It seems like only yesterday that I stood in the Virginia Ball dining room staring awkwardly at the 16 other students that would soon become some of my best fellow workers and friends. At that time, I do not think any one of us could have imagined the roller coaster that was ahead. Four months and a documentary later, I realize how unique of a semester it has definitely been. I truly enjoyed the opportunity to take part in an immersive learning experience here at Ball State, especially one with this particular subject.
When I was in high school and even younger, sports were always a big part of my life. Even now, as my playing days have come to a close, I still find myself glued to the TV several nights a week watching the Colts, IU basketball, Lady Volunteer Basketball (OF COURSE!!!) and other sports which is why I thought this specific seminar was going to be such a perfect fit for me. I was not disappointed. I learned so much about sports in general, the female athlete, Title IX, and exemplary women's athletic programs, all while gaining a lot of real world skills that I will continue to take with me past this project.
"It's not exactly something they cover in history class…" said Mia Tabberson in our documentary; this is the perfect idea about Title IX. Title IX is certainly not something that you hear about often, even in history classes with women who would probably not be there without it. However, it is such a crucial part of everyday life for many women. I know I never thought about Title IX when I was involved with sports and several of the Burris Owls from this year had similar feelings. We, as a society, have gotten to the point where we do not have to think about Title IX much anymore, which is a great improvement. However, it is a never-ending process and a law that needs to continually be challenged and reflected on as years pass. I enjoyed the opportunity to truly reflect on the opportunities that are being given to women today with sports and also in academics, business, and all other areas in which women have made such great strides toward equality. I hope through our seminar, that not only our students had the chance to learn more about female athletics and Title IX, but that those who viewed our documentary also took the time to think more about the immense opportunities females are being granted today.
Continuing to reflect back on this semester, I have gained so much knowledge in other areas besides Title IX. I have learned how to work effectively and cooperatively in a group setting. I have learned skills that I never thought I would, such as operating a camera and setting up lights. I have collaborated with 16 other students and 2 wonderful teachers that have such different talents and personalities but also have such similar goals and work ethics. It has been a semester of ups and downs, but I am thankful to have had the opportunity to take part in immersive learning. Good luck to next semester's seminars!
Showing posts with label documentary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label documentary. Show all posts
Friday, December 14, 2007
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Coming Up for Air
Sitting in the front row of the packed room in Cornerstone, it hit me. This is my final. Not an essay in a blue book or a multiple test online, but this, a Gala! It also hit me that a whole semester has been compiled into a 46 minute film.
For those who couldn’t make it to the Thursday and join the audience of Steve and Don Shondell, Burris volleyball players from 1982 and 2007, Ball State professors, and all the friends and family that came with their support and enthusiasm, I’ll try to sum up the experience.
The Cornerstone Center of the Arts did a wonderful job with the twinkling lights and Christmas trees. The Events Committee in our class did a great job with setting up volleyball nets that had photographs of the Burris volleyball players and behind the scenes of us this semester, taken by us. In a corner we had the Behind the Scenes documentary, compiled by non-Telecommunications majors. After mingling with delicious appetizers, most of the seminar went up and spoke to the audience about their experience in the project. Despite everyone being tired from the rush to complete the film, no one tripped to the stage.
And then the film began. Not to give anything away for those coming Tuesday, but I was too awed to be nervously sneaking glances at the audience. My friends were amazed at the music and the camera’s shots. One friend said she was surprised to have the emotional response she did. After the light slowly came back on we wrapped it up with a few more speeches and a Q and A session.
Earlier I had compared this experience to scuba diving, and Sam had said how her grandmother first thought immersive learning was about swimming (“Not sub-mersive Grandma”). But now as we are working on our portfolios and looking back, I think we are realizing how we were truly submerged into this project.
For those who couldn’t make it to the Thursday and join the audience of Steve and Don Shondell, Burris volleyball players from 1982 and 2007, Ball State professors, and all the friends and family that came with their support and enthusiasm, I’ll try to sum up the experience.
The Cornerstone Center of the Arts did a wonderful job with the twinkling lights and Christmas trees. The Events Committee in our class did a great job with setting up volleyball nets that had photographs of the Burris volleyball players and behind the scenes of us this semester, taken by us. In a corner we had the Behind the Scenes documentary, compiled by non-Telecommunications majors. After mingling with delicious appetizers, most of the seminar went up and spoke to the audience about their experience in the project. Despite everyone being tired from the rush to complete the film, no one tripped to the stage.
And then the film began. Not to give anything away for those coming Tuesday, but I was too awed to be nervously sneaking glances at the audience. My friends were amazed at the music and the camera’s shots. One friend said she was surprised to have the emotional response she did. After the light slowly came back on we wrapped it up with a few more speeches and a Q and A session.
Earlier I had compared this experience to scuba diving, and Sam had said how her grandmother first thought immersive learning was about swimming (“Not sub-mersive Grandma”). But now as we are working on our portfolios and looking back, I think we are realizing how we were truly submerged into this project.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
It's too late... I'm using too many elipses...
0400 . . .
The gala is . . . technically, well, tomorrow. The butterflies are more than hardcore now, and even though I am home, I still cannot manage to let my brain rest.
I feel so much for our editors who have been working so hard in the cave, and I have complete trust in their abilities to turn out a film that is guaranteed to turn heads. They truly are the core of this project, and I don't know where we would be without their talent, commitment, and patience. We could not ask for more.
Today was an eye-opener. Everyone has been talking about immersive learning and what it is like to collaborate this entire semester, and I guess I just took it as a given. I thought, “Of course, we have to work together. We are together all the time." Today, I realized I have to be open to others. Yes, I have been teaming up with others for weeks, but I have always tried to do things the way I envision them, and haven’t really gotten past that until today.
The Behind-the-Scenes Documentary crew has mainly consisted of Kristen, Samantha Davis, and me for the better part of the semester. We were assigned to do a piece in the early weeks and just kind of were . . . in charge from then on. With other committees and commitments outside of the project, I have been spread pretty thin giving me limited knowledge/focus about the project with the two them. With the gala nearing and other projects wrapping up, I have been able to spend more time with them, but am extremely behind on the keyboarding/editing skills they have acquired. Long story short, I went in with different ideas and skill sets, and I quickly became frustrated. After talking with Laura and Kristen, I realized my frustrations (with myself and the BTS documentary) only made the situation more difficult.
The skills I am learning, no matter how minute they might seem compared to my peers, are those I might not have learned otherwise. So, again, I thank them for their patience in teaching me and putting up with my stubbornness . . . next time, a swift kick will do.
On the topic of collaboration and new skills, Blake and I worked together on the invitations and programs for the gala. My interest and abilities with photography and Adobe Photoshop were rekindled while working on these projects… which remind me that the gala is EVEN CLOSER! There were a few problems we didn’t catch through editing the programs, but as Jamie said, “If that’s the worst thing to happen, we’re in good shape.” (KNOCK ON WOOD!)
The photos for the gala are in, and spiffy at that! Adam Wilson was hiding his awesome photography capabilities all semester! Some of the best photos we have are from the state game with the Owls, and our audio gentlemen in the studios. I really hope everyone enjoys them.
As I type, Adam and Dan are pulling one of many over-nighters in Sursa for the second week in a row. They top my list of favorite people, and have probably the toughest job of all because they have to wait for the rest of us before they can finish their work. I have complete faith in them, and will never pass up bringing the cherry scented lotion for their cracked hands and chocolate coffee for rejuvenation.
Last kudos go to Sarah Marty and Michael Straub who lent us their time in finishing up this project. I can’t wait to see your work with our final presentation.
. . . bed.
The gala is . . . technically, well, tomorrow. The butterflies are more than hardcore now, and even though I am home, I still cannot manage to let my brain rest.
I feel so much for our editors who have been working so hard in the cave, and I have complete trust in their abilities to turn out a film that is guaranteed to turn heads. They truly are the core of this project, and I don't know where we would be without their talent, commitment, and patience. We could not ask for more.
Today was an eye-opener. Everyone has been talking about immersive learning and what it is like to collaborate this entire semester, and I guess I just took it as a given. I thought, “Of course, we have to work together. We are together all the time." Today, I realized I have to be open to others. Yes, I have been teaming up with others for weeks, but I have always tried to do things the way I envision them, and haven’t really gotten past that until today.
The Behind-the-Scenes Documentary crew has mainly consisted of Kristen, Samantha Davis, and me for the better part of the semester. We were assigned to do a piece in the early weeks and just kind of were . . . in charge from then on. With other committees and commitments outside of the project, I have been spread pretty thin giving me limited knowledge/focus about the project with the two them. With the gala nearing and other projects wrapping up, I have been able to spend more time with them, but am extremely behind on the keyboarding/editing skills they have acquired. Long story short, I went in with different ideas and skill sets, and I quickly became frustrated. After talking with Laura and Kristen, I realized my frustrations (with myself and the BTS documentary) only made the situation more difficult.
The skills I am learning, no matter how minute they might seem compared to my peers, are those I might not have learned otherwise. So, again, I thank them for their patience in teaching me and putting up with my stubbornness . . . next time, a swift kick will do.
On the topic of collaboration and new skills, Blake and I worked together on the invitations and programs for the gala. My interest and abilities with photography and Adobe Photoshop were rekindled while working on these projects… which remind me that the gala is EVEN CLOSER! There were a few problems we didn’t catch through editing the programs, but as Jamie said, “If that’s the worst thing to happen, we’re in good shape.” (KNOCK ON WOOD!)
The photos for the gala are in, and spiffy at that! Adam Wilson was hiding his awesome photography capabilities all semester! Some of the best photos we have are from the state game with the Owls, and our audio gentlemen in the studios. I really hope everyone enjoys them.
As I type, Adam and Dan are pulling one of many over-nighters in Sursa for the second week in a row. They top my list of favorite people, and have probably the toughest job of all because they have to wait for the rest of us before they can finish their work. I have complete faith in them, and will never pass up bringing the cherry scented lotion for their cracked hands and chocolate coffee for rejuvenation.
Last kudos go to Sarah Marty and Michael Straub who lent us their time in finishing up this project. I can’t wait to see your work with our final presentation.
. . . bed.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
A Non-committee Comes Together
So here's the final count. We have 87 hours of footage, about 55 of which are interviews. The movie is going to be about 45 minutes long. I hope you're thinking, ". . . how?" Because it was no easy feat.
The people in charge of carving the story out of the countless hours of footage have throughout this process been known as the narrative committee. Although I feel it incumbent upon myself to note that it was more of a narrative "non-committee." Throughout the entire semester there has never been a set group of people who collectively comprised the narrative committee. It was whoever felt strongly about it that week, with of course about 5 regulars. As this is a student-led project and we are all on the same level, no one of us could really turn another one down who was interested in helping, even if it was a scattered showing. The fact that all 17 students are so strongly invested in one story has been the most amazing and equally challenging aspect of this project. But fear not! We did manage. It just took . . . a little bit longer.
We tried a couple of different organizational ideas and finally landed on the most effective to date about 3 weeks ago. Every single reel of footage was assigned to someone on the narrative "committee" (on average about 10 people), which means each of us had about 8 or 9 reels to either watch fully or review the transcripts. In doing this everyone was supposed to find the golden quotes and place them into an appropriate place within the rough script outline posted on our group's personal (wiki) website. It got a little crazy sometimes, and I'm sure not all of the quotes were golden, but in the end everyone did their work. Now, two days away from the premiere, I've seen our work together (thanks to the editors) and I'm very impressed that so many minds can do individual work and it can come together so organically. I'm very proud of our work.
The people in charge of carving the story out of the countless hours of footage have throughout this process been known as the narrative committee. Although I feel it incumbent upon myself to note that it was more of a narrative "non-committee." Throughout the entire semester there has never been a set group of people who collectively comprised the narrative committee. It was whoever felt strongly about it that week, with of course about 5 regulars. As this is a student-led project and we are all on the same level, no one of us could really turn another one down who was interested in helping, even if it was a scattered showing. The fact that all 17 students are so strongly invested in one story has been the most amazing and equally challenging aspect of this project. But fear not! We did manage. It just took . . . a little bit longer.
We tried a couple of different organizational ideas and finally landed on the most effective to date about 3 weeks ago. Every single reel of footage was assigned to someone on the narrative "committee" (on average about 10 people), which means each of us had about 8 or 9 reels to either watch fully or review the transcripts. In doing this everyone was supposed to find the golden quotes and place them into an appropriate place within the rough script outline posted on our group's personal (wiki) website. It got a little crazy sometimes, and I'm sure not all of the quotes were golden, but in the end everyone did their work. Now, two days away from the premiere, I've seen our work together (thanks to the editors) and I'm very impressed that so many minds can do individual work and it can come together so organically. I'm very proud of our work.
Sorry can't talk now...
I'd like to blog, but I am so busy trying to score the documentary I don't really have time to talk about anything. Dan and I have been up past 7 AM everynight, working over 18 hours a day for the past week or so. It gets to be time consuming when you are composing, performing, recording, editing AND mixing all the music for a film project.
Hopefully I will see you all at the Gala, there I will be able to answer any questions you might have about the process. Later!
Hopefully I will see you all at the Gala, there I will be able to answer any questions you might have about the process. Later!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Voices in my Head?
It’ll come as no surprise to those of you who have been following our journey that we hold some crazy hours at the VBC mansion. Being part of a voiceover team, it makes sense for our meeting to be late at night so that we can see the chunks our editors have diligently worked on (and often are still tweaking into the wee hours).
So what do you think of when you hear we are working on voiceover? Do you think of the deep manly voice on trailers? Do you think of some stuffy voice droning on and on?
We had many discussions on whether we wanted it or not. Working on the voiceover, I realized how hard it is to write for a visual medium. It definitely reminds me of caption writing like you see for pictures in newspapers or magazines. It’s funny, because as an English major I’ll start rambling on about something I think is eloquent, and Aaron will give me a blank stare or Kecia will give me a "humor her" head nod and I realize I need to slow down and simplify.
Whoever the narrator is, we promise he/she/they won’t be hokey or preachy. I have changed from thinking of voiceover as intrusive and distasteful to more of a guide; someone summing up a two-hour game, or stating a fact, or setting a scene. The narration will also not be a book on tape, but instead concise, since a picture is already worth a hundred words. Our goal is that it will be smooth and seamless in the movie; you might not even notice it!
So what do you think of when you hear we are working on voiceover? Do you think of the deep manly voice on trailers? Do you think of some stuffy voice droning on and on?
We had many discussions on whether we wanted it or not. Working on the voiceover, I realized how hard it is to write for a visual medium. It definitely reminds me of caption writing like you see for pictures in newspapers or magazines. It’s funny, because as an English major I’ll start rambling on about something I think is eloquent, and Aaron will give me a blank stare or Kecia will give me a "humor her" head nod and I realize I need to slow down and simplify.
Whoever the narrator is, we promise he/she/they won’t be hokey or preachy. I have changed from thinking of voiceover as intrusive and distasteful to more of a guide; someone summing up a two-hour game, or stating a fact, or setting a scene. The narration will also not be a book on tape, but instead concise, since a picture is already worth a hundred words. Our goal is that it will be smooth and seamless in the movie; you might not even notice it!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
A Trip to the Archives
It wasn't much of a surprise that I was assigned (and somewhat volunteered) to research for our project. From the first few weeks I took it upon myself to research Burris as a school and know its history. This led me to the archives in Bracken Library. While to many people this process would seem dry and boring, but as an English Literature major, I am used to spending a lot of time in Bracken doing research.
On my first visit I learned that Burris was almost closed in 1982. After sharing this information with the rest of the group, it seemed like something everyone thought we should explore. Interviewers started asking members of the Burris community about this incident, and I started looking more into this to see what I could find.
Almost an entire semester has gone by, and researching is still being done. When asked by the shooters and editors if I could find newspaper articles about the 1982 closing, I went back to the archives. This trip was more focused, and I found many clippings about Burris during this time. I wrote all of these down in my handy dandy legal pad, along with exactly which file I found them in, and gave this sheet to the editors to shoot later in the week.
While this may not be the most glamorous part of documentary film making, it is something that has to be done. Without going to the archives the first time, we wouldn't have known so early on about the school being threatened in 1982, and wouldn't have known to ask our interviewees about this topic. I am happy I was able to use one of my strengths to help the project.
Keep on keeping on,
Rachel
On my first visit I learned that Burris was almost closed in 1982. After sharing this information with the rest of the group, it seemed like something everyone thought we should explore. Interviewers started asking members of the Burris community about this incident, and I started looking more into this to see what I could find.
Almost an entire semester has gone by, and researching is still being done. When asked by the shooters and editors if I could find newspaper articles about the 1982 closing, I went back to the archives. This trip was more focused, and I found many clippings about Burris during this time. I wrote all of these down in my handy dandy legal pad, along with exactly which file I found them in, and gave this sheet to the editors to shoot later in the week.
While this may not be the most glamorous part of documentary film making, it is something that has to be done. Without going to the archives the first time, we wouldn't have known so early on about the school being threatened in 1982, and wouldn't have known to ask our interviewees about this topic. I am happy I was able to use one of my strengths to help the project.
Keep on keeping on,
Rachel
Monday, November 26, 2007
Ups and Downs...and Ups again
As the semester comes closer to its end, I find myself looking back and evaluating my experience at the Virginia Ball Center. Coming into this semester, I was very excited to have an out-of-the-classroom learning experience. I was a bit nervous about the different type of workload...one semester-long project that cannot be finished by simply cramming at the library the last week of classes. I was also anticipating the diversity of the group of people I would be working with.
My parents kept telling me that this would be a very challenging experience, but completely worth the time and effort. I actually slightly disagreed with them because I knew we had at least 15 people in our group...how challenging could it be if all the work was split up between us!?
The semester started off as good as I could have imagined. Our group got along from the start and soon developed inside jokes and positive group dynamics. I thoroughly enjoyed our class discussions that usually involved gender issues, which is one of my all-time favorite topics. I would leave our daily meetings feeling intellectually fulfilled.
As our semester progressed and we broke off into committees, the stress level of the project increased. It became my number one priority to work with the narrative committee. Many days I found myself feeling completely bogged down and full of stress from trying to develop skills and creative ideas to help produce a narrative for the film. At times, I would feel as if we were making tremendous progress...only to run into another one of the various speed bumps along the journey. Discouraging...
Finally, Finally! A skeleton narrative was produced which was followed by a storyboard. At this point, I could feel our project starting to really come together...there was an end product in sight and we would successfully accomplish our goal.
We have had to place together interview clips/voiceover, visuals, and narration to fit into our storyboard. This required the time-consuming process of going through each and every reel of footage (85 discs to be exact) and recording timecodes for each clip. When I saw the rough cut of the documentary last week, I felt very proud of our work... and thankful that I had been motivated enough to sit at my computer for 13 hours straight the previous day/night in order to give the editors more clips.
I saw clips throughout the documentary that I had personally chosen and it made me feel great inside. It really showed me that all of our hard work throughout the semester has been worth it. If I felt that incredible sense of accomplishment from seeing the rough cut, I cannot wait to feel the sense of pride when we show our final product on Dec. 6!
To sum up this semester in one sentence...
This semester has been the most stressful and challenging educational experience of my life thus far, but the development of skills and sense of accomplishment have been completely worth the time and effort.
Looks like my parents were right...again!
My parents kept telling me that this would be a very challenging experience, but completely worth the time and effort. I actually slightly disagreed with them because I knew we had at least 15 people in our group...how challenging could it be if all the work was split up between us!?
The semester started off as good as I could have imagined. Our group got along from the start and soon developed inside jokes and positive group dynamics. I thoroughly enjoyed our class discussions that usually involved gender issues, which is one of my all-time favorite topics. I would leave our daily meetings feeling intellectually fulfilled.
As our semester progressed and we broke off into committees, the stress level of the project increased. It became my number one priority to work with the narrative committee. Many days I found myself feeling completely bogged down and full of stress from trying to develop skills and creative ideas to help produce a narrative for the film. At times, I would feel as if we were making tremendous progress...only to run into another one of the various speed bumps along the journey. Discouraging...
Finally, Finally! A skeleton narrative was produced which was followed by a storyboard. At this point, I could feel our project starting to really come together...there was an end product in sight and we would successfully accomplish our goal.
We have had to place together interview clips/voiceover, visuals, and narration to fit into our storyboard. This required the time-consuming process of going through each and every reel of footage (85 discs to be exact) and recording timecodes for each clip. When I saw the rough cut of the documentary last week, I felt very proud of our work... and thankful that I had been motivated enough to sit at my computer for 13 hours straight the previous day/night in order to give the editors more clips.
I saw clips throughout the documentary that I had personally chosen and it made me feel great inside. It really showed me that all of our hard work throughout the semester has been worth it. If I felt that incredible sense of accomplishment from seeing the rough cut, I cannot wait to feel the sense of pride when we show our final product on Dec. 6!
To sum up this semester in one sentence...
This semester has been the most stressful and challenging educational experience of my life thus far, but the development of skills and sense of accomplishment have been completely worth the time and effort.
Looks like my parents were right...again!
Sunday, November 25, 2007
BTS
Today Kristen and I worked for about six hours on the Behind-the-Scenes documentary. Six hours sounds like a really long time; we got one segment finished. We decided to edit together the clip about the '82 reunion, because we thought this would be a rather easy clip to put together, we have a lot of footage, and Audrey gave us some great sound bites for it.
Putting together the clip wasn't necessarily difficult, but it was rather time consuming. After we started working on the clip we realized that a lot of the B-roll footage we had wasn't that great or wasn't what we needed. That was probably what took up a majority of our time. Finally, we decided just to watch the whole reel over again to see if we had missed anything good. We did. There was some good footage on the reel that wasn't captured. No biggie, we got it and used it. It made our little segment flow a lot better.
We also got the chance to learn a few new things about Final Cut Pro. One of the major things we learned that will help us in transitions, was the cross fade. It is exciting to learn about a program that you didn't think you would be able to comprehend! I love having that feeling of accomplishment when the day is done. After several hours of working you get to sit back and watch a three minute clip that you have completely dissected and put back together again, and you get to have a moment of pride.
I get so excited when we finish just a small clip, I can't wait until we actually finish the whole Behind the Scenes! To be able to look at something you once before knew nothing about and then to conquer it and produce a great (hopefully) final product is an amazing feeling.
Putting together the clip wasn't necessarily difficult, but it was rather time consuming. After we started working on the clip we realized that a lot of the B-roll footage we had wasn't that great or wasn't what we needed. That was probably what took up a majority of our time. Finally, we decided just to watch the whole reel over again to see if we had missed anything good. We did. There was some good footage on the reel that wasn't captured. No biggie, we got it and used it. It made our little segment flow a lot better.
We also got the chance to learn a few new things about Final Cut Pro. One of the major things we learned that will help us in transitions, was the cross fade. It is exciting to learn about a program that you didn't think you would be able to comprehend! I love having that feeling of accomplishment when the day is done. After several hours of working you get to sit back and watch a three minute clip that you have completely dissected and put back together again, and you get to have a moment of pride.
I get so excited when we finish just a small clip, I can't wait until we actually finish the whole Behind the Scenes! To be able to look at something you once before knew nothing about and then to conquer it and produce a great (hopefully) final product is an amazing feeling.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Diamond in the Rough
Since our return from the University of Tennessee, we have been devoting our lives to logging, capturing clips for the storyboard, logging, editing and panicking. Did I mention logging? Our time has been spent locked in The Cave, dorm rooms and apartments at all hours -- throwing ourselves into our roles in the project.
The result, thanks to an incredible story board, was the beginning of a "rough cut" that took the story caught in 17 minds and placed it on one computer screen. We still have a lot of work to do, and I can't say how much I appreciate the editors and music boys being able to work with so little time and a crew comprised largely of non-T-com students.
Right now, our narrative script, which shows us the clips that will represent each frame of the story board, is filling out nicely and sequences are forming. Music is being mixed and placed into the film, and ambient noise is being modified.
Last night, the rough cut of the film so far was showed to members of Ball State's and the Center's faculty, and was followed by a discussion of the film's narrative. The outside opinions were helpful, giving us all a chance to step back and look at the film as, using a comparison of Fred Johnson's, a pliable sculpture. We were able to step back from the storyboard and look at new ways to shape the scenes and stories we are creating.
I think Thanksgiving break is going to be a real blessing for us. We'll be able to come back and look at the project with fresh ideas, after having days of isolation which I know at least half of us will use to stew over the project and think of new ways to use clips, new pieces of footage to include, new interviews that introduce ideas. . .
The result, thanks to an incredible story board, was the beginning of a "rough cut" that took the story caught in 17 minds and placed it on one computer screen. We still have a lot of work to do, and I can't say how much I appreciate the editors and music boys being able to work with so little time and a crew comprised largely of non-T-com students.
Right now, our narrative script, which shows us the clips that will represent each frame of the story board, is filling out nicely and sequences are forming. Music is being mixed and placed into the film, and ambient noise is being modified.
Last night, the rough cut of the film so far was showed to members of Ball State's and the Center's faculty, and was followed by a discussion of the film's narrative. The outside opinions were helpful, giving us all a chance to step back and look at the film as, using a comparison of Fred Johnson's, a pliable sculpture. We were able to step back from the storyboard and look at new ways to shape the scenes and stories we are creating.
I think Thanksgiving break is going to be a real blessing for us. We'll be able to come back and look at the project with fresh ideas, after having days of isolation which I know at least half of us will use to stew over the project and think of new ways to use clips, new pieces of footage to include, new interviews that introduce ideas. . .
Friday, November 16, 2007
All Alone
I have a secret to share with you. No, it’s nothing bad, I just wanted to let you know that I just spent an entire week by myself in a huge mansion. Now, before you get to far ahead of me, let me just tell you that it was actually the Virginia Ball Center and I was alone because I decided to stay behind while the group went to Tennessee to film. Usually, I would’ve jumped at the chance to take a free trip to a place as great as Tennessee, but I felt that it was more important to stay behind and try and get some work done.
While I was alone, I made sure to set a clear goal for myself and try my best to accomplish it. For myself, as a T-Com major, I thought it was most appropriate for myself to get as much footage captured as possible. What capturing, you ask? Glad you asked; capturing is the process by which one puts any and all footage shot into a digital form on the computer. It seems simple enough and it actually is, but it's the time that it takes where one can run into problems. To cut up about five minutes of footage, it takes about 20 minutes to scroll through the entire tape, find the section you need, then capture it to the hard drive. It's a huge task when you realize that we have over 70 to go over.
Having my work set out for me, I tried my hardest to get as much footage captured as I could. It took many hours and lots of coffee, but I got really close to my goal and I have to say that I'm proud with how far I actually got. Before they left, the other T-Commers were doubtful I could finish all the footage and sadly they were right, but at least I got quite a bit done and made sure there was progress on the home front while everyone is gone. Did I enjoy myself? Certainly, but I don't know if I'd do it again; the mansion is scary at night!
While I was alone, I made sure to set a clear goal for myself and try my best to accomplish it. For myself, as a T-Com major, I thought it was most appropriate for myself to get as much footage captured as possible. What capturing, you ask? Glad you asked; capturing is the process by which one puts any and all footage shot into a digital form on the computer. It seems simple enough and it actually is, but it's the time that it takes where one can run into problems. To cut up about five minutes of footage, it takes about 20 minutes to scroll through the entire tape, find the section you need, then capture it to the hard drive. It's a huge task when you realize that we have over 70 to go over.
Having my work set out for me, I tried my hardest to get as much footage captured as I could. It took many hours and lots of coffee, but I got really close to my goal and I have to say that I'm proud with how far I actually got. Before they left, the other T-Commers were doubtful I could finish all the footage and sadly they were right, but at least I got quite a bit done and made sure there was progress on the home front while everyone is gone. Did I enjoy myself? Certainly, but I don't know if I'd do it again; the mansion is scary at night!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Sweet #11
Burris has done it again. Not that we weren’t expecting them to, it was just the icing on the cake. Two Saturdays ago, the Lady Owls won their 11th State Championship against Brownstown Central. For us, it was the classic ending that we had been anticipating from the beginning of the semester.
Way back in August, I was one that was hoping to be impartial the entire time we were filming. The game, the girls, the essence of what the school was and is – that was our subject. We, the Virginia Ball Center, were planning on doing a documentary from an indifferent stand point. No one was going to get “too involved.”
On November 2nd, I was the red-head with the “Owl Eyes” shirt on, screaming my head off (and loosing my voice a few times) because the refs didn’t know an “out” call from an “in” call.
As you can see my hope in the “stand by and watch” documentary was no more. I had become a fan, a fan of Burris volleyball. Not just the game, but the entire process of how it’s played the team members and coaches. I’d even gone so far as when someone would ask if Burris was going to win, I would say yes, and proceed to knock on wood.
The overall experience has made me realize that even when documentarians attempt to film their “subjects” from a bipartisan view point, it’s practically impossible. You have to completely take yourself out of the emotional aspects of everything that you film. Now we are in the process of putting the film together. Because it’s a “documentary” one would hope that we show a film that shows the straight facts, but I can say confidently, that the pride we have for Burris will shine throughout the film.
Way back in August, I was one that was hoping to be impartial the entire time we were filming. The game, the girls, the essence of what the school was and is – that was our subject. We, the Virginia Ball Center, were planning on doing a documentary from an indifferent stand point. No one was going to get “too involved.”
On November 2nd, I was the red-head with the “Owl Eyes” shirt on, screaming my head off (and loosing my voice a few times) because the refs didn’t know an “out” call from an “in” call.
As you can see my hope in the “stand by and watch” documentary was no more. I had become a fan, a fan of Burris volleyball. Not just the game, but the entire process of how it’s played the team members and coaches. I’d even gone so far as when someone would ask if Burris was going to win, I would say yes, and proceed to knock on wood.
The overall experience has made me realize that even when documentarians attempt to film their “subjects” from a bipartisan view point, it’s practically impossible. You have to completely take yourself out of the emotional aspects of everything that you film. Now we are in the process of putting the film together. Because it’s a “documentary” one would hope that we show a film that shows the straight facts, but I can say confidently, that the pride we have for Burris will shine throughout the film.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
filming, omg!
The tape count is now up to around 83. That is just over 80 hours of footage that I have helped capture with my fellow videographers. Coming into this project I had never shot any athletic event, let alone volleyball. I remember back to the Cathedral game early in the Burris Owl's season where I was trying to follow the ball and all of the action going on on the court, it wasn't easy. My skills behind the camera have definitely improved throughout this process.
I have been able to have my hands on a camera (an HD camera) any time I wanted. I have, by far, filmed more this semester than any other semester in my college career. From all the games to the interviews I have lost track of the amount of time I have spent behind the camera. The project has also brought experiences that I would have never received taking regular classes. Most recently, I had access to film the IHSAA State Finals match and be court side during a Lady Volunteers basketball game. I don't know too many students that get to be film that close during a high profile program's game. In fact, I really only know one, Blake, one of our other shooters. Even though the Lady Vols demolished their opposition by 61 points and Candace Parker didn't play very much it was still amazing to be down there (See below).
Filming for a documentary is unlike any other type of film. Although we have an idea of what we want, there isn't a script. Basically, it is essential that we are everywhere. We have to shoot as much as we can because that's where some of the most important parts of our story will come from. If we aren't there and if the camera isn't rolling we miss it and can't put it into our film.
There are around 20 more days until we have to show an end result and we still have more to film, but the major bulk of everything is done and the editing days are upon us. With that said I wonder to myself, "What were we thinking, why did we film so much?" Cutting 80 hours to around 1 hour seems daunting as I am sitting here, but we have made it as easy on ourselves as we can. We have been logging, transcribing, and picking out, from the many hours of footage, the best shots to be slipped into our editing software and eventually be cut together for a final project.
I have been able to have my hands on a camera (an HD camera) any time I wanted. I have, by far, filmed more this semester than any other semester in my college career. From all the games to the interviews I have lost track of the amount of time I have spent behind the camera. The project has also brought experiences that I would have never received taking regular classes. Most recently, I had access to film the IHSAA State Finals match and be court side during a Lady Volunteers basketball game. I don't know too many students that get to be film that close during a high profile program's game. In fact, I really only know one, Blake, one of our other shooters. Even though the Lady Vols demolished their opposition by 61 points and Candace Parker didn't play very much it was still amazing to be down there (See below).
Filming for a documentary is unlike any other type of film. Although we have an idea of what we want, there isn't a script. Basically, it is essential that we are everywhere. We have to shoot as much as we can because that's where some of the most important parts of our story will come from. If we aren't there and if the camera isn't rolling we miss it and can't put it into our film.
There are around 20 more days until we have to show an end result and we still have more to film, but the major bulk of everything is done and the editing days are upon us. With that said I wonder to myself, "What were we thinking, why did we film so much?" Cutting 80 hours to around 1 hour seems daunting as I am sitting here, but we have made it as easy on ourselves as we can. We have been logging, transcribing, and picking out, from the many hours of footage, the best shots to be slipped into our editing software and eventually be cut together for a final project.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tracking the Trailer
I hope everyone who's following this blog has had time to check out the theatrical trailer that we recently edited together. You can see it here:
http://wbbrenneman.iweb.bsu.edu/VBC/trailer.html
The more I watch it, the more I really like it. Considering the amount of sleep lost to get it ready, I would really appreciate any feedback from our collective viewing audience. Be it good or bad, I would really like to know what you think.
Working on this was exhausting and exciting. Evan, Jon, Audrey, and Blake put in a lot of time and thought towards the storyboarding and editing.
I worked primarily on editing the music to fit the trailer. The music was a nearly complete idea that me and my esteemed colleague, Adam (the Wilsonian Man), had been working on for a couple of weeks. As I was frantically trying to decide how to score the trailer, I grabbed this musical idea and threw it onto the first thirty seconds of the movie. It didn't fit perfectly, but it was pretty close. Most importantly, it had the right feel. So I consulted with Blake, and we agreed that this was the music for the trailer. We then hashed out specific edit points where the music had to line up with the video, and decided to meet each other half way. I began to cut up and re-orchestrating the music to accommodate the different scenes while Blake finished editing the video using the rough cut of the music as a template. Once we were happy with our work, we combined it and did some final edits to nudge things into perfect sync. Then I did a mix down of the music and we adjusted the dialog to sit on top of that, and presto chango, it was 4 in the morning and it was done. It was pretty fun. Once we got really rolling, we didn't want to stop until it was totally finished. I'm really excited about the final editing of the whole film. Seeing all the pieces of the puzzle lock together is going to be extremely satisfying. And it'll be intense!
http://wbbrenneman.iweb.bsu.edu/VBC/trailer.html
The more I watch it, the more I really like it. Considering the amount of sleep lost to get it ready, I would really appreciate any feedback from our collective viewing audience. Be it good or bad, I would really like to know what you think.
Working on this was exhausting and exciting. Evan, Jon, Audrey, and Blake put in a lot of time and thought towards the storyboarding and editing.
I worked primarily on editing the music to fit the trailer. The music was a nearly complete idea that me and my esteemed colleague, Adam (the Wilsonian Man), had been working on for a couple of weeks. As I was frantically trying to decide how to score the trailer, I grabbed this musical idea and threw it onto the first thirty seconds of the movie. It didn't fit perfectly, but it was pretty close. Most importantly, it had the right feel. So I consulted with Blake, and we agreed that this was the music for the trailer. We then hashed out specific edit points where the music had to line up with the video, and decided to meet each other half way. I began to cut up and re-orchestrating the music to accommodate the different scenes while Blake finished editing the video using the rough cut of the music as a template. Once we were happy with our work, we combined it and did some final edits to nudge things into perfect sync. Then I did a mix down of the music and we adjusted the dialog to sit on top of that, and presto chango, it was 4 in the morning and it was done. It was pretty fun. Once we got really rolling, we didn't want to stop until it was totally finished. I'm really excited about the final editing of the whole film. Seeing all the pieces of the puzzle lock together is going to be extremely satisfying. And it'll be intense!
Friday, October 19, 2007
All-Nighters and Boxed Webs
This week the group and I decided that we needed to sit down and hammer out more of a narrative for the film. Since we are college kids, we decided to do this in the form of an all- nighter at the mansion. (Because really, who wouldn't want to sleep at the mansion??) Most of us congregated between 7 and 8 with food, and started talking about the plan for the rest of the evening.
Once we had more of an organized game plan, we watched a couple of the interviews together while we finished our late dinners, then began coming up with sub-groups and categories. These were branches of our big themes such as gender, community, and sports. We all decided we needed to be more specific and came up with many sub-topics to focus on. After this we ventured up into the creepy 3rd floor and started designing our "box web". We started with Burris history and branched off from there. We also made lists of follow up interviews we want, interviews we have yet to get, and other footage we need to make a good movie.
While some of the narrative team was in the attic, other members of the group were working on the behind-the-scenes documentary while our musicians were composing a song for the film. Both made very good progress. Kristen, Teri and Samantha had clips to show us throughout the night, and interviewed Aaron L. and myself so they could incorporate sound bytes into their film. I have yet to force myself to work on editing with the Final Cut Pro, so I have a lot of respect for those that have sat down and learned it. And as for the musicians, we could hear the drumming all the way in the attic. It amazes me how they can complete a song in one night.
After descending from the attic, the Aarons went on a pizza run to keep the rest of us fed and motivated. The narrative team watched and read through interviews, finding the parts that we found insightful as well as fitting into the narrative topics we had just layed out. This was more difficult then I thought it would be. Nearly every interview has so many good sound bytes within it. This makes it difficult to choose just a few from each person.Around midnight some people started trickling out because of work or meetings in the morning. Others stayed and kept working until about 2 a.m.
After that our productivity went a little down, but those of us that were left listened to Adam and Dan's newest song. Then we had a little drum circle/jam session which helped keep up our spirits. We slept (ghost free) for about four hours, claiming both couches and floor space.
The first of what I can only imagine will be many all-nighters was incredibly successful. We showed Kecia our web the next morning, and she seemed pleased with our work. She also listened to the new song which she enjoyed. I learned that many of us work a lot better at night and it's when many of us are free since our jobs fill our daytime hours. The narrative keeps coming further and further and I can't wait to see the final product.
Rachel
Once we had more of an organized game plan, we watched a couple of the interviews together while we finished our late dinners, then began coming up with sub-groups and categories. These were branches of our big themes such as gender, community, and sports. We all decided we needed to be more specific and came up with many sub-topics to focus on. After this we ventured up into the creepy 3rd floor and started designing our "box web". We started with Burris history and branched off from there. We also made lists of follow up interviews we want, interviews we have yet to get, and other footage we need to make a good movie.
While some of the narrative team was in the attic, other members of the group were working on the behind-the-scenes documentary while our musicians were composing a song for the film. Both made very good progress. Kristen, Teri and Samantha had clips to show us throughout the night, and interviewed Aaron L. and myself so they could incorporate sound bytes into their film. I have yet to force myself to work on editing with the Final Cut Pro, so I have a lot of respect for those that have sat down and learned it. And as for the musicians, we could hear the drumming all the way in the attic. It amazes me how they can complete a song in one night.
After descending from the attic, the Aarons went on a pizza run to keep the rest of us fed and motivated. The narrative team watched and read through interviews, finding the parts that we found insightful as well as fitting into the narrative topics we had just layed out. This was more difficult then I thought it would be. Nearly every interview has so many good sound bytes within it. This makes it difficult to choose just a few from each person.Around midnight some people started trickling out because of work or meetings in the morning. Others stayed and kept working until about 2 a.m.
After that our productivity went a little down, but those of us that were left listened to Adam and Dan's newest song. Then we had a little drum circle/jam session which helped keep up our spirits. We slept (ghost free) for about four hours, claiming both couches and floor space.
The first of what I can only imagine will be many all-nighters was incredibly successful. We showed Kecia our web the next morning, and she seemed pleased with our work. She also listened to the new song which she enjoyed. I learned that many of us work a lot better at night and it's when many of us are free since our jobs fill our daytime hours. The narrative keeps coming further and further and I can't wait to see the final product.
Rachel
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
My New View of Volleyball
If you had asked me what I thought I would gain from this project, I would not have said an interest for volleyball. I’m not much of a sporty person, at least that’s the evidence of my past, but I have fallen into the net so to speak.
Many interviews I’ve seen and read, whether from teachers at Burris or parents of players, seemed to express the same surprising change. Volleyball wasn’t on their radar until they saw the Burris women play. Perhaps any sport, if it has the skill and drive set into its foundation, will gather a community around it. Or is it a supportive connected community that fosters a successful sport?
Either way, watching Burris volleyball was an experience I was not expecting. In particular I am thinking of the Central versus Burris game. Wowee. Instead of yawning like I did at high school football games, I was anxiously wringing my hands.
It was really interesting to see a contrast from the intensity of the biggest game of the season to seeing Steve’s 5th grade gym practice. He worked on the basics with the kids. These kids were so organized and attentive, it seemed as though Steve’s focus infected everyone in the room. My gym classes were rather scattered and not very productive. I never learned a drill or skill, just that I couldn’t do a chin up.
Although being a spectator is a blast, I am very glad that everyone is doing such a good job of logging all our footage because stopping play by play to type what happened can be taxing. But transcribing and reading all our hours of footage so far is like the practice for our documentary. If we keep the focus and dedication during these “drills,” our biggest event will be a wonder to watch.
Many interviews I’ve seen and read, whether from teachers at Burris or parents of players, seemed to express the same surprising change. Volleyball wasn’t on their radar until they saw the Burris women play. Perhaps any sport, if it has the skill and drive set into its foundation, will gather a community around it. Or is it a supportive connected community that fosters a successful sport?
Either way, watching Burris volleyball was an experience I was not expecting. In particular I am thinking of the Central versus Burris game. Wowee. Instead of yawning like I did at high school football games, I was anxiously wringing my hands.
It was really interesting to see a contrast from the intensity of the biggest game of the season to seeing Steve’s 5th grade gym practice. He worked on the basics with the kids. These kids were so organized and attentive, it seemed as though Steve’s focus infected everyone in the room. My gym classes were rather scattered and not very productive. I never learned a drill or skill, just that I couldn’t do a chin up.
Although being a spectator is a blast, I am very glad that everyone is doing such a good job of logging all our footage because stopping play by play to type what happened can be taxing. But transcribing and reading all our hours of footage so far is like the practice for our documentary. If we keep the focus and dedication during these “drills,” our biggest event will be a wonder to watch.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Storybook Ending
Monday night's match between Burris and Central was perfect. With the Owls down 2-1 after the first three games, we were talking amongst ourselves saying, "They just can't lose tonight, especially before sectionals." So much for being impartial as filmmakers.
My first experience with the Owls was at Cathedral. Being an extremely competitive person, I was a little upset about the loss, but never expected to become this involved and attached to the success of the team. While Aaron and I were shooting behind-the-scenes footage we didn't have to try hard to capture the emotions of our peers as they were engrossed by the games. I particularly remember Audrey walking out of the gym after Burris' second loss of the night, returning with more pep to cheer the girls on, and even getting frustrated when the Central team cleared the bench and blocked her view. Few of us came into this project with a great understanding of volleyball, but as the project moves along with us becoming more involved, we want them to come out on top more than anything.
Witnessing the dedication of these girls, Steve, and other community members to the team is also amazing in itself. I grew up in Northwest Indiana, which is a softball breeding ground. I began with t-ball and continue to play intramural tournaments, so I understand what it is like to be a part of something you love dearly and want to see succeed. However, I have never seen a volleyball following like this. The intensity of the crowd in Ball Gym on Monday was awesome, and reminded me of high school basketball games. I can't stop thinking about how privileged these players are to have such a great coach and program within this community.
Talking with the 1982 players who returned for the reunion also reinforced the whole community aspect. The women were so excited to see Steve again and reminisce about their playing days. I am extremely grateful to have spoken with some of them about their experiences with athletics at Burris and later in their lives.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Wendy Jones, who was only a freshman on the State Championship team, but had a lot to contribute. Jones went on to play volleyball at Tennessee and was able to witness how support for teams fluctuated throughout the country. She is also a mother of two children with a husband who coaches them in his spare time. Jones and I spoke about athletes in the news recently, Marion Jones in particular, and how they influence players today. She spoke a lot about the impact athletics have on our youth, and how important it is to present sports to them in a positive way. I was impressed with her knowledge on Title IX and feel she offered a lot of information pertinent to our project.
We are all very pleased with how well the reunion went, and we appreciate the time they spent with us. Hopefully, they enjoyed themselves as much as we did.
I also want to say thank you to Steve Shondell and Wes Lyon for their cooperation. They have been wonderful dealing with us, which probably isn't the easiest along with their already busy schedules, and we are thankful.
Good luck tomorrow night Owls, and stay strong during sectionals!
My first experience with the Owls was at Cathedral. Being an extremely competitive person, I was a little upset about the loss, but never expected to become this involved and attached to the success of the team. While Aaron and I were shooting behind-the-scenes footage we didn't have to try hard to capture the emotions of our peers as they were engrossed by the games. I particularly remember Audrey walking out of the gym after Burris' second loss of the night, returning with more pep to cheer the girls on, and even getting frustrated when the Central team cleared the bench and blocked her view. Few of us came into this project with a great understanding of volleyball, but as the project moves along with us becoming more involved, we want them to come out on top more than anything.
Witnessing the dedication of these girls, Steve, and other community members to the team is also amazing in itself. I grew up in Northwest Indiana, which is a softball breeding ground. I began with t-ball and continue to play intramural tournaments, so I understand what it is like to be a part of something you love dearly and want to see succeed. However, I have never seen a volleyball following like this. The intensity of the crowd in Ball Gym on Monday was awesome, and reminded me of high school basketball games. I can't stop thinking about how privileged these players are to have such a great coach and program within this community.
Talking with the 1982 players who returned for the reunion also reinforced the whole community aspect. The women were so excited to see Steve again and reminisce about their playing days. I am extremely grateful to have spoken with some of them about their experiences with athletics at Burris and later in their lives.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Wendy Jones, who was only a freshman on the State Championship team, but had a lot to contribute. Jones went on to play volleyball at Tennessee and was able to witness how support for teams fluctuated throughout the country. She is also a mother of two children with a husband who coaches them in his spare time. Jones and I spoke about athletes in the news recently, Marion Jones in particular, and how they influence players today. She spoke a lot about the impact athletics have on our youth, and how important it is to present sports to them in a positive way. I was impressed with her knowledge on Title IX and feel she offered a lot of information pertinent to our project.
We are all very pleased with how well the reunion went, and we appreciate the time they spent with us. Hopefully, they enjoyed themselves as much as we did.
I also want to say thank you to Steve Shondell and Wes Lyon for their cooperation. They have been wonderful dealing with us, which probably isn't the easiest along with their already busy schedules, and we are thankful.
Good luck tomorrow night Owls, and stay strong during sectionals!
Sunday, September 16, 2007
"Gone Fishing"
This evening I feel like I got a glimpse of just how good this project is going to be. Blake, Kecia and I went to Steve's condo to get some footage and an interview. I was super excited to see Steve in an environment other than the gym and I definitely was not disappointed.
The first exciting point of the night was that when we arrived, Steve told us he was watching game footage from the Ben Davis tournament. Kecia immediately seized the opportunity and asked if he would continue to do so while we filmed him. This provided some great insight into Steve's volleyball knowledge and his thoughts on some of the players. Also, we got to see the inside of his condo which is bare except for one wall that is covered in plaques, awards, and pictures from his career at Burris. All in all I felt like it was a rare moment to be able to get inside the head of a genius and hear what he thinks when he watches a match.
Then he took us out to the pond and we watched him catch a few fish. We were able to do an interview with him as well while he fished and I was really happy with how easy he was to talk to. My favorite part of the interview was when he talked about growing up with his dad and always being around volleyball. We got some great stories about him getting stuffed into lockers by the BSU team when he was a kid and about how he and his friends were beating the college club teams when they were in junior high. To top it off, all through the interview we had a perfect shot of the sun setting right behind Steve as he fished. We couldn't have asked for anything better.
Hearing the kind of stories and experiences Steve has had made me really excited about the project. I hope everyone else's interviews are going as well.
-Maholo
The first exciting point of the night was that when we arrived, Steve told us he was watching game footage from the Ben Davis tournament. Kecia immediately seized the opportunity and asked if he would continue to do so while we filmed him. This provided some great insight into Steve's volleyball knowledge and his thoughts on some of the players. Also, we got to see the inside of his condo which is bare except for one wall that is covered in plaques, awards, and pictures from his career at Burris. All in all I felt like it was a rare moment to be able to get inside the head of a genius and hear what he thinks when he watches a match.
Then he took us out to the pond and we watched him catch a few fish. We were able to do an interview with him as well while he fished and I was really happy with how easy he was to talk to. My favorite part of the interview was when he talked about growing up with his dad and always being around volleyball. We got some great stories about him getting stuffed into lockers by the BSU team when he was a kid and about how he and his friends were beating the college club teams when they were in junior high. To top it off, all through the interview we had a perfect shot of the sun setting right behind Steve as he fished. We couldn't have asked for anything better.
Hearing the kind of stories and experiences Steve has had made me really excited about the project. I hope everyone else's interviews are going as well.
-Maholo
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The First Interviews
Sept. 12th- Dr. McGee & Mr. Dawson
After spending my entire summer interviewing members of my hometown community, I can honestly say I was itching to get back into interviewing. My interview with Dr. McGee actually followed Aaron L.'s time with Mr. Dawson, and I feel they both went really well. My nerves had settled after learning my way around lighting setup and sound checks.
Both interviewees were really positive about the community of Burris as a whole and that kind of optimism is contagious. Seeing a group of people rallying around something so rarely seen in "society at large," in this case a girls' volleyball team, is invigorating and motivating. You want to do all you can for them and it's difficult to maintain the balance between objective documentarian and wanna-be member of this mass of positive energy.
I think it's definitely important for all interviewers/interviewees to give themselves time to collect their thoughts and settle their nerves. We've discussed the value of silence and good listening skills in class multiple times. It's amazing what you can learn from each other just from the moments you choose not to say anything . . . The hardest part for me in that situation is not shuffling in my chair. My biggest fear is to be the person that ruins footage with noises from the sidelines.
After spending my entire summer interviewing members of my hometown community, I can honestly say I was itching to get back into interviewing. My interview with Dr. McGee actually followed Aaron L.'s time with Mr. Dawson, and I feel they both went really well. My nerves had settled after learning my way around lighting setup and sound checks.
Both interviewees were really positive about the community of Burris as a whole and that kind of optimism is contagious. Seeing a group of people rallying around something so rarely seen in "society at large," in this case a girls' volleyball team, is invigorating and motivating. You want to do all you can for them and it's difficult to maintain the balance between objective documentarian and wanna-be member of this mass of positive energy.
I think it's definitely important for all interviewers/interviewees to give themselves time to collect their thoughts and settle their nerves. We've discussed the value of silence and good listening skills in class multiple times. It's amazing what you can learn from each other just from the moments you choose not to say anything . . . The hardest part for me in that situation is not shuffling in my chair. My biggest fear is to be the person that ruins footage with noises from the sidelines.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Adventures in filming
Kecia and I braved the halls of Burris on Friday when we filmed the photo shoot for fall sports teams. Before that began, we actually wandered the halls for a little while with the camera. That was an interesting experience. Put a camera on a bunch of 10-14 yr. olds, and they will have one of two reactions: Frantically wave their arms and stick their faces in front of the camera, or cower in a corner, hoping the camera won't catch them. And theorize this - it was mostly boys who hammed it up, and girls who hid. Whoever is logging this footage should be alternately entertained and annoyed as shots are spoiled. Or, we might find that people's behavior in front of the camera tells a story worth pursing in itself. This is, after all, why we filmed the photo shoot.
It's hard to say how much of the footage we'll actually use for our documentary, but we captured the team lining up and looking serious for the team photo, then figuring out how best to pose for individual shots. It's fascinating to film people being filmed - you notice all of the things that people do to make themselves look their best (or however they want to come across). We're dealing with that same issue in our documentary - trying for authenticity, when the very act of filming can change people. But at the same time, the story about how people want to be perceived says something interesting about them as well. I imagine much of filming and editing will be about trying to capture, well, "the true meaning of pictures." And much of the struggle will be to figure out what that is.
It's hard to say how much of the footage we'll actually use for our documentary, but we captured the team lining up and looking serious for the team photo, then figuring out how best to pose for individual shots. It's fascinating to film people being filmed - you notice all of the things that people do to make themselves look their best (or however they want to come across). We're dealing with that same issue in our documentary - trying for authenticity, when the very act of filming can change people. But at the same time, the story about how people want to be perceived says something interesting about them as well. I imagine much of filming and editing will be about trying to capture, well, "the true meaning of pictures." And much of the struggle will be to figure out what that is.
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