Author: Noel Stevens

So this is a very rough cut. I’m still missing interviews, which I am going to go back for on a less busy and windy day, but I wanted to at least string together the b-roll and the bones of the video. I didn’t put any text in yet, even though that was my original plan, but I’m putting a rough script/outline below to give an idea of the story and structure. I can’t decide whether I should narrate the piece or just have a few different lines of text throughout the video to move the piece along, so I’m looking for feedback on that specifically.

Besides the opening shot, please ignore the shots of the jazz band/my shoes/the black. These will ideally be where interviews are place over.

Outline:

In March of last year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art closed, along with the rest of New York.

The pandemic has hit the arts and performance industry the hardest.

But since August, 2020, the Met, and many other museums in New York City have re-opened to the public.

Like everywhere else in the state, masks and social distancing are now required, but the museum has implemented many changes, most notably a limit on capacity.

-possible interview with Met employee-

The toll of the pandemic can be seen.

But despite the restrictions, the museum is still bustling.

-quick clip/interview with patron-

-quick clip/interview with patron-

-quick clip/interview with patron-

 

This was an incredible documentary, especially considering the runtime. I thought it really captured how complicated these end-of-life situations are, regardless of the specifics, and thought it was excellent storytelling how they managed to include a variety of both caretakers and patients but also keenly focus on one head physician and the family of Donna. I was really shocked by what the main family was willing to say and do in front of their mother/wife/sister in the ICU and by Donna’s daughter’s faith and obstinance. I was also shocked by the level of access the filmmakers were allowed, in all situations. It was a very compelling story with a clear narrative that managed to pack a lot of weight, information, and character building into only 22 minutes.

Regarding the interview with Dan Krauss, I found what he said about sensitivity interesting. He said he wanted to walk the line between “intimacy and intrusiveness,” which many journalists and filmmakers must do, and I was intrigued by how went about it, like how he used long lenses to create more physical distance from his subjects. He referred to the hospital rooms as “sacred space(s),” and I believe this reverence showed in the final product. I also like that Krauss went in wanting to show all sides of the conversation surrounding ICU patients. It’s not a film just about doctors, nor is it a film just about patients or about family. As the article says, it is a really small-scale, intimate film that speaks to a much larger concept, which, in my opinion, is the mark of a fantastic piece of media.

I would like to do a video piece about the Metropolitan Museum of Art, focused on what the experience is like now since it has reopened during a pandemic. I will interview museum-goers and hopefully a staff member. I’m confident in the logistics of the piece and know there will be so much opportunity for good b-roll. Originally, I wanted to focus on art museums in New York City altogether, visiting also the Brooklyn Museum and the MoMa, but since the project is shorter than I expected I think I should just focus on the Met. I think it will have the richest and most diverse visuals of any one museum and feature a lot of different types of people.

HOST INTRO (unrecorded):  As the pandemic continues to force people inside, many trends have emerged. Whether it’s making sourdough, replicating TikTok dances, or adopting dogs, people have found many creative ways to use their extra time. Our own Noel Stevens reports on one of these trends that’s been getting a lot of attention lately.

AMBI: Door opening/closing, street noise

TRACK: One of the newest quote-un-quote “pandemic trends” is home mushroom growing kits. Articles about them have been popping up more and more in the last few months, and the companies that produce them are seeing their sales surge.

I spoke remotely with a grower in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania named Myc Tyson, Myc spelled M-Y-C. We talked about the mushroom business and how the pandemic has impacted him and his company.

ACT: Tyson: (:34) I can’t make enough of them on my end to satisfy the demand so y’know, now is like the golden age for mushrooms I think, and people are really catching on.”

TRACK: Tyson’s background is primarily in web design and marketing. However, following his time serving in the military, Tyson struggled with depression and drug use. He fell in love with mushrooms after finding that they improved his mood and, he believes, his health. Soon, his hobby turned into a passion, which then turned into a career.

ACT: Tyson: (6:41-7:05) I started the reddit mushroom community, r:mushroom growers, and that was like my place to really get out all of that energy that I had, all that excitement that I have for mushrooms in one place. And now that’s grown to, I think we’re at 150,000 subscribers, which is really cool, I can’t even keep up with it anymore, it’s insane. And y’know that was the hobby stage and that slowly turned into a business.”

TRACK:  Tyson’s outfit is small, consisting of himself, his wife, and an employee or two. Before January of this year, he responded personally to every email and DM his company received, until finally bringing on a customer service representative.

ACT: Tyson: (25:57) Before January I’d say we were working anywhere from 90 to 100 hours a week, it was just ridiculous.

TRACK: Five years ago, Tyson started with only a plastic box and some spores. Now, he has his own production facility and has just finished building his own sterile chamber, or, clean room, for mushroom development. He credits his can-do attitude for the success.

ACT: Tyson: (17:03) For me, I’ve always sort of been a Macgyver, let’s figure out what we can with what we got around us and most good mushroom growers are, like Macgyvers, they always just kinda slap something together and make it happen, make it work…”

TRACK:  Ultimately, the customer will receive a product that requires little more than keeping a block of nutrients moist, but creating the kits is much more complex. Each one starts from a petri dish. Development of these mushroom cultures can take months.

ACT: Tyson: (24:26) From start to finish, if we count the time from the culture, it’s probably about 60 days or so, but depending on the species it can be very slow or a little bit faster than that.”

TRACK: So, from a consumer’s perspective, what’s the appeal?

TRACK:  I spoke with Silas Ryan, a data analyst, graduate student, and fungus enthusiast in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. In total he’s purchased about a dozen mushroom kits in the last year. He believes the process itself is what appeals to people and thinks the kits’ popularity will last well past the pandemic.

ACT: Ryan: (8:30) I think people are doing it for the experience…It’s a very quickly-growing houseplant that you can eat, *laughs*

TRACK: Some companies are even expanding. Ryan explained that Smallhold, a Brooklyn-based company, only started selling kits to the public because of COVID-19. Originally, most of their mushrooms were sent   to local eateries and grocery stores. When restaurants in New York shuttered last year, the company had to adapt.

ACT: Ryan: (7:10) The start of the pandemic is why they started selling grow kits to the public because all the restaurants shut down. So, they’re like ‘now what?’ so they kind of did a pivot. And I think it got really really popular because they were constantly selling out. They did like monthly subscriptions where you get one every two week and that kind of thing.

TRACK: Smallhold was profiled in the New York Times last February along with another popular mushroom company based in Maine called North Spore, which reported a rise in sales of about 400% in the last year. Tyson’s business, among many others, has also seen a sharp increase, and it shows no signs of slowing down.

TRACK: For Baruch College, I’m Noel Stevens

Link:

Script:

HOST INTRO: College students face many tough decisions over the course of their careers. One of these hard choices is the act of declaring a major. However, many choose their school based on what they already know they want to study.

AMBI: Sound of engine revving

TRACK:  Desiree Hollman lives in Crown Heights, Brooklyn and has been attending Baruch College for journalism since 2019. She has continued her education throughout the pandemic, this month marking one year since the college moved to an online format. We spoke over the phone, despite living in the same neighborhood, and she explained why she chose Baruch College.

AMBI: background noise of birds and cars

ACT: DES: “I remember the day my mother was telling me about Baruch…” quote at 2:31

TRACK: On top of being a student, Hollman also works at a bank in Manhattan. Despite her drive to continue doing both during the last year, the pandemic has definitely taken its toll. Hollman misses the in-person experience.

ACT: DES: “It was really fun…” quote at 3:15

TRACK: Although frustrated with the circumstances, Hollman feels grateful for the time she did have on campus.

ACT: DES: “At least I got to experience Baruch…” quote at 2:07

TRACK: Baruch, along with the rest of CUNY, plans to reopen its campus for the coming fall semester, although they will still offer online-only options. For Baruch College, I’m Luke Stevens.

1) I thought of this idea after hearing the sample radio story about the Korean/Russian restaurant. I’d like to do a piece about my favorite diner in the city, Veselka. It’s a 24-hour Ukrainian diner in the East Village near St. Marks Place. It’s been around for over 60 years and has become famous for their pierogis. Also, many films and television shows have been filmed there, such as Sex and the City, Oceans 8, etc.

I didn’t think the piece would be possible since they have made a name for themselves already, but one of the owners actually responded to my email. So ideally, I would interview him and at least one staff member. I’d also interview customers. I think the sounds of the piece will be really rich. Veselka is always bustling, even now with only outdoor dining, and the staff is always talking in their native languages. I would like to explore the restaurant’s history and its impact.

 

2) A piece about mushroom-growing kits. I would hopefully interview someone from a company that sells them and people who have bought and used them. There is a huge spike in interest and business for these companies. I thought about doing this story for the photo essay, but it’s not as visually interesting as it sounds. All the mushrooms are similar in color and have a small period where they look best. I think the story lends itself to audio because of the variety of people I could talk to in different environments.

https://medium.com/@saturnjunk/pandemic-disproportionally-impacts-artists-7d0145b1ee28