giving up the trade. 

The film also follows the circle framework since there is a main character who pushes the story forward. The you was the ivory dealer, referred to as X. X’s need was money, and to get it he had to go into the illegal ivory trade. His search was for elephants he could hunt and poach, and his find would be the profit he receives from the ivory to use it on his family and leisure. The price he has to pay for this money is to take the guilt, shame, and curse that comes with poaching elephants, as well as the consequences of getting caught by rangers and the law. He then returns to finding a different occupation when it gets too dangerous to continue the hunting, and he changes by giving it up and becoming a ranger in the end. 

When Lambs Become Lions is a documentary that captures the story of the main character “X” who is trying to provide for his family by illegally poaching. Although the main character is committing horrible and illegal acts, the filmmaker tries to capture his reasoning and his motivation in a way that helps the viewer sympathize with “X. ”The overarching theme was perseverance in the face of struggle. X’s motivation was to provide for his family without having to work long hours for very low pay. The dramatic arc was when the rangers were introduced. The rangers hold the responsibility of finding, capturing and killing the poachers. The exposition was when the context of the story was introduced. When we were introduced to Asan and Lukas and understood their stories, we understood the politics of the situation. The rising action was when they set off to find another elephant to poach but rangers were everywhere, and the turning point was when Lukas decided to stop poaching with X because the rangers were dominating the land and enforcing very harsh punishments on the poachers. The falling action occurred when we realized that every character had lost hope in poaching and had to find another way to live. The denouement occurred after the director told us the updates on each character’s life, X becomes a ranger, Asan finds another job, and Lukas passes away from HIV. This story structure was very easy to follow and very engaging. The story itself was depicted beautifully and it showed an unbiased view of both sides of the poaching issue.

Jon Kasbe’s film When Lambs Become Lions tells a unique story of desperation and survival. The documentary covers the illegal poaching industry in an undisclosed region of Kenya. Kasbe follows a group of ivory poachers, including their leader “X” and his assistant Lukas. He also follows their counterparts, the rangers set to capture and kill poachers. The rangers are led by Asan, a former poacher himself and the cousin of X.

The film itself could fit into either of the two frameworks we learned about in class. That being said, “Dan Harmon’s Story Circle” seems a little more applicable to the story line. In the beginning of When Lambs Become Lions, X is heard saying, “I know everyone here: the dealers, police, prostitutes and the Devil himself. I am like the king.” This immediately reminded me of the first step in the story circle: “You — A character is in a zone of comfort.” Despite the hardships in his life, X is in a relatively comfortable position.

As the perspective switches between X and Asan, we arrive at the second step: “Need — But they want something.” The lack of financial and personal stability in both of their lives becomes apparent. Asan and the rest of the rangers haven’t received pay in over two months. The constant threat of going unpaid, even in a reliable field, begins to explain X’s reasoning for going in a more controversial direction.

The rest of the film continues to unravel these moral quandaries through the steps portrayed in the story circle. X and his group continue to hunt and kill elephants. Asan and his group continue to hunt and kill the poachers. They grapple with these morally “unfamiliar” situations and how to “adapt” to them. In the end, X quite literally “pays a heavy price” for his involvement in the illegal ivory trade. $150 million dollars of ivory goes up in smoke as a protest demonstration by the Kenyan government. This eventually prompts X to change his ways and become a wildlife park ranger. 

When Lambs Become Lions is courageously unbiased. It allows viewers to simply observe and form their own conclusions based on the perspectives provided throughout. Dan Harmon’s Story Circle demonstrates the uniquely intimate narrative arc presented in this film.

When Lambs Become Lions’ theme is about survival by any means necessary. Illegally hunting elephants is the characters way of earning a livable income for themselves and families. The camera does well by moving with the characters and provide shots brings the audience into scenes. The dramatic arc of the film followed the path of poaching elephants in Kenya. The main character “X” operated similarly to a drug lord by how he ran his business of illegally hunting. “X” is comfortable with referring to his actions being, “like a king,” at the start of the documentary.

One scene that helped the audience understand “X’s” drive was when he was on the phone with his son and mother of his child to make sure they had the necessities. The documentary’s exposition was the wild life training gun place for hunting out in nature with intentions to sell for profit. The rising action happened after Asan and Lukas observed before shortly leaving a march against killing animals; the documentary then reveals the poisoned arrow they deceptively use to hunt. The turning point of the film was first the moment when they didn’t get the ivory around the 26 minutes mark. Capturing intimate family moments, like the Asan’s wife while she’s in pain before giving birth, is another turning point for him in the documentary.

The climax of the documentary was when the characters were approaching the elephants at the 01:51:48 mark. The director captures one of the characters aiming their poisoned arrow at an elephant off camera for an unsuccessful catch. The falling point of the film was when the characters returned to the shooting range training area without the ivory. Thing changed in the film for Asan while his wife was dealing with the challenges of afterbirth and doesn’t approve of how he disciplined their older son. The denouement of the film was finding Lukas to finish the ivory hunting and gun shooting training at work. 

The editing of the documentary was excellent and enhanced the story, especially how instead of the director showing the defeat of poaching, X’s side of a conversation elsewhere revealed it. Structuring shots to tell this heart wrenching story kept When Lambs Become Lions interesting until the very end.