CSULB Visual Anthropology - Ethnographic Film Production Class

Our Final Class

2010-12-15T02:09:00.001-08:00

Our group still owes at least one more blog, so I better write one before we wrap up this semester. Tonight was our last class, but definitely not the end for our group. We will all be back in the lab next semester (and probably over the break, too) trying to turn an obscene amount of nothing but dialogue and floating heads into something that is intriguing and artistic and pleasing to watch. We all hope that we can do justice to this amazing story that we lucked into. At this point, I think our group agrees that it would feel wrong not to.

Next semester, I hope that I can be a little more fluid with editing and transitions. I pray that I still remember how to use Final Cut Pro when we get back. As for this semester, I didn't think that the hardest part of this whole process would be chopping up the clips, but I can't believe how hard it is to spend hours upon hours capturing things just to turn around and decide that the six hour shoot you just did was barely audible on tape. Admittedly, this whole filmmaking thing can be a little frustrating for someone like me, who had no idea what I was getting myself into. I'm used to doing things very methodically, which isn't really how filmmaking seems to work. There's not one clear answer, or even vision, so everything becomes trial and error. Science isn't really known for being subjective, so it was weird for me to try to create something with the mindset of how it would make people feel, rather than just constructing something that relayed facts and observations. I'm still unsure about how I feel about the manipulation of the audience (though the time in this class has made me realize that there really isn't a way to make something visual without forcing, or at least pressuring, your audience to feel or interpret it in some way). When things like lights or shadows can change the entire way you feel about the person on camera, its hard to know what's real and what you've been fooled into thinking is real.

All in all, this has been a really great experience, so it really wasn't hard to commit to another semester. If anyone has any ideas about interesting shots or visuals for our film, feel free to speak up! I would love suggestions! Hope everybody has a happy holiday, and for those of you not returning next semester, good luck and nice to meet you!

-Em

Editing and Paperwork

2010-12-13T20:58:00.000-08:00

The last 3 shoots Joe and I have done were done seperately and had been somewhat short filming times. Joe had filmed Slater tap dancing and B-roll, I followed with shooting for a little less of an hour of photograph B-roll, and finally, Joe filmed Slater walking and also an interview. Currently I am compiling an extensive list of Film Festivals while putting together the forms we will need for releases for Slater, Slater's friend in the black Mercedes and the cemetary we filmed at; while Joe is working on more ellaborate and detailed editing in the lab. All-in-all, it is very time consuming on both sides. We really hope to make this one heck of a film with all the neccessary arrangements for presenting not only in class but in festivals. Wish us luck!
Justina

Fridays Shoot

2010-11-08T16:44:00.000-08:00

After running into problems during our last on site shooting at Forest Lawn Cemetery, our latest on site shoot went very well. Papers signed, interviews successfully recorded, and we kept to the exact time limit set, it was a good day.

Slater, myself and Joe scheduled to meet with the owner of Utopia restaurant in Long Beach, Kamran Assadi, at 1:30pm until 4pm. I was on the scene first and started setting up the equipment, then Joe arrived and finally Slater. I hooked up Slater with the Lavaliere mic while Joe started shooting B-role of the outside across the street. Joe further shot Slater entering the restaurant. We set everything up inside and we got down to work.

First we shot a candid conversation between the two close friends, Slater and Kamran, shooting from several angles on the tripod and handheld as well. When the conversation became more of a personal nature and less about the restaurant as an art forum and the works Slater has shown there, we stopped filming and let the two continue. We next shot Kamran without Slater and Joe took the helm of questioning/interview.

After a brief break to get coffee and water, we resumed with Slater's interview. Kamran had offered a cold beer during the break, and can you imagine an anthropologist/archaeologist turning down a cold beer on a hot day? Well I did. For shame. But I digress. I shot the rest of the interview with Slater with my prepared interview questions and we wrapped it up, on time even. Everyone at the restaurant was very helpful and friendly. There were no issues with sound. All of our questions were organized and the shoot was a success. Gosh I hope I get paid for this someday. I think Joe would agree with that.

Colle, Friday Shoot

2010-10-31T17:45:00.000-07:00

Alright, so Emily and I ran into some technical issues that made it difficult for us to film this past weekend. There were new neighbors that were in the process of moving in to the apartment right above Colle's. It would of been impossible to interview Kelly and additional footage of Colle without the distraction of loud thunks coming from the ceiling. We were also limited to shoot in Colle's apartment and backyard, seeing as his son had to stay home and finish up his chores and homework. Since it seemed like nothing was going to work we decided to just discuss the new direction of the film with Colle and see if he wanted to talk about anything in specific. He likes that we want to focus the film on how people try to categorize him when in fact he is just an average person. Emily and I also got to discuss with Kelly what we wanted to interview her about. Some questions we plan to ask her for next Saturday was how she feels about having to explain her relationship with Colle extensively on a regular basis and her opinion on social norms about relationships. We have a pretty good amount of questions to ask the both of them the next time we go over and shoot. Emily and I discussed possible B-roll and clarified with Colle how much of his son we can include in the film.

Overall, we got a lot done and improved our rapport with Colle and his family. Next Saturday will be our final day of shooting before we start editing the film.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot that it is Halloween.

Happy Holidays guys!

James

Nashville: Part Duex

2010-10-19T00:40:00.000-07:00

Sharon's description of our Nashville trip was very detailed and organized (much like Sharon, actually). So, I will give you an alternate perspective, rather than a half-assed repetitious version of her itinerary.

From the moment we got to the airport to the second we landed back in Long Beach, our trip was nothing less than a frenzy. It began with Colle assuring us, as he took his third smoke break, that we had plenty of time to make it through security and onto our flight. As you may have seen in Sharon's post, he was wrong. Sleep deprived and panic stricken, we decided that we should stay with the film equipment (worth more than Sharon and I combined). Fortunately, Colle caught another flight (that somehow managed to break every known time and space barrier), and ended up getting to Nashville about a half hour after we did (which slightly repressed the nagging ulcers that were an inevitability for both Sharon and myself on this trip).

We met up with Brandon, a grad student and LGBT leader on campus, who had asked Colle to come speak at this "Hate Crimes Week" event at Mid-Tennessee State University (MTSU). Brandon was so kind and welcoming, he really epitomized the role of the "Southern Gentlemen". He showed us around Nashville a little, and took us to a really cool cafe where we were shocked at the friendliness and hospitality of everyone around us. Pretty much everyone we met was this way, and everything we ate was double-fried and smothered in cheese, giving the South what I thought of as a kind of grandma-who-always-stuffs-you-full-of-cookies-and-tells-you-you're-special-kind-of-feeling.

Sharon wanted to make an attempt at shooting a little footage from the car, but I don't think we had much success. That said, our crash course in camera work was very beneficial. I think I might challenge James to a tri-pod centering dual, as I can now get that awful bubble dead center in less than ten seconds. Great success! We got some sub-par footage at a mall before Colle's speech that consisted of really great material and really crappy traffic sounds possibly ruining precious emotional moments that could have made for great footage.

Colle's actual speech gave us a pretty great set-up from a film standpoint. The room was quiet and well-lit, and we were able to stay really close to Colle. Sharon was pretty upset about the mic on Colle's shirt being visible, but I think she's not giving herself enough credit. With only two of us to set-up and film, and the very limited amount of time we had to make all of this happen, it is nothing short of a miracle that we got so much done. Sharon's organization and unparalleled mothering skills (which I cannot even begin to praise in terms of getting Colle to walk away from his kitten-friend and actually go where he needed to be to give us usable shots) made everything so much easier. I think we complimented each other really well on this trip. Sharon's scheduling and attention to detail kept us moving in the right direction (and constantly moving, at that), and while she was making everything happen, I (moving at a much slower pace) was able to pull in all the different directions and ideas that she had, and focus them on relating all our footage back to Colle's story and speech. Now, we're just hoping that the end result will be some really great footage! I got to do the camera work and visuals, which I really loved, and Sharon did all of the sound and mic work, which I hope she loved!

In the end, we got to meet and interview some really amazing people who told us about what it was like to be openly gay in the "buckle of the Bible Belt" and what Colle's experience meant to each of them. I wish we had had more time to set up those shots and talk to them, but we didn't start their interviews until about five hours before we were supposed to be back at the airport. And I really don't mean to sound cliche, but their experiences really made me realize how badly these stories need to be told. All of these wonderful, smart, friendly, kids were constantly surrounded by WWJD? billboards and messages of hate and disgust. It was hard to hear, but it made me even more excited about what we're doing and all of the possibilities that we have to say something really special with this film.

Sorry this was so long, it really doesn't even do the trip justice. More to come!

Thanks, Em

Tennessee

2010-10-18T11:41:00.000-07:00

This is my story of what happened on our trip to TN - good, bad, indifferent.

When I first pitched the idea of this film to Colle at our union meeting last month, I had no idea what I was signing myself (and my team) up for. Colle mentioned in passing that he was going to TN in October. I said, "Oh, maybe I can go with you." I didn't actually think it would happen.

Fast forward four weeks:

10.13.10 4am. My alarm goes off.
I have spent all week either lying on the couch with a fever or buzzing around preparing for this trip. I hop in the shower, try to feel OK, and get on the road to pick up Colle @ 5am.

5am Colle's house.
Colle is not ready to go. He is still packing, ect. until 5:30. We finally get outside and he wants to smoke. I usually don't let people smoke in my car, but we are LATE, so I let him smoke in my car as we speed to the airport arrive @ 5:45, at the ticket counter by 6am.

6:15am
After another mandatory smoke break...we are not getting into the security line. Colle says that he is going to get a wheelchair escort to the front of the line. This does not happen. The plane is now boarding. We should be getting on right now, but we stay with him. Emily and I get through security but because Colle requires special procedure to get through security because of his disability, he does not. As they are closing the door on the plane, a flight attendant announces from the front that Colle will not be boarding and asks us if we want to get off the plane. Our hearts pounding, we choose to stay on with the equipment. The 2 hours of sleep I was hoping to get were hijacked by fear, anger, and heavy prayer.

layover in Denver
Got a text from Colle. He is going to take a direct flight from LAX and land almost the same time we do. I can comfortably sleep the next 1.25 hours until we get to Nashville.

Nashville 2pm
Get out luggage (hallelujah, it's here, not broken)
Get the rental car (an upgrade to a big 'ol impala....nice!)
Get Brandon (our contact/guide in TN)
Get Colle

3:30pm
In a torrential downpour, we follow Brandon to a cafe so we can eat and Colle can email some work that is due.

4:30 Emily & I head to our hotel to check in while Colle attends a closed meeting.

8:30pm
We arrive to meet Colle & Brandon at Colle's hotel to go to a function at the school. We get there and wait for Brandon to arrive back from wal-mart with kitten supplies. Colle found a kitten in the bushes outside the hotel and has taken it to his room.

9:30pm
We arrive at MTSU (Mid Tennesee State Uni) and set up quickly in the hallway outside the room where the event is being held.
After the film (Boys don't cry) ends, we enter quickly and shoot from the back of the room. Brandon introduces Colle and Colle says a few words about his upcoming talk. We continue filming as Colle has conversations with several students.

10pm
Pack up, Get white castle, take Colle back to his hotel.

11pm
arrive at hotel, bring eqipt. to room, sleep.

9am
Overslept an hour, running late.
Grab coffee/food, get to Colle's hotel.
Film Colle with kitten which he has already grown very attached.

10am
off to MTSU w. Brandon & Colle for a balloon release.
Film the balloon release, and get some interviews from students
interview the Dean of Diversity

12pm-2pm
Drive in circles going to 4 or 5 credit unions trying to find an ATM which will deposit Colle's check.

2-4pm
quickly eat something
Film interviews with Colle & Brandon @ Munfreesboro mall.

5-6:15pm
Bring Colle back to his hotel so he can spend time with the kitten.

6:30pm
Back to MTSU
Set up in the room

7-9pm
Colle's Talk

9-11:30p
interviews with students in lecture hall and then in library.
Colle & Brandon left to go to dinner.

12-1am
We went to "Breakfast" @ waffel house w. students

3am
check out of hotel, go to airport

5:45am
fly home

The Good:
1) footage. We got about 5 hours of good footage. (I hope)
2) crash course on how to use EVERYTHING.
3) experiencing TN. I want to go back.
4) New friends. MT Lambda is great.
5) I prayed. Alot.
6) Organization payed off in many ways. We (Emily and I) were booked, on time, on schedule, and on cue for everything with all the correct equipment. All of the equipment made it to and from TN in perfect shape, with the exception of one of the tripod zipper pulls that was cut by the bastard TSA idiots when they cut the lock off.
7) Thank you to my Android phone which kept us in perfect google directions everywhere we went.

The Bad:
1) I had bronchitis.
2) being sick, going on hardly any sleep, stress, being inundated with constant plumes of cigarette smoke, and having a panic-attack like reaction from my steroid inhaler did not make me a pleasant person to be around at times. By thursday afternoon, I was a fucking bitch.
3) No matter how highly organized I become, other people are not going to run on my schedule.
4) This was expensive. Very expensive.
5) I was afraid that we were not going to get enough footage.
6) It was a logistical nightmare.
7) There was only 2 of us to do a 10-person job.
8) at this point, I don't know what we got. could be great, could all be shit. who knows.

What I would have done different:
1) more people. I understand now why production crews have 483 people standing around.
2) more time. I would have gotten in a day early, checked out the sites and planned better so that so much time was not wasted.
3) One HUGE mistake I made - I put Colle's mic on the wrong side of his shirt collar, and you can see it through the first half of his talk.
4) The sound from the mall interviews is going to be horrible. I did not want to shoot in a mall parking lot, and would not do it again.
5) we have no B footage of MTSU
6) If I wasn't sick, I'm sure I would have been easier to work with.

Overall, I think we did a pretty damn good job considering how insane this whole thing was...but only the tapes will tell.

Shoot 1 Colle @ his apt. 10.9.10

2010-10-18T11:05:00.000-07:00

I would like to begin by saying that I feel very lucky that we have found a subject, Colle, who is so honest, forthcoming, and willing to work with us. We couldn't have asked for a better person to work with.

Our first shoot was a huge learning experience. The sound was good, the aesthetics were, well, not as good as the sound. Fortunately, Colle is willing to do the shoot all over again. Overall, the shoot went - ok. There was some good stuff there.

We got to Colle's house and checked out the house. The apartment is rather small and dark, so we chose the livingroom because it seemed to have the best lighting. We brought in some additional lighting via a lamp that was attached to a table, and put an undershirt over it for a filter.

The interview went long, but well. Colle is a great speaker, and says profound things all the time. That's just kinda how he talks. That is a definite blessing for us. There were a couple of serious oversights on our part that were glaring when we watched the tape.

1) Colle was slumped down in the couch. This made him look all squished down. Not good on film at all. He looked a bit like a turtle.

2) His shirt matched the couch. When we were there, everything seemed fine. When we looked at the footage, however, Colle looked like a squishy talking head in a sea of browns. No good.

The sound was very good. The apt is on a quiet col-de-sac and, once the door was closed, it was very, very quiet - seemingly silent. Emily did most of the boom work, while I asked questions. Towards the end of the interview, we switched places.

James did all of the camera work.

What we could have been better was:
1) location. The cramped apartment left us little room to move around, and the lighting was difficult.
2) Aesthetics. Hopefully, we will never make that mistake again.
3) taking turns doing different things. The cramped space made it difficult to move around, let alone switch places. I think that Emily and I should have taken the opportunity to do some camera work so that we would have had more practice before TN.

Free Yoga in Long Beach

2010-10-12T13:26:00.000-07:00

Hello Visual Anthropology Class! Here's a little update on our progress so far. For the past year or so, Stacie, Julia, and I (Lauren) have been casually attending the Free Yoga classes offered at Bluff Park in Long Beach, at the corner of Ocean and Junipero. We initially heard about this program through Cassandra, a fellow graduate student, as it is her thesis research site. We began our film-related research in earnest in September, communicating with Cassandra as our "gatekeeper" to the community, and quickly making contact with other key community figures. So far, we have conducted one (long and informative) interview with Cassandra and have a few more scheduled for these coming weeks. In particular, we are looking forward to our interview with Dharma, the creator of free yoga, which is scheduled for this coming Saturday the 16th.

Today, I am working on editing our hour-long interview with Cassandra, and some footage of a Free Yoga class session. In addition to this, I'm working on our shot list of shots we'll need for cut-aways to use in conjunction with Cassandra's interview audio. She was a great interviewee--as a participant-observer herself, she was keen to describe the community in a way that was both objective and self-reflective. By re-examining her interview, it will help us with our interview questions for Dharma on Saturday and future interviewees.

We plan to complete most of our shooting in the coming weeks, while the weather is still nice and pleasant. Having experienced shooting outdoors through the fall, the weather can turn quickly and it is important to be ahead of the game. We are hoping that this semester we will also have the opportunity to complete a few indoor interview shoots with informants, in order to practice lighting techniques we learned this semester in our session with Tin.

We are looking forward to a semester of opportunities to explore the key questions of: What is Free Yoga? Who is Free Yoga? And, what effect has Free Yoga had on the community since its inception three years ago?

Slater day 3

2010-10-09T12:38:00.000-07:00

I called Slater on Friday to tell here what I wanted to film. I told her I wanted her to continue with her day as if I wasn't going to be there. She said she would be taking a nap. We laughed.

When I arrived she looked tired and said that she had had a long day. I got the camera out and told her that we would skip using the lav mic today. It usually is an ordeal to get it on her where it will be out of sight, then if it moves out of position we have to stop and readjust it. I didn't want to exhaust Slater.

There were painters painting the outside of her house which I thought was great. I even asked them if they wouldn't mind if I accidentally got them on camera and they said they wouldn't. Inside Slater moved into the living room and then said "well wait, do you want to go to the studio because the painters are making too much noise?" I told her that I didn't.

This was very telling. The idea of this shoot was that I film Slater doing what she would normally be doing. Since that was taking a nap, we had a problem. She was making stuff up for me. She took 2 things from the her do list and placed them in that time slot, 3-5, the time that I would be there. She does like to work with me, whether she likes my company or she likes being filmed or both I'm not sure. I don't mind reordering the schedule of her to do list. But I definitely didn't want her to go somewhere were she normally wouldn't work because she was worried about the sound I would be picking up. That would make us twice removed from what she would naturally be doing, on a day that I wanted to get observational footage!

We continued shooting her at an desk in her living room. Everything went well and after she got to folding roses out of pages she had taken from the bible it was obvious she was doing what she wanted to be doing in that moment. She was lost in her art. From there, she went out to the studio, I followed her and had taken off my shoes so my feet would have a lesser chance of being picked up by the mic. ( I hope that shot works out.)

In her studio I asked her a few questions and once I even asked her to repeat what she had just said because the mic was not aimed in her direction. I also had her stand in place for a minute while I got a different angle. I had wanted to stay in observational mode but had no problem jumping out of that in order to tell the story.

We finished at 4:20 and I think it was an efficient and productive day.

First Day of Filming

2010-10-08T21:07:00.000-07:00

The first day of filming between myself (Justina) and Joe on Thursday, October 7, 2010 went pretty smoothly considering a few small things. Joe had begun filming the last week of September and I followed up by watching parts of that interview. I realized how incredible Slater is; I couldn't wait for the first day of filming.

Joe and I set up inside due to the sun and airplanes shortly after I arrived. We thought Slater, our interviewee, would be comfortable and in good light sitting on her couch and we continued setting up the equipment. However, the back light was a bit too bright, we needed more light on her face. Our tripod was one to be desired as well due to its lack of certain abilities: 1. does not lock at lower levels/no lower level settings, 2. the legs are loose and do not stay put, and 3. the grips or feet do not work/they slide. We need to get "sand bags" the ones with handles to place at the base of each leg when in use at lower levels. There also seemed to be some issues with the Lavalier Microphone but a little adjustment and it seemed to be fine. However, I would like to get a different material then we used to wrap around the base of the microphone.

These were all easily remedied things. Joe found a wonderful box top that happened to be silver on one side and white on the other; it was perfect. While the sun was at its brightest we used the white side as the silver was blinding for Slater. As the sun dimmed the silver side made it seem brighter. It was a good thing. As for the legs, well I have hands. We finished with the tripod, Joe operating the camera and me with headphones on my ears, holding on to the legs. It must have looked like an interesting operation.

Eventually Joe went hand held and I sat, headphones on, with Slater's gaze directed towards my position. Both Joe and I asked questions that led the interview into different moments in Slater’s life; I used Joe's direction here as he knows more about her history than I do. We wrapped the filming after two and half hours, and made plans to contact one another about the best time to film during the day.

Joe filmed today, Friday, October 8, 2010. Unfortunately I could not attend, but will be filming the next time around whenever all of our schedules meet up, most likely this coming Tuesday morning. I am expecting lighting and Lavalier issues which we will address prior to filming.

Final Paper - Cinematography Styles

2009-12-07T17:54:00.000-08:00

My final paper will have to be on my favorite part of film making - Cinematography. I have loved movies from the time I was a child and it wasn't really ever about the story or music. It was always how the movie was framed, pieced together, the lighting, the angles, etc. I was enthralled in the art of movie making. Tonight as I was looking for information regarding the different styles of cinematography, I discovered a documentary called, "Cinematoghrapers Style." It seems very compelling and I plan to watch it for fun and to help with my paper. The clip that I watched already talked about lighting and how it is the artists brushstrokes in the film. That light can create movement appear different, depth and also emotion or mood. All of those are creations caused by light... one of the scenes in the movie was a man holding a light bulb in his hand in complete darkness (except for the light emitted by the light bulb) and he was talking about this light and how important and wonderful it is for movies. It is something I cannot put into words but it really made me appreciate and want to master the beast of lighting. It seems as though lighting can be your friend if you learn how to tame it and manipulate it, or it can be your enemy if you ignore its abilities or function in telling the story. In just one scene I grew to understand the purpose of light at a personal, internal level.

Overall, I am excited to write this paper and to see what I learn in the process of writing it.

Ciao! Raini

Not sure.....But here it goes.....

2009-12-01T19:43:00.001-08:00

Not sure if im doing this right, not too tech savy.
I guess this is my first entry on this site, but i've already got two on my own, i guess. Anywho, Today Sarah started separating the footage that we have done so far. She started to piece together a shot of her pitching, so far looks likes its gonna be a good shot. I also gave her all of the pictures that i shot when we were at her games. She has some other pictures that she showed to me and told me some of her ideas for film that would include the still shots, so far I think this project is going to produce a really good film. That's my piece, see all you kiddies next time in the next episode of AS THE WORLD TURNS,er....... never mind, hahahaha, Later.

Filming in Modesto... dun dun dunnnn

2009-12-01T13:39:00.000-08:00

When I woke in Modesto, Wednesday morning before Thanksgiving I looked outside and saw all the lovely fall colors I had missed due to arriving in town late Tuesday night. I was very eager and ready to film. The colors and scenery and lighting was beautiful. I scouted around for some areas to do the interview and was thoroughly disappointed, due to the sound. The sound outside was really terrible and we did not have access to any indoor areas that would be conducive to a good interview on film. When I put on the headphones I realized what a noisy neighborhood Dave's family lives in.

All together I spent about 3 days trying to get something good outside but because of cars and wind, rain on one day and Dave, the interviewee leaving to Boston the next day, I couldn't get anything. It was extremely frustrating to say the least.

There was about a 3 hour block of time on Wednesday though when I shot some cutaway scenes. To my dismay, I ended up with about 1 1/2 minutes of film. My in-laws were shocked that I practically ended up with nothing by the time I stopped.

The next go around will hopefully involve either the wind cover for the shotgun mic or the soundproof room that Chase might be able to get for our second interview with Dave. We will also hopefully do the interview with Kyle, Dave's brother on December 12th when he comes down to visit us.

End of Season

2009-11-30T23:02:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was the end of the season for Bandits baseball…We will begin our next season in February. This will give us plenty of time to get all of the interviews taken care of and piece together the remaining parts. Due to the rain and muddy fields in San Diego over the thanksgiving holiday I was unable to get as much filming done as I would have liked however I started to draw up story boards and got an idea how I want to include certain parts. (pictures, interviews, etc.) In addition, the girl from the local high school team agreed to participate in the film and has tryouts coming up next weekend for the boys varsity team which I am still waiting to hear whether or not I will be allowed to film at..hopefully it works out!

2009-11-29T23:08:00.000-08:00

The first filming day of the women's baseball team was an education to me of how much of a novice I am in the world of film. I arrived at the field where Sarah was playing. She had brought the equipment for me behind the duggout when I arrived. I began setting up immediately but didn't know where the headphones were so I couldn't hear the sound. I asked Sarah when her team was up to bat where the best place to set up the tripod was. She told me for safety reasons I should stay behind the fence next to the duggout. The problem with this was that the fence was quite high and in order to avoid having a thick yellow bar at the bottom of the screen, I had to set the tripod up high and basically stand on my tip-toes the entire time.

Anything for the sake of the film!

Well, it worked okay, but when trying pan the camera to follow someone running from home to first I lost my balance the first time and totally screwed up the shot. This was the first of many not so stellar attempts to catch the action.

J.C. arrived about an hour after I did so he let me take a break and took over filming. By then, Sarah had her dad run out to the car to get the headphones and things were working a little better for us. We knew we should get different angles, but were a little weary of moving the camera to potentially dangerous areas so most of the filming (with the exception of the staged shots Sarah took before the game) was taken from the same position. We experimented with zooming and panning and as close-up as we could get but there wasn't much we could do from one spot. It was also really difficult because it was impossible to tell when something exciting was going to happen so we never really knew what exactly we should be filming.

At one point, the pitcher came back to where we were, frustrated with the way the game was going. He was shooting off all kinds of F bombs and curses. I had just put the camera aside for awhile because it was running out of film and I was kicking myself that the camera wasn't set up and ready to go. He said something about how he knew they were girls but they're "hardcore" and that they pee on the sidelines without using toilet paper. I asked him if I could film him saying all that stuff again and he said maybe after the next inning. It never happened, though.

We wrapped when the game ended and decided that Sarah would write a list of all the things she wanted to have filmed the following week.

2009-11-17T17:41:00.001-08:00

Interview

Despite all the challenges of the interview assignment, I had a lot of fun with it. Since Sarah lives on campus, it was really easy for us to find a first year student that we didn't know just by Sarah putting the word out through people she did know.

That was the end of the easy.

Finding a location on campus to film was somewhat difficult. We wanted it to look pleasing but also be relatively quiet. Once we agreed on a location, we had to figure out which angle was the best to provide depth in the background as well as the best quality of light on our subject. It was tricky to find the right place where she wouldn't be blinded by the sunlight and squinty and didn't have a bunch of tree branch shadows all over her face. When we found this angle, setting up the camera and the shot was a lot of fun. I recall saying, "wow, this is really a lot of fun!"

Our interviewee was positioned in as perfect of light as we were going to get, the shot was set up, the sound was ready to go, we were ready to start filming and--THESE DANG PLANES KEPT FLYING OVER US CONSTANTLY!!! seriously, every time one would pass, we'd hear another one in the distance approaching. During the quietest moments of that, someone would walk by on a bunch of leaves or a car would drive by or a group of people would stop and linger on in conversation. We finally began our first take and about halfway through, this group of people off in the distance began laughing super hard to the point where it caused our interviewee to start laughing so we had to do the take all over again. Again, we had to wait a long time before we found a quiet enough moment. (I believe this was where I recall saying, "okay, this isn't fun anymore!"

We finally, got through the interview as a plane was beginning to fly over again. We considered that as much of a success as we were probably going to get short of leaving town and shut the production down. I feel like our subject was an all right choice but I felt a little lacking in the depth of the interview. We didn't ask her any really profound questions or anything but I kept wishing that she would be more detailed in her responses. I found myself trying to get more out of her but she just wouldn't give it to me. Next time, I think I will tell my interviewee to please be as detailed as possible on all questions before we start rolling the camera, though it may be more of an age issue. I also didn't like my voice being in the shot. If I could avoid that in some way, I would prefer it.

First Bit of Filming/ New Developments

2009-11-17T14:48:00.000-08:00

This past weekend both Stacey and J.C came down to San Diego and we made our first attempt at gathering some film. With both of them there to man the camera, I was able to focus primarily on the game. After the game was over we decided to try out some of the staged shots I had in mind. Although I felt the footage looked good, I realized after the fact that there is a significant amount of background noise from the stands which could be a problem. In addition, although we felt that we had gather a significant amount of footage during the game, after I reviewed the tape, I came to the conclusion that all of the shots will have to be staged because everything is to far away to really get the detail and convey the emotion that I was hoping for.

As far as progression in other aspects of the film, I handed out my preliminary questionnaires/ interview topics to the players/coaches I intend to interview and I was also able to lock in all the other interviews I was hoping to get. In addition, I took some photos that I plan to use in the introduction of the film and was able to gather a significant number of pictures of other women from around the world. As a positive side note, I found out via facebook about a woman who is a seasoned veteran of baseball and was given the opportunity to try out for the Detroit Tigers minor league team. I contacted her, informed her about my film, and asked if she would like to contribute in some way. She said yes!! I think this will be an exciting new addition to the film!!

Next film session

2009-11-16T20:50:00.000-08:00

For the moment, Chase and I have decided to just focus on the topic of my film... since Chase needs a baby to be born to make his film. So, our next film session is going to be shooting some of the cut-away shots. One of the shots will be based on the family tree. To reflect this, I plan to start from the base or trunk of the tree and pan up from a low angle off the ground. This shot will show the tree from it's roots or the beginning of a family tree, to the leafs or the offspring of the parents. I would also like to implement wind and how that scatters leafs... just as Dave and Kyle were scattered away from each other by their father.

The shot I am most eager to do because it may be a challenge is filming all of Dave and Kyle's pictures falling to the ground. This will be the scene leading up to the title of my film; I still haven't discovered what the title will be. The pictures I will use are of Dave and Kyle throughout the years. I plan to tape pennies to the back four corners of the pictures and just drop them... we'll see if this will work. I am hoping so.

I am eager to do our next film session. I just hope the pictures in my mind translate well on film.

first shot

2009-11-10T15:35:00.000-08:00

First attempt at gathering some footage..not sure how well it turned out. Due to scheduling conflicts, my other film crew members were unable to join me this weekend. I have a friend down in San Diego who is a film student who had volunteered to help me out this weekend but he got called into work so I had to have my little brother/dad holding the camera for me since I was playing in the game. Honestly I haven't even had the chance to go over what footage they took so it could be amazing but most likely we will aim for getting some better footage next weekend.

First Shoot

2009-11-10T11:45:00.001-08:00

Raini and I shot her first section of interview with Dave on Sunday. All and all it seemed to go pretty smoothly. There were some sound issues with C-17 flyovers, motorcycles, and a short stint of vacuming but otherwise I think it went well. Raini was creative with the lighting and I can't wait to see some of the video up on the monitor. We got a whopping 55 minutes or so of interview, although there are segments of just waiting for outside noise to pass by.
I have managed to get a recording room set aside for us on our next shoot so that we won't have to deal with sound problems. The issue will then be finding a nice background because the room is set up for good acoustics, not good looks. I guess we'll just have to be creative.
I am contemplating dropping my project to go full force on Raini's so that we can have a finished project if this class gets cancelled, and am anxiously awaiting the decision by the school.

photos...

2009-11-03T15:46:00.000-08:00

For this assignment I set out to the baseball diamond in search of photo opportunities. My team had a double header over the weekend so I figured it would be a good opportunity to test out what some of my interview subjects would look like when photographed as well as to get some action shots. It was an interesting experience trying to be a photographer as well as participant in the games. I tried to get a range of different types of photographs and messed around with some different black and white shots. In the end, I came away with way more photographs than
I expected and had quite a task of sorting through all of them.

The photos I selected are of women in action playing baseball. I plan to use the photos I took in the film, however I feel that they may be more constructive in eliciting commentary from individuals who are not familiar with the idea that women do play baseball.

Bring the past forward...

2009-10-30T13:16:00.000-07:00

For our assignment with photo elicitation, I hope to use photographs that will bring feelings from the past to the surface. For example, my subjects are two people that never grew up with a father in their life - therefore, I plan to take a picture of a Dad holding his sons hand or playing with his son. In essence, an aspect of life that neither one of my subjects ever experienced. Another idea would be photos of the things that Dad's normally teach their kids - ride a bike, throw a baseball around, work on a car, or tie a tie. With these photos, I hope that Dave and Kyle will be able to free the emotions they have suppressed when I ask questions regarding what they feel missed out on. And it may be possible that they don't feel like they missed out on anything... they may feel like it was better without a father figure.

Another aspect of the film is the connection of lost brothers. The photos used for this aspect of the film will show what Dave and Kyle did growing up separately. To see what your brother did growing up when you had no idea he was around, would make anyone feel something. I believe if this "something" emotion will make the viewer feel what the interviewee is feeling as they speak.

I also would like to use photos of Dave's mom with their father and the same for Kyle. To see the person who raised you with the person who you never knew (who also helped bring you into this world) is very evoking. There are feelings of loss, of anger, of confusion and one feels as though their identity is missing a link. It's a very compelling emotion that can bring memories to the surface which tell a story better than our everyday, conscious knowledge.

This assignment will be something I plan to use in my actual film making process. I'd like to use this method to help open my interviewees up about their story. I believe it will be beneficial to all involved - me as the film maker, the subjects of the film and the audience who views it.

Raini S.

This is One Noisy Campus

2009-10-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

Well I thought the interview process went pretty good after we were able to find a "quieter" location on campus. It's amazing how much noise you actually block out during your day to day, but when you've got headphones hooked up to the mic you hear everything. We ran into generator noise, construction noise, air conditioners and of course the almost ever present planes. As Raini said, once we got set up and ready to roll we realized that we were in the midst of hurricane conditions and needed to seek shelter at once. Eventually we were able to set up with buildings protecting us from the wind but there wasn't anything we could do about the planes or the killer squirrel. All in all I think the interview was good and I am now certain that my film interviews will be entirely indoors.

Chase

Noise!

2009-10-26T22:49:00.000-07:00

Ok so this assignment was more difficult than I expected it to be for exactly the reason Raini described, the noise!!! Let me tell you about our adventure…To start off, Stacey and I walked around campus in search of what we thought would be a good place to set up as well as a good place to encounter freshman. Having several friends who are freshman that live in the dorms we wandered in that direction in hopes that one of my friends would introduce us to another freshman who might be willing to participate…It worked!! That was the easy part. Once we identified our subject for the interview we found what we thought would be a nice background outside the dorms and began the set up process. Mistake number one: The dorms- ridiculous amount of noise you can’t control…people laughing, doors slamming, cars driving by honking horns, people walking behind where you are shooting, crunching of leaves on the ground, kids screaming, parks nearby ,etc.

So after what seemed like forever of our interview subject sitting there waiting for us to be ready and having to explain to her that all the surrounding noise was overpowering when you have the headphones on, we were able to achieve what we considered as close to silence as we were going to get and finally got the interview underway. Yay smooth sailing from here right…no!

It seemed as if the very moment we got the camera rolling everyone decided to come out of their dorm, walk right behind where were we filming, laugh as loud as they could, smash all the leaves on the ground, and then to top it off, a never ending string of planes decided to fly over. Just as we thought the one plane was gone, although out of sight, another one could be heard far off in the distance. Frustrating to say the least.

In the end we finally got our interview completed…a bit shorter than we would have liked. I think our interviewee was tired of having to re-answer all of our questions several times. Anyway hope it works. See ya tomorrow.

Sarah

Oh the lovely CSULB airspace...

2009-10-26T08:57:00.000-07:00

For our first assignment in the art of interviewing we were asked to find a freshman and interview outside at CSULB. For this task I thought the biggest challenge was going to be finding the person. However, this was not the challenge at all. Our interviewee was easy to find... all I did was ask a freshman I knew to get someone he knew to do it for us. Easy! So now onto the actual challenge of the interview... you ready for it, drum roll please... .... .... sound! Oh sound, what a painful process.

If you didn't know... which I know you do know, CSULB is right along the final descent of Long Beach airport and let me tell you, when you have the headphones on listening to the sound quality you can hear an airplane coming from a mile away. And the sound that you're hearing from a mile away shows up on your film. It's incredible but also very painful and tedious waiting and waiting and waiting for that dumb plane to disappear. Not to mention that on a campus people are walking around talking on cell phones, scuffing their feet, and tapping their hands. Mind you, we did the interview on a Sunday afternoon but there are still plenty of disturbances around; i.e. squirrels attacking our young freshman... it was intense but we all survived.

The other more controllable challenge with sound was the wind. When everything was set up for our interview and we were ready to say, "Action"... we put on the headphones and noticed that a hurricane was occurring in our ears. The wind quadruples in force when the microphone picks it up and records it. Insanity... but even still, all we did was move to a more secluded location. Within the more secluded location the lighting wasn't as beautiful, the background was less appealing but at least we could hear our interviewee speaking without El Nino blaring in the background.

Overall, once the location was found and the questions were being asked the interview was a success... minus the moments of pausing while we stared into the sky watching the metal bird fly overhead, praying it would pick up speed and get the heck outta of the air quick!

Ciao for now!
Raini S.

What a Shell of a Guy and a Shell of a Time!

2009-05-12T20:35:00.000-07:00

It's been long, but it's been good... at least from my side of the screen.
This class has been an enjoyable and educational experience. I'm very glad that I had a chance to experiment with cinematography. I would love to explore my artistic side more in this way. Like others mentioned in class today, I may consider taking a cinematography or editing class at a junior college in the future to learn some more of the fundamentals. Somehow I would like to incorporate cinematography into my future work... whatever that might be :)

As for the film festival, it was really fun! Everyone seemed to love our film. The consistent feedback was that it was really good. As others have mentioned, it was exciting to see our work up on the big screen. Personally, I was very proud when I saw the things I filmed on the big screen, as well as the things Donia filmed. But to be like "oh I filmed that!" made me happy. The way Jessica edited was like magic. She really is the strand the brought this all together :)

The other great part about this whole experience has been our wonderful "star" Louis Sheldon. He was so willing and patient as we filmed and interviewed him. I'm so glad that he likes the final product (not that we ever doubted that). He plans to show the film to the Pacific Choncological Society in November. Steven wants to attend that meeting and maybe I will too. I would be very interested to hear the reactions of the other shell club members.

Our whole group wants to enter our film into festivals and see where it might go. The first might be the Feel Good Film Festival this summer as well as some environmental film festivals. We'll see what happens. It has been a great learning experience for all of us! We are so very thankful for all the help we have received!

And remember... be kind to your shell covered friends... for they might be someone's mother...... or someone's dinner ;-)

(PS they actually taste pretty good :P)

Afterthoughts...two

2009-05-12T17:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, well I just wrote a huge blog about my thoughts about the class and my thoughts about the festival, and it got erased. So, I'll keep it short.

It was a huge time consuming headache.

It was difficult going from no film, to a film we didn't like, to a film we were more or less happy with.

We got a lot of good feedback from the film, and even we asked to show the film in a Literature and Medicine class.

The class was tough and stressful, but it was a good experience. For a while I was considering not doing film after this, but after completing everything and having a finished product I think that I will continue and make more films.

I'll stop before this gets as long as the last one. Thanks to you all for your assistance, ideas, and critiques. It was a pleasure working with all of you!

Cheers,

Other anthropology departments must be GREEN with envy...

2009-05-12T14:46:00.000-07:00

Okay so the above title is my one attempt at some sort of pun/title with word play. I apologize. But really, I think we all did an amazing jobs on our films! I know everyone put in a lot (A LOT) of hard work and effort and it all paid off because there was not a single unhappy person in the theater on Saturday. Everyone seemed pleased (surprised?) with the films we all produced. I know I can't speak for everyone, but it was amazing seeing the films on such a big screen. Like Steven had said, there really is nothing like it.

For me, the best part of the evening was really seeing the smiles on the faces of our participants, knowing that they not only approved of what we had created, but had enjoyed being a part of our film from start to finish. I know my group and I all really did have a lot of fun making this film, and like Steven said on the first day of class, that by the end of all of this our group would feel like a family. It's a little sad that we won't be making another Lauren, Mike, & Nikki Observational Production. Or will we?

The time has come...

2009-05-05T09:24:00.000-07:00

We're at the finish line. Tin is making some final changes to the end of the film to show in class today, and I'll hopefully be in the lab learning how to use DVD Studio and making a menu. We're still trying to get the energy of the film to stay a little more upbeat and consistent post surgery. Tin wants to show me in class so I'll have fresh eyes. So, I'll be seeing it with you guys for the first time. Its kinda crazy that this whole project is coming to an end!! Now its just a lot of finishing touches and the project will be complete. Well, except for closed captioning, dvd case design, and other things that I can't think of but I know will have to be done.

See you all in the lab!!!

Facebook Event Invite

2009-05-03T11:51:00.001-07:00

I created an event invitation on Facebook for our screening. The post needs more photos and more guests invited. If you are on facebook use this link and add photos, videos, and "invite people to come" via facebook so we can get the word out.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=83461435613&ref=nf

Do a general "share" function to post the event to your profile so that all your stalkers will know where to find you that night. ;)

-Jessica

Vimeo and the Picture Lock

2009-04-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

Our group has been using the video sharing website "Vimeo" to post rough cuts of our film using password protection so that each of us can view our project and also get feedback from other hand selected people.

David Quon has begun writing and recording music for the film and we should be on track to send off a good draft to the AAA on Thursday.

We have continued to shorten our film. Right now, it's less than fourteen and a half minutes long. I don't even remember the three minutes I've cut out. This is a good thing, as I've heard that if you can cut something and you don't miss it, then it's a good thing it is gone.

The End is Nigh...

2009-04-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

As I'm sure all of you are about your own films, we're getting excited about ours. As you've seen in class, its coming together nicely. But, this weekend I did something that I'm not looking forward to doing again. Subtitles. It was only a 25 minute interview, but it took FOREVER!! Our friend Barney took great care in translating the interview. I took it and put it to the timeline, then he came and helped me sync everything up just right. It took 12+ hours just to get it on the timeline. I have no idea how long it took Barney to translate it, but he was our saviour. The interview with Maria is vital to our film. You should be seeing it in class today. It was a good experience though. Between that, collecting some B-roll footage, and Tin's stellar editing...I think we had a pretty productive weekend.

See you all in class!!

Another venue for us..

2009-04-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

SCAAN
Anthropology in Action Film Festival
Saturday Evening May 23

Open to students, faculty, professionals and amateurs!

The event will take place at the home (garden) of Leanna Wolfe
in the hills overlooking Cal State LA.

If you have a film you would like to screen, please contact Leanna at LAWolfe@aol.com

Collaborative Editing

2009-04-21T17:47:00.000-07:00

Thank you to the class for your constant input on the various stages of our film. I am indebted to your fresh perspectives as you have been able to share your opinions and reactions to our film.

This week is exciting as we will be meeting with our film music composer. Our film will be strongly enhanced by it's score.

I hope to get a really good version done by next week for our last chance to get class feedback before we have our public screening.

Coming Along...

2009-04-21T11:04:00.001-07:00

The film is coming along. Tin has been confining himself to his house and spending countless hours in the editing of our film (interrupted by the occasional bike ride of course). It appears to be taking shape, though it hasn't been easy. As Tin so eloquently put it, "Its like putting together a massive puzzle without a picture for reference." I've been working in FCP as well in the spare time that I have to try and gather footage for Tin's editing endeavor. Its looking like we're going to have something by May 9th after all.

In the mean time, here are a couple video clips for your enjoyment, or not.

Hmmm...interesting weekend editing?

2009-04-14T15:58:00.000-07:00

Jessica and I were in the lab on Saturday from 10:30-1pm trying to get work done on two separate projects that we are doing together. My purpose for being in the lab on Saturday was not to necessarily work on our Louis film, although I was going to help Jessica with some story development for it. My main purpose for being in the lab was to work on the after-school-documentary-filmmaking project we are finishing up for our thesis project. I was trying to create the DVD menu for our youth's films they worked on for the past 9 months. Unfortunately, nothing really progressed with our Louis film or our thesis project as Jessica's attention quickly turned to the issues I was having. Needless to say, we had some major technical errors including such words like "PAL", "not compatable", and "NTSC" when trying to import our kids' films. I spent 45 gracious minutes talking with Steven, and then about an 1 and a half talking with Andy from the 1.800 Apple number I called for technical support. We figured out the issue just as Tin was arriving for 20 minutes of work before Jessica closed VAL.

Steven has been kind enough to help me learn how to work with DVD Studio Pro. He also let me borrow the tutorial so I could do some more study on my own. It's a fantastic program and by all accounts, should be fairly easy (not to mention, enjoyable) to work with. I am very much looking forward to getting our Louis film to the stage where I will be designing a menu, DVD face design, and even some DVD packaging for the film.

There's a lot of work that goes into making a film from start to finish. I'm trying not to get overwhelmed with how technical things are, and how many small mistakes you can make that eventually turn into something catastrophic. Thoughts?

Visuals, and story, a Movie...Oh my!!!

2009-04-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

Things have taken a turn for the better in the last week!!! Tin has been working on some great visual sections of the film, and in turn, these sections have given us some guidance as to where the film will be headed. We have decided on a character to focus on, and how her story will put laid down (for the most part). All of our interviews have been logged and topics broken down into 24 topic-based chapters. Now it is these chapters that we'll be working to connect to create the rest of our story. Also, we've decided on the musical tone of our film. This decision has also given us guidance on how the film will be put together. At this point, it appears that music will be a vital part of our film. The musical dichotomy we have in mind should leave for interesting contrasts and compliments to the visual aspects of our film. We're going to be writing a good portion of the music ourselves, but also getting some duty-free music from online, and a friend of Tin's is doing an interesting arrangement of a well known Beethoven piece for us.

We're going in light-speed right now in hope that we'll have something great to show in the next three weeks! At this point, we are optimistic.

where do pirates get their veggies? gaaARRRRdens.

2009-04-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

Now that Cesar Chavez day has come and gone, we think we have the meat of our veggie film. This last weekend we conducted a post-Cesar Chavez day interview with Bella and she gave us more intimate information about her life that we might be able to incorporate into the film, we'll see in the editing room.

One interesting update is that because of the Cesar Chavez day celebration the OC Register took an interest in the garden and put an article in the Local Section last week. The article focused on why the garden is there and how beneficial it is to the community, sort of like what our film will be about. It was just nice to see good acts getting praise and recognition.

So, after reviewing the rough cut thoroughly in class and alone, we have a good idea as to what it needs to tie it all together. The film has a direction, but it might not be as evident as it can be, so by creating clear chapter type segments either by narration or text we will be able to showcase each topic covered better. We are also in the process of getting the final pieces that were missing, footage-wise. We are filming this weekend and hopefully that will be our final shoot and then can devote all remaining time to editing.

Experiments in Transcription

2009-04-08T08:20:00.000-07:00

Things are cruising along, perhaps not at the pace or direction we would like, but they are non the less. Well, actually things are moving along in a direction that may prove to be fruitful. Over the break I began the full transcription of out interviews. Lets just say that it takes roughly 8 hours to get through one tape. Multiply that by 17...no dice. Tin thus invented our new method and direction for the moment. In going over our tape logs, he pulled out roughly 17 recurring themes within the footage. Now, as we watch our footage on Final Cut, we're pulling out clips that correspond to these themes and putting them on separate time-lines. Hopefully this will reveal something to us, but if anything it will give us a very clear idea of what we have. We have ideas for some new interviews that could be interesting, but we've decided to hold off until we know what have so that we'll be able to expand on it and perhaps make something awesome! And from seeing what I've seen of the other films, there is already some awesomeness going on!!

Till next time race fans!!

My Experience as Cinematographer for Louis Sheldon

2009-04-07T16:09:00.000-07:00

Spring Break! Woohoo! Party! Oh, wait... nevermind...

2009-04-07T14:13:00.001-07:00

Most colleges have a time period known as “Spring Break.” Usually this break corresponds to some sort of Judeo-Christian holiday like Passover or Easter. I’m not really sure of the exact history of Spring Breaks throughout time, but I’m pretty sure they tend to serve three purposes: 1) give people time to spend with their families during religious holidays (not this year though, Spring Break came a little too soon); 2) give students a chance to blow off steam (method to be determined by student, I’ve never been to Cabo San Lucas, but I can only imagine); and 3) give students a chance to catch up on school work! Our group chose the later.

On Saturday, March 28th, our group filmed our first big Jerome Park Garden Event, the Cesar Chavez 9th Annual day of service. This was the most crowded we’ve ever seen the garden. Not only did we film the interactions occurring the garden, but also conducted several interviews with new and returning participants. Some of these new participants included a city councilperson and a state assemblyperson, both of which gave excellent interviews providing an outside authority on the importance of projects like The Grain Project. Other highlights of the day include an orange tree planting by the children of Cesar Chavez, other planting projects, and arts and crafts activities for the kids.

In addition to this marathon day of shooting, we also spent our spring break finishing up our rough cut and submitting our American Anthropological Association application. To be honest, this was a little bit exciting. This is our group’s first submission, and hopefully not out last.

Garden Party

2009-03-24T14:29:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, March 21st, was one of our group’s most productive filmings to date. Not only did we get some of those suggested wide shots establishing the garden’s space from Nick’s ladder (Nick’s VW van is a virtural Mary Poppin’s style carpet bag of items. You can find everything in there. Twenty watering cans? Done. How about a wooden-handled child’s size shovel? A full sized ladder? No problem.), but we also collected several valuable interviews. We re-interviewed Johanna, a Kidworks employee and garden participant; re-interviewed The Grain Project’s Co-founder Lara; conducted a dual language interview with a women from the apartments next to the garden; and interviewed Bella, a regular garden participant. Bella’s interview may be one of our best so far, as she was able to articulate, from a participant’s perspective much of what we’ve been thinking and feeling over the best few months.

In addition to our “fruitful” interview, we collected a solid amount of action footage. There were far more people in the garden on Saturday than what we are used to. Several new families from the near-by apartments came by, so we were able to talk to people about their first garden experience.

Overall, we are optimistic about filming this coming Saturday’s 9th Annual Cesar Chavez Day of Service/the Jerome Park Garden’s one-year anniversary (March 28th). We hope to conduct more interviews with garden participants and document the movement toward service, dignity, and community growth that this event represents.

“From the depth of need and despair, people can work together, can organize themselves to solve their own problems and fill their own needs with dignity and strength.” Cesar Chavez

Louis Sheldon Visits a Shell Shop

2009-03-24T14:26:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, our group had the pleasure of filming at Ferguson's Marine Specialties in Wilmington, CA. Ferguson's has been in Wilmington for over 40 years and were featured on Huell Howser's "California Gold" a few years ago. Louis visits this shop all the time. The founder Ralph, has been a mentor to Louis. Ralph's daughter, who is now the owner, is also a friend of Louis so we were excited to see the interactions and meet more people passionate about shells.

When I walked into the display room at the shop, I saw a small room filled with shells.
There where shells in shelves, in display cases, in baskets, in boxes and in decorations. There were shells of every size, shape, color and design. Along with shells, there were other marine specialties such as starfish, sea horses, and preserved sea life.
Behind the display room, there were warehouses of shells waiting to be cleaned (which they also have facilities for) and resold. It was incredible!
I have lived next to the ocean my whole life (in 5 different locations) so sea shells and sea life were an important part of my childhood. I had a small shell collection and did a science fair project where I identified my shells when I was in elementary school. Along with this, our house has always had shells and other seascape decorations in multiple rooms. When I saw the shells in Ferguson's I was captivated by the beauty and variety. I wanted to share this treasure chest with every one I knew. (After we left the shop, I called my mom and told her about the shells and if she ever needed any decorations, I knew where to get them.)
After being impressed by the collection, my second thought was how are we ever going to set up a 3 person interview in here with all these shells?? Luckily we had the help of Ryan (from the beautification team) to give his insight and suggestions. He and Donia set up a good interview shot despite the challenges. We had Louis sit in a chair next to Ralph and Lupe leaned on a display case behind them. In the background there were shells, which made an excellent backdrop. Donia and I set up our camera on a tripod and kept it at a wide angle with all 3 interviewees the whole time. Ryan moved around with his camera taking close up shots of faces, and other shots that looked very creative, which I am excited to see :) (THANKS RYAN!!!!)

The next big decision we had to make was who to mic? Since Ryan was there with his camera, we were able to have two lav mics and one shot gun set up. We decided to mic Ralph since he had the quietest voice and Louis, since he is the star of our film and we wanted him to always have a clear recording. I think this ended up working out, because Lupe talked loudly and the shot gun mic (which was pointed at her) seemed to pick her up clearly. The only thing that might be problematic from this set-up is some of the background noise. Right next to the interviewers was a fish tank and I could hear the motor running faintly in the background. This might be bad since Lupe's track might pick up that noise and she said a lot of good things that we probably will want to include. There is a possibility that her voice was also picked up on Louis' or Ralph's mic so we might be able to use that sound instead.

The interview material ended up being outstanding! Through the story of Ralph and Lupe we were able to meet two people who were also passionate about shells, but in a completely different way. Lupe kept talking about how her passion of shells came from within and it was something not everyone had. She loved shells because of the beauty (not science like Louis) and made crafts with shells. Lupe talked about the importance of hobbies in people's lives, including her own and her children's lives and how the hobby of shell collecting has been passed on to each generation. Ralph was quieter, but still some great things from the mind of an old man who has been collecting shells his whole life. We were also able to ask Ralph and Lupe what they thought about Louis and see some friendly banter and interactions. We talked about the shell club, the dying hobby of shell collecting, why people are interested in shells and so much more. All in all it was a great interview and a great day! I think it will be an excellent addition to grow the storyline of our film.

Pictures were borrowed from Ferguson's Website - Thank you Ralph and Lupe!

The Film God's heard our plea's...

2009-03-23T18:17:00.001-07:00

I'd like to start this blog with a big THANK YOU to Dr. Schindler and to Krystal Long. Without the gift of their time, Tin and I wouldn't have been able to capture ALL of our footage this last friday. 17 tapes in roughly 8 hours, with no major problems. This has given us great peace of mind and allows us to breathe a bit. But, we still have a long way to go. We haven't done anything in regards to developing the film this week, but we'll start editing on wednesday.

I took part in a filming of the infamous Luis Sheldon (he's taller in person) this last sunday at Ferguson's Shell Shop in Wilmington. This place was cool, and challenging to shoot in!!! I enjoyed working with Donia and Rachel, and it was interesting to see how their interviewing style differed from our own. It was my first time doing extended hand-held work, and I will say that its difficult and extremely tiring. My right are was jello after the hour and a half shoot. It was overall a great experience, and I'm happy I was able to meet the one and only Luis, as well as the friendly owners of Ferguson's.

Louis talks about his life in Corona del Mar

2009-03-17T13:55:00.000-07:00

(an apology: I had great visuals that I found online to post but for some reason blogger won't upload any of the photographs)

Rachel and I were able to set up an interview in Corona Del Mar with Louis this past Saturday. We have been doing our best to listen to Steven's criticisms concerning the storyline of our film and its lack of depth. Our time with Louis definitely got to a level of depth (or preciousness?) we were hoping for.

We listened to Louis as he defined success, shared his philosophy as an artist and how that translates to the rest of his life, how his artistic and scientific parts of his life clash or enhance one another, and he even shared his desire to find a special someone.

Louis discussed the part of his life when shell-collecting was an unhealthy addiction for him, his road to recovery, and all that he learned because of his obsession. Louis pinpointed isolation from relationships with friends and family as the most unhealthy part of his shell-collecting behavior. As Louis became self aware (and seems to continue to be self aware), he has transformed his hobby into something that invites people to be apart of his experience (i.e. shell club, Dad coming with him, not spending so many hours in his bedroom looking through a microscope).

Great words were spoken. I interviewed Louis while Rachel filmed and we haven't yet talked as a group about how that worked out for us. I am curious. We had about an hour worth of sound troubles as we were setting up the equipment. Eventually we got the levels on the camera in the right place and it sounded great in the headphones. We will be doing an interview at the Shell Shop this Sunday and will be doing another interview with Louis painting at the warehouse art studio he uses.

Praying to the movie gods.

2009-03-16T20:44:00.000-07:00

We have an idea where we want to take this film. From what our previous interviews tell us, most people seem to be jaded toward the idea of beauty, and feel that the only reason that they do it is because they feel that they have to conform to society's collective ideas of beauty. But, there is another side. Those who actually enjoy it, feel better doing it, and appreciate it's ability to make one feel better. This is the angle we hope to get from the LGFB program. We think showing the contrast of the two and how it seems ok to regain what you lost, be it by surgery or makeup, but not ok to add to what you've already got. But really, is there a difference if it makes you feel better?

But, there is a rub. Tin is in full production mode for his UCLA film until next tuesday. This leaves nothing to do but capture footage for the next week, but my free time doesn't coincide with the lab times. So, we're not really sure how this is all going to work out. We have three interviews ready to go when we can get to them, and a Look Good, Feel Better event at UCLA next Thursday. This event (if we get full access that is) combined with the new interviews, will give us probably five more tapes to log, capture, and edit. How we're going to shoot, capture, log, and edit it all in seven days is a mystery to me. Perhaps we should hold a ritual sacrifice to the movie gods.

Louis Sheldon: Storyline

2009-03-10T15:44:00.000-07:00

So we need one. For some reason the documentaries King of Kong and to a lesser extent Grizzly Man stick out to me as models for this story. But in both of those there is such an obvious conflict they are able to capture.

Until we figure that out, as the editor, I am mostly pulling out interview stuff I like that he says, rather than any actual events/crises/activities he participates in. I need something to drive this. The biggest points of conflict I see in this story as it is, is when hobby turns to science and when passion turns to obsession. Also the dying nature of the hobby, I guess.

Some encyclopedic references to reflect on....

Encyclopedia Britannica: "Shell collecting as it is understood today, in the manner of coin, stamp, and china collecting, is of more recent origin, reaching its apex in England during the late 18th and early and middle 19th centuries. This was the period of the burgeoning Pacific and China trade; new islands were being discovered, and the shells found there were first imported as curiosities, later as specimens for the collectors among the newly rich merchant princes. This period reached its highest point in the 1850s and ’60s, when shell auctions became a common occurrence and relatively high prices were paid for particularly rare and perfect specimens. There followed a period of relative decline, probably because many formerly rare shells suddenly became common as their haunts were discovered and exploited. Nevertheless, shells are so strikingly interesting and beautiful in themselves that the hobby was rapidly revived.

Most collectors tend to specialize, since there are about 100,000 shell species known. Some collectors limit themselves to particular localities. Such specialists frequently contribute valuable scientific data on exact locality and life habits of many mollusks. Some collectors gather only specimens of the single species of a shell that typifies a particular genus. Such a collection is a valuable lesson in taxonomy and evolution and gives an insight into the entire field of conchology, the study of shells.

The equipment of the shell collector includes some sort of tool to scrape away the sand or leaves; a knife to detach rock-clinging mollusks from their perches; a hammer and chisel to remove rock borers from their nests; a sieve to strain out specimens from shallow water; a notebook to record locality and ecological data; and a library of books on shells to aid identification."

Garden of Eaten

2009-03-10T13:20:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday afternoon was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for gardening. It seems the community agreed on the ideal weather conditions because the turn out at the Jerome Park Garden was higher than past Saturdays. We were able to practice hand-holding of the camera and we used the lav mics. We put our new skills to good work for interviews of the Grain Project founder, Lara, and one of the cutest five-year-olds on the planet, Malachi. The sound came in clean and crisp and we now have two layers of audio to choose from, so that went well.

We also reshot some of the shots that we realized had too fast of motion or the zoom was incorrect, or shaky camera work. We are compiling a lot of footage and are preparing for our big event at the garden (Cesar Chavez day). That day will have many more participants in the garden and will showcase the true good that the garden has to offer those who are interested. So, find out whats in the garden next week, same garden channel same garden time.

Look Good, Feel Better

2009-03-10T10:54:00.003-07:00

In our quest to find some sort of angel that holds some sort of intrigue, on the recommendation of a friend, I have contacted the American Cancer Society regarding a program called "Look Good, Feel Better". This program, run by the ACS, works in concert with cosmetic companies, professional salons, and Hollywood makeup and wardrobe houses to teach those undergoing cancer treatment techniques that can be used to help themselves feel more comfortable with their appearance as it is drastically altered while they undergo treatment. In short, the program helps to teach cancer patients how to beautify themselves.

This program functions on a base of volunteers and donations from cosmetic companies. Though the website appears to be solely focused on women, they do also help males, but only those under the age of 18 (which is interesting). I contacted the local ACS office and requested an interview, at first the woman I spoke with was into the idea. Then after emailing her, in which I made sure to mention that it was on camera, she declined and is now pushing my request on to the ACS public relations department in LA. Hopefully this will be fruitful and add much needed new life to our project. And to top it all off, LGFB is holding an event at the UCLA Medical Center on March 26th. Hopefully we'll be able to gain access and film this great event!!

This last friday we had a shoot with a man named Jeff. Jeff loves nature. So, in our goal to stylize our shoots and to create environments that show our interviewees personality, we wanted to shoot in a 'natural' environment. Since it was extremely windy on this particular friday, we decided to shoot inside Tin's house. I'll just say that it was a challenge to simulate nature inside a living room. Two hours, a plant, a green-screen, four lights, and a lot of adjustments later, we began our interview. This was the perfect example of how much work a team can put into an interview, and then walk away with a fruitless interview. Perhaps we're not asking the right questions. Perhaps something is eluding us. But we're not inspired in the slightest. Perhaps things will work out with the LGFB program and the film will take on new life.

We have a shoot at a barbershop in Long Beach scheduled for this friday morning, and perhaps something else will be scheduled for later this week. Till next time...cheers.

Current and Upcoming Production

2009-03-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

Last week we hashed out what really needs to be done to get the ball rolling and the movie on tract. Our meeting with Pro. Schindler was purely a positive experience, one in which our roles became more clearly defined. Bahati came up with a great production schedule for the next two weeks.

Production Schedule – First 2 weeks of March

Wed., March 4 (4-6 p.m.) Interview with Alison Diaz, founder

Thur., March 5 (4:30-6 p.m.) Interviews w/ Green Ambassadors Sara Laimon (Director) and Tyler Garber

Fri., March 6 (8-3 p.m.) 1st Period- Simeona working with Betty Marshall in main office
2nd Period Advisory- David (Ms. Mc Cabe ) Room 141
3rd Period – Shamms (English with Ms. Hill) Room 142
4th Period- Interview Ms. Frame Room 145
Lunch
5th Period- Tyler (History with Ms. Frame) Room 145
6th Period- Open
7th Period- Simeona (Dance with Ms. Grace) Room 133b
*Afterschool – dance squad practice

Wed., March 11 (4-6 p.m.) 10th Graders class trip to Joshua tree (11-13)
Interview with David

Thur., March 12 (4:30-6 p.m.) Interview with Mick

Fri., March 13 (8-3 p.m.) Filming all day—schedule TBA

As you can see yesterday, Wednesday March 4, was our first shoot in a couple of weeks. There were no students on campus during the time of the shoot, the students had a half day, this made a huge difference. The usual chatter from the students was absent making it easier to control audio.
Our first shoot this week was suppose to be an interview with ECHS founder Alison Diaz. Unfortunately she was tied up with administrative duties, she was in a meeting, and had to cancel the interview. Bahati and I made the most of our time by shooting some b-roll of the main office. There were a couple of banners we shoot, a dry battery drop-off station, and an article about the school.
Today should be pretty exciting, we have two interviews, one with Green Ambassador Director Sara Laimon, and a student by the name of Tyler Garber. Sara is a very exciting person and has a lot of knowledge to share with us. We should be able to get some great ideas for b-roll from this interivew. The second interview is with Tyler, I do not know much about this person, all I know is that Tyler was part of the auditions and is a Green Ambassador.

"People who touch the ground, live longer...."

2009-03-03T11:39:00.000-08:00

This phrase was eloquently put by our informant over the weekend at the Jerome Park Garden. Jose, a father of three, took his children to the garden for the second time this weekend. Our interview with him went very well and he gave us a true life stories about his father, growing up on a farm, and moving to the states. He shared personal moments of his life and expressed the importance of knowing about gardening and/or small scale farming.

Also, as a Santa Ana resident, Jose was able to tell us what it is like to be a part of the community and everything that goes along with that. The dialogue in the interview was very interesting and should make for great footage. We are also hoping to get permission to take a few shots of the garden from an interesting location. One family that frequents the garden live literally across the street on the second floor of an apartment complex. They have a perfect view of the garden and we really would like to get some footage of the garden from their daily perspective.

Our film is coming along and we are accruing more and more footage each time we visit Santa Ana. We have a few things scheduled such as an interview with Laura and also Cesar Chavez Day at the park which should really strengthen our film. We are optimistic and confident about the future of our film and are excited to complete it and show it to the rest of you.

Louis Sheldon goes to Palos Verdes

2009-03-03T09:56:00.000-08:00

Rachel and I followed Louis to Palos Verdes for our first experience to watch him dive for shells. Despite getting stuck watching kids in baseball uniforms riding in the back of Ford F250's for 20 minutes, and Rachel locking her car keys in the camera case located in the trunk of her car, the day was exceptionally gorgeous and we hopefully got good footage.

Louis dove with his friend Alex who is a biology major at CSULB - they know each other because they share the same fraternity. Louis is still involved with the fraternity as an alumni. The hike was strenuous for me with the camera (I'm not going to lie, I was really nervous I was going to do some harm to the camera), but it was even worse for Louis and Alex with their 60-70 lbs. of extra weight from their dive gear.

Rachel and I mostly captured action shots and what will hopefully turn into good cutaways - hooking up a lav mic to a wet suit for an interview walking down a steep trail with the final destination being the ocean would prove too difficult. I am interested to hear the sound captured from Saturday - it sounded normal in the headphones.

While Louis and Alex were diving, that gave Rachel and I about an hour to film our surroundings. I asked Rachel to get a wide range of seascape shots - close ups of craggy rocks, long shots of the distant cliffs, shells in the tide pools, etc. Two highlights for me while we were waiting for Louis:

1. I was sitting on a rock enjoying the view and looked to my right only to find a colorful crab peaking out of a rock crevice...I quickly asked Rachel for the camera and filmed the little guy for 5-8 minutes.

2. There were 4 fishermen on the rocks we were filming from so I struck up conversation with them - one fishermen explained to me that he considers himself a hunter more than a fisherman because it is only in the off season that he fishes. His largest game he has hunted was a 600 lb. bear! If only we could make another documentary.

When the boys popped up out of the water, I got exciting footage of Louis almost being pounded into the rocks as he was coming ashore. It helped that on the climb back up the trail the boys needed resting points - that allowed me to run up farther and set up impromptu camera "stations" to capture their ascent on film. Once they reached the top of the cliff, Louis and Alex talked about the different world that only exists under water, how life is vibrant and all over, what they fear most when under water. Alex has an underwater camera and will be sending us photos and videos of their underwater dives together. All in all, a successful and beautiful filming experience.

Revamping Beauty

2009-03-02T22:31:00.000-08:00

After our meeting with Prof Schindler last week, we've come upon some obvious ideas that were eluding us before. We think the lack of a third brain has limited us in our thinking on this project. Its quite easy for us to get stuck in a rut of thinking with just the two of us. But, now we're going to be moving in a somewhat new, but not totally new or story revealing, direction. Since our subject is truly something that is linked to imagery, we're really going to begin focusing on the tools that create the way we make ourselves look. We're also going to start taking more of a look at the male side of things, as we, and Dr. Schindler pointed out that it's a bit one-sided at the moment. We have an interview scheduled for this friday, and hopefully more will work out for this weekend as well. The logging of footage continues as we're still chipping away at it. It seems the underlying theme of the production of this film is "Slowly, but Surely". We hope that the coming weeks will provide us with captivating, visceral footage that we can add to this project.

The High School Environment

2009-02-24T10:21:00.000-08:00

At this point, we are trying to focus our story more. We have chosen 4 students to follow and schedule our shoot dates around. We are hoping that at least 2 of these students will lead our documentary. This feels extremely risky to us, because if for whatever reason, a lead student decides they no longer want to participate as heavily then our documentary could suffer.

After our feedback from out trailer, it looks like we still have a lot of work to do. We are going to focus more on story development and pay more attention to cinematography. There was also concern about the choice of music for our trailer. But as a group, we decided we wanted out trailer to have a light-hearted feeling with uplifting music. Should more dramatic scenes or stories arise then of course that feeling will be portrayed as well. There was also concern about the fact that the environmental part of this school is not portrayed well in the trailer. Our story is not just based on the fact that this school is an environmental high school. We have also agreed that we want to focus on the theme of community, and the impact that this small high school community has had on its students. Our goal is not to expose these students as not being as environmentally friendly as they should be. Each student has a story, and attending Environmental Charter High School is just part of it.

Production Schedule:

Thursday -- Student/Faculty basketball game

Friday -- Pep rally and school dance

Saturday -- In-home interview with a student's foster mother

Issues: The issues we are currently facing is being able to attend shoots as a group, streamlining the system of watching footage and capturing as well, and story development.

Shell Guy: Redefining

2009-02-24T09:42:00.001-08:00

As the semester begins to define itself and as we define our plans for production, our team is also redefining our roles. After some discussion, we realized that this film is not solely directed by one person, but jointly directed by all three of us. As the original director, I felt like I was playing a unique role because I was supposed to be "directing" but I did not form the initial story idea and I had the least experience film making. It made it really hard to "direct" when I didn't know what to do! So I relied a lot on my team members for help. As our filming has progressed, we realized that we were all directing different aspects of the film. It has become a very joint project and for this reason we have decided to all be co-directors and I will be the producer.

I am okay with this change, as is the rest of our team and our professor. The one thing I realized I did want different, was more experience. As "director" or now "producer" I did not get a lot of the hands on experience. I've been setting up shoots, making contacts and doing interviews, but I wanted to get my fingers wet with cinematography and editing. After some discussion with my film team, I hope to get a little more experience in these areas. I don't want to take over either role, but I do want to learn what they do to share in the knowledge and the experience, since school is for learning. (That's at least the reason I took this class :) )

It's difficult once roles are defined to change and redefine, but I think that is a life lesson. We can plan for one thing, but for whatever reason, often it doesn't turn out as planned. We have to be flexible and sometimes ask: is there anything we can do to make this better? When we realize there is, we have to readjust and redefine.

For the future - we will be filming this weekend with Louis. We are still working out the details, but we may do a dive and at the very least ask some good interview questions and get some good content for our film.
On a completely different note - I watched a beautiful sunset yesterday at the beach. When I was standing there, I noticed all these little shells around me. If nothing else, working with Louis has opened my eyes to the whole wide world of micro shells and has given me a greater appreciation for all the beauty of the beach :)

Insane in the MemGRAIN

2009-02-23T23:24:00.000-08:00

I spent some quality time with the camera this week, we filmed together as we strolled the busy streets of Santa Ana...we admired the architecture of the town....witnessed schoolchildren playing in front of beautiful murals..memories were formed that will be shown to you all in due time. In all seriousness though, our group got some long overdue filming done this week/weekend. We have begun to envision what will tell a story through images....We imagine a sort of stark contrast between the levels of the community and showcasing the fast paced lifestyle omnipresent in all of those levels. To really exemplify the feel of Santa Ana we will show disjunctive urban society and then show how community comes together doing community type things, and then ultimately community happening on a personal level (or shall we say GRASSROOTS level?).
We were able to conduct a few interviews this week and the information we attained from our informants will be very useful for our finalized film. We were able to interview two volunteers from KidWorks (a non profit organization also from Santa Ana focused on helping the children of the community), we also interviewed Nick Spain again. Our teaser critique mentioned a few flaws about the interview we used of his, hopefully this one will be better. We also interviewed some of the local children and got them doing children-y things. We also interviewed Dalilah, the sole proprietor of The Road Less Traveled, a sustainable conservation based store in Santa Ana. Dalilah also happens to be one of the three founding members of the Grain Project and has a great outlook on the Santa Ana community as a progressive entity. Her interview probably went the best out of all of them, we had conditions we could actually manipulate so the lighting, sound, and background were under our control.
All in all I think we are coming along and acquiring as much footage as we can and with more time available for editing we will be able to string all our pieces together and hopefully give you all a better picture of what exactly is going on in Santa Ana and the Grain Project and hopefully you will be as impressed as we are with the whole movement.

Keepin' on keepin' on.

2009-02-23T18:19:00.000-08:00

As of this week, nothing new to report. My esteemed colleague was out of town since Wednesday, and since we prefer to work on most matters of the film together, we haven't really done much in the last week. I received the suggestions regarding our film form Prof. Schindler, and have been putting some thought into what he said. He mentioned that we should try to stylize all of our shots to create more continuity. The shots that were stylized were the ones that we used unnatural lighting on. We'll have to get creative with our locations and setups if we're to stylize every shot from here on out. And of course, we still don't know where this film is going. Perhaps we'll figure this out sooner than later. Until next week...Happy Shooting!!

Making Sense of the ECHS film

2009-02-17T20:58:00.000-08:00

While filming at ECHS for the last few weeks we’ve been able to meet so many cool young people who have interests in fashion design, break dancing and even producing hip hop music. It’s been a great experience so far getting to know the students each time we visit the campus. With so many students to pick from I’m learning from the other film teams that we’ll need to narrow down who we will focus on in the film.
Right now it seems like the focus and potential story line is going in all sorts of directions. We’ve shot a few of the sports games and interviewed several students and a few teachers. We were even able to interview parents who have sent three of their five children to ECHS.
After watching our teaser with my classmates and hearing their feedback and comments I realize that we’ll need to really explore and develop the environmental angle a bit more. It’s there. We just need to start digging and asking questions that will spark ideas for where to go from here. As we spend more time at the campus and talk more with students, teachers and parents about their impressions of what’s happening there, I’m confident the story will begin to unfold and the feel of the film will start to emerge and become clearer for all of us.

"Do you want to know the #1 reason women get breast impants?"

2009-02-17T11:37:00.000-08:00

Things are moving along in our attempt at documenting the "Beautification" of Western humans. So far we've logged about half of our tapes, 8 of 16. And, we've created a simple, rough, teaser for class today. In going through our footage together, we find that there are moments in our interviews of absolute brilliance and revelation into our topic. Things that make us look at each other and say, "WOW, that is powerful". Its these instances that help us to push forward in the hope that we'll create a good film.

We've noticed that the playback decks don't communicate well with our version of Final Cut. It works, but the deck doesn't always follow orders. This may be due to our settings, but it may not. We're continuing to work on the issue.

Last weekend Tin had the opportunity of capturing some amazing footage of a liposuction and fat transfer surgery!! Our contact, Dr. J, has been nice enough to invite us into his clinic repeatedly to get an inside look and what goes on there. He was able to get a pre-op interview with a patient, and tape her surgery as well. I must say, its some amazing footage. The visuals are enough to get you, but the fact that Dr. J is talking about "Beautification" the whole time he's working is even better! He even gives a play-by-play of what it is he's doing.

Even though things are starting to come together, we still have a long way to go. Stay tuned folks!!!

Go, go Grain Project!

2009-02-17T09:50:00.000-08:00

We, as a group, are quite pleased to have officially completed our first extended, sit-down interview with a member of the Grain Project. We realized upon finally viewing our existing footage that it was mostly action based, which is great, but not ideal for telling a story. To remedy this we were able to contact Nick Spain of the Grain Project and have him sit down for an interview Thursday afternoon.

Overall the interview went very, very well. Nikki and I felt like we really didn't have to prompt him, or explain to him what we were looking for. Sometimes we'd ask him one question and he'd lead right into the next question on our list, without us even asking it! This isn't too surprising, as we had already discussed a lot of our subjects on prior field days without cameras. One particularly funny/heartfelt moment came when we were talking about why kids come to the garden to help and work. Nick went into details about how despite all the other options kids these days have for their free time (ipod wizardry, for example), they still come to the garden to help out.
Also, in a side note, about sound, the afternoon in a park is not the ideal time to conduct an interview, sound-wise. Too many soccer games and handball courts. People do not listen to you when you ask them (nicely) to stop playing handball.

Louis Sheldon Film

2009-02-15T15:16:00.000-08:00

I apologize that I don't have any images to show you from my time with Louis our shell collector this Saturday. Louis and his family were gracious enough to have Jessica and I in their home again to get thorough coverage of Louis' shell collection, Louis' enthusiasm behind a microscope searching for microshells amongst rubble (not rocks),

his shell research books, etc. I even captured some intimate moments with Louis having conversations with his bi-valves,

his two year-old niece, and showing his excitement as he received his bank statement in order to buy more shells...I think he was making a joke. Lucky for us, Louis also said he thinks our film has been a good process for him to think about why he collects, researches, and devotes so much time to shell collecting.

I am hoping to go with Louis as he visits his favorite local shell shop, Ferguson's Shells which also happens to be the shell shop highlighted by Hewell Howser in 2005 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dufQiX74WQ4) and owned by a shell club member, on a dive for shells accompanied by his father, and back up to the Natural History Museum for better club member interactions and cutaways.

Which reminds me, Rachel and I went to Louis' shell club meeting last Sunday - despite horrific sound issues that I think were resolved, I was so glad to see Louis in a setting discussing his adventures in shell collecting and research while getting some hard-earned recognition. It added yet another perspective, and admittedly for me, a legitimizing perspective on Louis' passion for shells.

Interview With Greenpires By Zuba Z. Boites

2009-02-10T22:17:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago "Team Green" finally got out of the starting blocks and began to shoot some footage. B.M and I have been busy at ECHS interviewing staff members and students. Many of the people we have been interviewing seem to agree that ECHS is more then a academic institution, it's also a community. Many students at ECHS build lasting relationships with their teachers and rely on them for emotional support, and everybody knows each other.

Shamms, a bright energetic 11th grade student, pictured above, who started at Lawndale High as a 9th grader describes her reason for transferring to ECHS. "Lawndale was not the best experience, I was a number not a student." She chose ECHS because of the class size, student teacher ratio. She found out the teachers are "friendly and funny."

Although content for the movie is coming in droves we have limited space to conduct interviews. I have encountered problems with keeping the backgrounds interesting. It would be nice to conduct an interview outdoors on campus, but there is too much noise. In the future we are hoping to gain access into some of the homes of the students and some action shoots to eliminate the talking head syndrome we have been experiencing.

As of now we have conducted one interview outside of campus with a former student who is currently attending UCR. This shoot was fun, but loaded with all kinds of trouble with lighting.
We had a difficult time adjusting artificial lighting to remove shadow play on the walls. In the end I think we adjusted our lights well enough to remove the shadows, at least I hope. Our next shoot is scheduled for this coming Thursday, we will be shooting a basketball game this. We'll see how that goes, until then I am out.

Roadblocks.

2009-02-10T12:01:00.000-08:00

Roadblocks seem to be the theme of our project. We keep trying to get great footage and set up opportunities to film, but little things keep getting in the way. Not having a tripod… not having a tripod plate…scheduling conflicts with the grain project... not having tapes… rain... technical difficulties in uploading our footage, and thus not being able to see and/or edit said footage.... I know I sound like a terrible whiner, but I'm not trying to, just putting it all out there. The good thing is we’ve made the best of it so far. Mike’s certainly had the opportunity to work on a lot of hand-holding with the camera (back in November/December especially). We've built crazy report (with each other and with our informants). This past weekend of filming was particularly frustrating at first because of the inclement weather, but we were able to rally and collect some good footage. Our scheduled morning interviews have been once again delayed (no lights or rain-free location in which to shoot), but were at least able to film in the afternoon once things cleared up.

The important thing is that we, as a group, are still optimistic about the prospects for our film and the need for our film. I think our focus for the next few weeks needs to be controlling our shoots and having a plan B. We can't afford to waste any more time.

Shooting and Logging

2009-02-10T11:17:00.000-08:00

Well, at this point, we're shooting and logging. Logging and shooting. Its become difficult to do this as our conflicting schedules make it hard to work on anything for a significant amount of time. We're slowly chipping away at our 14+ hours of footage. And as of this point, we still have no idea where this film is going. Not in any direction that interests us anyway. We're really hoping that a savior of an idea lies somewhere in our footage, and that we find it soon. Its difficult retelling a story that has been told countless times already. More to come in future installments!

Shell Guy: Production and Teasing

2009-02-01T16:05:00.000-08:00

Technical issues we have had: the tripod does not like to lock in place when the legs are widely extended and the camera does not like to zoom in very far. This has been a problem when we want to white balance.

Fun we have had: Over the break we did a full day of filming at a La Jolla beach on the lowest tide day of the year. It was great being in one of the many environments where Louis does his shell collecting. Today, we went to his house and filmed him sorting through previously collected shells. We were also able to interview his parents.

What the immediate future holds: I have begun to log all our footage, about 3 hours so far, and have done a first draft of a paper edit for our teaser. I will continue to do this today in between Super Bowl commercials and before The Office starts. My goal is to have our teaser completed by Thursday, so that Donia and her husband, David, have the weekend to record some music to accompany it. I hope you enjoy some photos we have taken during production.

-Jessica Steaffens

Shell Guy: The New Story - From Constructed Space to Collecting Shells

2008-12-09T20:50:00.000-08:00

After much debate and dialogue, our group has come to the difficult (but I think good) decision to put our nature film on hold and pursue the life and story of "shell guy." The nature and constructed space idea still really intrigues me. I would love to explore this issue in the future. But my group and I realized that the film idea we had was good, but far too abstract. When we tried to storyboard the film, we kept coming up with nothing. We don't have the time or skills to make the film we want to make. Our idea would take many hours of interviewing, exploring locations, and filming all to be cut down to a 20 minute film for this class. We could not portray everything we want to portray nor create a good story in 20 minutes, maybe an hour, but not 20 minutes. Since the Fall semester is nearly over and all we have is one interview with Shawn, "shell guy," and a few hours of nature footage, but still no story line, we decided to reevaluate the film and move in a new direction.

The first step in changing directions was contacting my other contacts at the parks. I felt like I was letting them down by pulling out my interest in their organizations. I still think they do great things, but that won't be our focus. I politely thanked them for all their help and said I would contact them if our film changes again. I shouldn't have been worried, because Darren at Partners for Parks was very gracious and just happy we found something to focus our movie.

Our first interview with Shawn went really well. We were cut off because his parents asked us to leave, but we were left with many questions and ideas to pursue further. When we showed our class pictures, they agreed that "shell guy" was really intriguing and they wanted to know. So just wait - you will know more :) We don't have a plan of action, but we will start by finishing our interview with Shawn. Most of the interview was in his bedroom, which is also his office space. We will do more there, but we also want to get footage of him talking about how he does things and sharing with us while he does things including sorting shells and hopefully diving. I am excited to start storyboarding, because I can finally see how a story can develop. We all plan to attend his monthly shell club meetings and hopefully talk to other shell collectors and learn bits and pieces of their stories and passions.

One of the biggest struggles I had with changing our story was figuring out the point. I don't want to tell just another biography of a random guy. I want something that will interest people, get them excited and make them think. We will start with Shawn's story, but I don't know what else we will encounter along the way. We might explore ideas about this specific use of nature, the story of a dying hobby (shell-collecting), the reasons people have hobbies and so much more. As we learn Shawn's story, I hope our story develops more so that Shawn's story can be every one's story. Everyone has something they are passionate about and reasons for it. I hope somehow our story will find those areas and help everyone relate to "shell guy."

Shawn's Favorite Shell

- Rachel

Impressed with your progress

2008-12-09T15:57:00.000-08:00

Hi All: I feel like I have bailed on you all, but I have had my prorities shift and have spend the last month and a half restoring a rental condo...which has gone from bad to worse as I have discovered more damage in the unit. (too bad I didn't pick this as a topic for my film...as I have some great footage of lots of rusty pipes etc.)

In any case I have been reading your blogs and I think you are all doing so wonderful with your projects, even if some of you feel you are not as far along as you would like to be. I think you are really making lots of progress. I hope to be able to get to calss next semester and see some of your work. In the meantime I want to thank you for welcoming me to the class, and wish you allthe very best of this holiday season.

cheers, Patricia

Grain Project: Bringing The FARMily Together.

2008-12-08T23:51:00.000-08:00

This Saturday morning was unlike most Saturday mornings I have known (not because I was up at 8:00 am) but because my group and I got to enter into the Jerome Park Garden and actually witness the great things that happen there. All the magic that mystified us into the direction we're taking with our project came quickly flooding back. When we arrived Dr. Nick Spain and fellow Grain Project-eer Shody (hopefully I'm spelling that correctly) warmly welcomed us and were ever eager and helpful to us.

We got there bright and early so we could conceptualize camera angles and possible narratives without having to worry about budgeting our time. We spent a good 4 or 5 hours within the garden gates, and I think we left with great footage and ideas for future footage. During those hours the two Grain Projectors welcomed neighborhood children, some who came with their parents and some who came with their siblings (all of whom have already been there previously). Lauren, Nikki, and I listened, watched, and interacted with the children as well as Nick and Shody and truly got a good feel of what the goal and message of Jerome Park Community Garden is.

Children don't just come to this garden because they have nothing else to do, they were upset that the garden hadn't been open the week before. The kids remembered which plants were doing well and were ready to start planting the next batch. All of these children came to get involved, dirty, and to learn. When a child was seen asking a question, the answer wasn't just given to them, Dr. Spain, having a teaching background, would try and get the children to figure out the answer on their own whether it be spelling "radish", reasons for having a rock in the bird bath, or what earthworms and other bugs do in a garden. This garden is serving many purposes and teaching the kids to think about nature in a practical way is a huge one.

The children seem to enjoy tasks that were surprising to even the Grain Project volunteers. While we were there we saw children weeding, shoveling compost, watering empty plant beds and other laborious tasks. These kids weren't forced to be there and were definitely not forced to do any of these jobs, they simply wanted to help and be involved. The parents we saw were also very happy to have such a positive outlet for their kids and mentioned how much better they view this kind of activity as opposed to video games and television.

The Grain Project has great optimism and I can see them accomplishing great things. They surrounded themselves in a highly urbanized area with low income housing, schools, churches, and a community center. They want to remind people that farming isn't going "back to the past" but rather "going back to the future" and how this type of living is beneficial to all and not just a past reflection of how we, as "urban-ites" lived. I, as well as my group, are very supportive of this project, not just because of film interest, but because we truly believe in what they are all about. As a way of giving back to our informants we will be contributing to a fund they are raising money for. They have monetary increments that allow you to sponsor a child or a family for a year's worth of gardening. We would like to see the Grain Project grow and flourish and are willing to get down and dirty to help and see the community benefit from them and blossom.

The Grain Project Blog-Lauren

2008-12-08T20:08:00.000-08:00

First off, I would like to agree with the blog below that this semester has gone by very, very quickly. That being said, I have a feeling the winter break ahead of us will go by just as fast, and we will be back in class, Tuesday January 27th for a new semester of old faces, and a new set of challenges.

The passing of the Fall to Spring semester is always a bit off-putting for me. Due to the Winter Session, those of us who aren't enrolled in a three-week course, are sort of in an educational limbo for three weeks. Now, don't get me wrong, I usually put these weeks to good use with vacations, extra hours of work, and new year's resolutions (that quickly fade).... but what does this mean for our films? I know we are not exactly "required" to do any work or filming over the break, but how can we not? I am terribly anxious about our film, working with an outside organization, and working with the elements. I am terribly anxious about taking days off of work (and the others in my group doing the same) in order to film and getting rained out and postponing the footage we need (for our pending teaser, film, etc.).

Despite my anxieties, after our first "official" day of filming in the Grain Project's Jerome Park Garden, I couldn't be more happy. Not only did we do some nice filming, it was a perfect day of participant observation. Yes, that's right, we worked in the garden too! I'll leave Mike or Nikki to talk more about that, but basically, Nick Spain, the Grain Project's agricultural director (and former anthropology professor), is amazing. Simply amazing. He, like any good anthropologist, tends to know everything about everything. I especially enjoyed what I will call his "walking lecture" on the garden's native plants.

2008-12-04T14:15:00.000-08:00

It feels odd that our first semester of the class is almost over. Its all gone by so fast! But, there is still SO much work to be done. Our first major interview went very well! We got a full tape (roughly an hour) of interview footage with a bit of B-roll footage for doing cut-aways. It was a long day. Up and on the freeway by 6am on our way up to Bakersfield to meet Stacy Macross, my friend and informant. Once we arrived at the house, it took us roughly an hour or so to figure out where and how we were going to shoot the interview. It took us some extra time to figure out how to shoot using Tin's mirror technique that he showed you all last week. It took a bit of work to get the mirror the right distance away from the the subject so we would have room to frame the subject in a manner that we liked. After that, we were off to the races!

We've gotten a green-light to film in Dr. John Walker's surgery clinic! The deal is that we will provide the clinic with all the footage that we shoot so that they can use it in whatever manner they see fit. This is much better than creating an entire separate film for their clinic. We don't have anything scheduled as of yet, but we hope to do a good deal of shooting once the semester is over and Tin and I have more time on our hands. We hope to be filming one of Stacy's botox sessions within the next month or two as well.

New pathways have been opening up for us on this project!! We're excited about where its going, we just worry about having the time to do it all.

Team Green: "Imagining" the ECHS film

2008-12-03T09:55:00.000-08:00

In thinking about how to best approach a documentary film on a high school I’ve taken the time to look at two documentaries on the educational system that Steven suggested.
One was called The First Year (2001). It’s about five first year teachers instructing in South Los Angeles classrooms at five different schools ranging from grades kindergarten to 11th grade ESL. In the film there were no formal talking head interviews or narration to guide the viewer and frame the narrative. The filmmakers did use title frames to string the teacher’s similar experiences together. For instance, “I’m having a problem with one of my students,” preceded the filmmakers showing each teacher's struggle with a student in their classroom.

The second film was called I Am A Promise: The Children of Stanton Elementary School (1993), which won an Academy award. This film centered on an “inner-city” elementary school in Philadelphia made up of all African-American students. The filmmakers primarily followed the principal who often complained about the lack of funding the school received and highlighted the faculty’s difficulty with constantly having to discipline the students while attempting to teach them. This film employed the use of narration and was filmed over the course of one school year. At the end the principal leaves her position at the school citing lack of support from the school district as the reason.
Both films gave me tons of ideas about what I like and also what I didn’t want us to do with story development and cinematography. They both grazed the surface and it appeared as though the filmmakers didn’t take ample time to get to know the participants. During interviews some people seemed uncomfortable or the off camera questioning seemed off the cuff and didn’t probe enough to get more thoughtful and in depth responses.
As anthropologists we have a unique advantage of being able to hang out, develop a great rapport with participants, take field notes and watch the potential for stories to unfold right before our eyes. And I think this was the element missing from the documentaries that I watched. We can get in there and make space for people to open up in ways traditional documentary filmmakers may not.
With the semester drawing to a close I contemplate on what kind of film my group will produce. We’re still in the stages of contacting teachers and getting their availability so we can start to make trips to the school. It hasn’t been an easy process. The issue of how to distribute permission slips to any student we happen to get on camera has been a source of frustration for us. Yet, we’re beginning to talk about ways to remedy that and still move forward with our project.
So, back to this issue of how our film will look and feel. Honestly, I’m not sure yet. After this semester I still can’t see the images we intend to capture or the type of stories we plan to tell that will come from the students. With filming during winter break and through February since we have to start editing in March we don’t have a lot of time.
As we begin to look ahead and plan for the upcoming semester we need to remember that we have methods available to us that can assist with getting at the stories we’d like to develop and can help us to produce a potentially meaningful film.

Nature and Constructed Space: Making Contacts and Making Stories

2008-12-02T09:47:00.000-08:00

It’s been a few weeks since I blogged for our group. I feel like a lot has happened, yet not much has happened at all. I met with the people at El Dorado Nature Center and went on a nice nature walk enjoying the “naturally constructed nature” of the center. I think that phrase is an oxymoron, but it makes sense to me, because I found out that everything there was planted, but some of it has taken over and grown on its own. So, the nature center was constructed and is maintained by people, but plants are given as much free range to grow as possible.

Anyways, the more exciting part about my trip to the nature center was the contacts I gained. I met a couple who has walked there every morning for 25 years. Donnie (my tour guide) told me that the nature center has been therapeutic for people overcoming illness and trauma in their lives. So there are lot of people that really enjoy and appreciate the nature and I hope to interview some. I also met the nature center stewards, volunteers who come multiple times a week to maintain the nature center. They help plant “native” California plants and take care of different areas. Donnie told me that all of these people have unique interests in nature. A couple of them have replanted their own yards with native California plants. Others are very knowledgeable about butterflies or another specific area of nature, kind of like our shell guy. All of them seem like they would have interesting stories to tell, but that leads to our group’s dilemma.

How do we take these different aspects of nature and tie them into a story? Can we focus on people’s “nature” hobbies and still explore our idea of nature and constructed space? Nature is all around us, how do we focus our filming so that it is not so broad we never reach a point, nor is it so narrow that we miss something? Finally, how do I, as a director, proceed forward trying to get these people to talk to me without giving up every day of the week volunteering just to build trust and a relationship so that these people want to share?

I can’t believe it is already December. Our film has so much great potential, but there are so many other things happening, I don’t know how we will get it all done… It still seems so abstract to me! I am hoping in January I will have a little more time to volunteer, film and do interviews, but we’ll see. Somehow, we will construct this film as naturally as possible to explore the issues of nature, space, and people’s unique stories.

Classic 3-Point Lighting - A Visual

2008-11-27T22:36:00.000-08:00

Key - Where to set it up

Fill - Where to set it up

Backlight - Where to set it up

Lights, Lights, Lights, Yeah...

2008-11-26T09:35:00.000-08:00

As I sit here at my desk this morning at Ye Olde Botox Shoppe (not the actual name of my office by the way…but sometimes I wish it were), I realize that with all the excitement of Tin’s lighting workshop, I completely forgot to blog on behalf of our group! First, I’d like to start by saying thank you to Tin. Your workshop was both fun and highly informative. Although we were all a little silly at times (I think we all had a case of the pre-Thanksgiving holiday jitters), I think we all really did learn a lot. Although our group doesn’t plan on doing any indoor set interviews, it is always good to have a little bit of knowledge in your back pocket in case the occasion should arise.

Also, I highly suggest Tin does researches getting a patent on his technology or a copy write on his idea for the contraption he showed us. You can do this at www.legalzoom.com, which provides self-help legal services. I learned about this site by listening to Joe Escalante's Barely Legal Radio (http://barelylegalradio.com/pages/index.php), which is a program at 9:00 a.m. every Friday morning on Indie 103.1. It is a fantastic source for information about the legal issues of the world of entertainment (film, music, books, etc.).

As far as filming goes, our group had its first day of filming in Santa Ana this past Saturday, November 22nd. This day served as our location scouting/ guerrilla filming day. Unfortunately, due to the schedule of the Grain Project, they were not having a community garden session that day. But, that didn’t stop us from driving around Santa Ana, filming Santa Ana signs, empty lots, Jerome Park (the large city park in which the garden is located), filming the garden (from the outside—the gates were locked), and eating some mango. Although Saturday served its purpose, we are very excited and anxious to get started filming INSIDE the garden and talking to people. Our first day for that is Saturday, December 6th. Although I love this rainy weather, I am keeping my fingers crossed for clear skies and good natural lighting on that particular day.

Visions of Post-Production

2008-11-24T19:29:00.001-08:00

I am very anxious to start editing. I feel like the more time we are spending in the production stage, the less time we will have for editing. It is hard, in general terms, for me to enjoy the process of being within a project, rather I enjoy completing projects at least 10 times as much. I guess I need to start seeing the smaller projects within this large project, so I can experience some smaller joys in the process.

I have a vision of many late nights in the lab. The colder the weather gets, the more I am filled with dread. I will probably bring blankets to try and cozy up with the computers.

While we are thinking a little about post-production, check out this royalty-free music that Moby offers for non-proft and student filmmakers. It's quite good.

Jessica Steaffens

Take your vitamins.

2008-11-18T22:19:00.000-08:00

I'm sick. And it couldn't come at a worse time. So, don't be like me. Take your vitamins and get lots of sleep!!! But all that aside...its movie time! Shooting cut-away/B-roll footage this weekend was an adventure that I definitely should have thought more about before I did it. I didn't realize how personal the topic was until I had ask random people on the beach if I could steal images of their purposefully-altered body and use them in a documentary that doesn't really have a strict focus, but only knows that it will, in some way, deal with cosmetic surgery and/or elective physical enhancement. I realized that I had to be very careful in how I worded my 30-second pitches to these individuals so I didn't come off as some creepy dude with a camera. It helped that the release form had "CSULB Department of Anthropology" written on the top, but I didn't always get that far. Many people who were willing to be filmed, became un-willing when a release form was mentioned. At that point, maybe they assumed that it was going to be published and broadcasted to the masses and didn't want people in Skokie, Illinois judging them. Not that the great people of Skokie, Illinois would do such a thing. I just thought it interesting.

Tin and I will be shooting our first formal interviews this week and weekend. Hopefully these will give us an idea of where our film topic will lead us. There are so many possibilities of where this film can go, its time we let the film, and our informants, take the proverbial reigns and guide us. I'm hoping that Tin and I can handle all of the technical aspects of our shoots with our two-person crew. I think that we can, it's just going to take planning and some extra time.

A good documentary to watch to observe how simple lighting and a simple background can create drama and tension in an interview...The Fog of War. Its a good flick. Great use of Dutch Angles.

Take your vitamins! Don't get sick!!! Turkey day is no fun with a fever!

scheduling conflicts....

2008-11-18T14:16:00.000-08:00

Lauren, Mike, and I are very excited to be working with the non-profit organization, The Grain Project. We really believe in the work they are doing and can't wait to start filming, interviewing, ect. BUT due to scheduling conflicts with The Grain Project we are unable to officially film at our "site" until December 6th (I am not complaining and I do not want it to sound like I am bashing this organization because we feel so lucky to work with them and we have all the respect and understanding for their obligations).

However, our 3 minute teaser is due on Dec 2nd, which means that we will not have any footage of our actual site. Sooooo, as the editor of this film I am becoming very uneasy about the prospect of editing the teaser (and creating a finished product that my group and I are proud to show) in a matter of, what, a day? Not to mention I will also have about 100 pages of other papers due at the same time. Hmmmm...we are definitely going to have to figure this out.

Are any other groups having any troubles? Frustrations? why don't we all blog about it......it's good for the soul.

ENVIRONMENTAL CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL PHOTO GALLERY

2008-11-18T14:11:00.000-08:00

Nature and Constructed Space: Filming, Fallbrook, Fires, and Finales

2008-11-18T13:04:00.000-08:00

Where does all the time go? This question seems to be at the top of my list. Time flies, and flies, and flies like a beautiful little bird that will never stay in one place for too long.

Fallbrook: Since time is such an issue for each of us in our group, we have chosen to be very creative about how and when we can film. Two weekends ago, I was in Fallbrook scouting and planning at my wedding location and brought the camera along to get some shots of “nature” and human development. It was great practice for me as I tried to capture landscapes, trees, houses, clouds, abandoned rod-iron wheels with greenery growing through it, tractors, wind rustling through the trees, etc.

Fires: This past weekend, Rachel took the camera to film while she was hiking in Chino Hills, only to find Chino ablaze like the rest of Southern California. When you do a film about “nature” and human development, it seems you can find a story idea in anything. Though Rachel was not able to capture the destruction of the flames taking their toll on our human, constructed spaces it got me thinking of yet another way to tell our film's story.

Finales: I watched the final celebratory episode of the iconic TRL (Total Request Live) last night on MTV. I am already someone who loves history, memories and talking about ‘the way things were’, so to say I went into ultra-nostalgic mode last night is a big deal.

As I watched pop music videos on TRL reveal its tiny history for the past 10 years (1998-2008), I was blown away by the transformation of style, popularity of artists, shifts, and movements of not only the music industry, but myself and the broader culture we live in.

Taking such thoughts of one, measly decade of change a step further (since I had 3 hours to think about it during the TRL finale), I thought about something our Shell Collector said during our interview with him on Wednesday evening last.

Context: the Shell Collector was discussing his presidency of the Pacific Conchological Club. Discussed at one of their recent meetings, there was an article that talked about the different reasons why shell collecting clubs have diminished in membership and why young people aren’t interested in collecting shells. Some reasons included:

restrictions on collecting live mollusks
kids are less interested in outdoor activities and more interested in video games
kids don't want to hang out with adults and grandparents
shell clubs are boring
climate change has led to dearth of shells in many places
life is too busy to have a hobby like shell collecting

You'll notice some reasons given have social roots while others deal with environmental changes. My connection between the finale of TRL and the slowly-fading shell collecting hobby was simply about "all things" having a life cycle.Eras come to an end, empires fall, babies are born, people get married, people get divorced, fires consume, plants grow, TRL ends, and Wii replaces the hobby of shell collecting for youngsters and families.

Career Day At ECHS by SZB

2008-11-18T12:54:00.000-08:00

Monday November 17th was a busy day for Team Green Members, not only did we deliver a successful proposal getting many teachers and staff members on board with our film, we also got a chance to make first contact with the students, by coincidence it happened to be ECHS's Career Day. After having a introductory chat with Sal, not myself but the Director of the Consulting firm who was responsible for organizing the whole ching-ding or chen-dig, which ever one you prefer.

Anyways there were many organization on campus to appease the environmental appetites of these young conservation go-getters such as Body Glove, Heal the Bay, The Department of U.S. Forestry, Smokey the Bear included, and most prominently (I hope that's the right word) Planet Green's resident "Eco-MacGyver"Darren Moore, co-host of Altar-Eco, which aired last night. Last nights episode, Green Teens, showcased ECHS Green Ambassadors Program.

The episode mainly focused on Jordon, a young female ECHS student who is part of a group of 15 ECHS students on their way to Costa Rica for a week to learn about environmental sustainability. The idea is to bring the knowledge back and apply it here in the U.S.

Back to career day, overall the students appeared to be really interested and were not shy about inquiring about specific careers and organizations. Although I did not get the chance to talk in-depth with any of the students about their experiences at ECHS I was able to get a few photos and names of a few willing and able bodies who agreed to participate in our film. Some day I will learn how to upload the photos so you can check them out for yourselves.

Questions

2008-11-11T23:21:00.000-08:00

It’s late at night and I’m toast. What is all this about, this topic of beautification? Where is it leading us? At this hour - I don’t know - I’m so tired I don’t even care. Ryan and I spent the whole evening preparing for our first formal interview. We’ll drive to Bakersfield to do it. What is it going to be about? What are we going to learn? Are our questions going to define answers? Are we defining the film by our hidden presence in it?
But the questions spill over the brim, endlessly, mercilessly.
Why are we fascinated by the topic of beautification?
Is it true that not conforming to norms of beautification is social suicide?
Is it true that we communicate by our looks?
Can we find answers to these question?
Who are we - we the filmmakers? How are we related to the topic?
No pictures yet, no film, just questions.
We can’t hide ourselves behind the camera. We can turn it around and the subjects of our interviews will be us, giving a dissection of a dialect of the same language everybody speaks: beautification. The observer and the observed is one and the same.

Urban Community Gardening

2008-11-11T21:21:00.000-08:00

As humanity progresses and "modernizes", it seems we start to lose that connection with nature that is within each and every one of us, its like denying our primal instincts. This could be due to lack of time, funds, space or other social or economic issues. At Tanaka Farms we were hoping to find people trying to reconnect with nature and understand better where food comes from and the process of it all, being so near their homes in Irvine and other Orange County cities. Yet, that doesn't seem to be what we found at all.

Luckily though, through some connections in class *wink* aka ;) (I can't believe I just did that), we got in contact with a group called The Grain Project.

What the Grain Project is is a non profit organization based out of Santa Ana which in the past hosted and organized a farmer's market. This took a lot of coercion of the city of Santa Ana and its mayor. After they were allowed to conduct their farmer's market the resources and funds didn't cover the cost, so they had to temporarily discontinue it.

This setback led to a new door opening which is a plot of land near Jerome Park (near an elementary school, a senior center, and several apt. complexes) that is a quarter acre in size which is all dirt. From this dirt Dr. Nick Spain and his key volunteer Laura have turned the plot into a community garden. Unlike other urban communal gardens though, this one is not rented or sectioned off to individual plots. The community is able to come tend any crop in the garden and is welcome to eat any of the "fruits of their labor" (see what I did there?).

This has lead to educating the youth of Santa Ana on plants and the growing of those plants. Also it has allowed for the older generations who might have small scale subsistence farmed wherever they lived before immigrating to Santa Ana rejuvenate their past knowledge. A bridge is forming connecting older generations to new ones and the connection to nature is being reborn and stories are being passed down while children can get their hands dirty and farm just like grandma and grandpa did.

We have yet to visit the site, but have seen pictures of the construction and first harvest (they've had the lot since March). It looks very promising, people from all age ranges come to contribute. The Jerome Park Garden is only open on Saturdays, due to lack of volunteers, but hopes to have enough resources to open more often in the future.

We plan to explore the growth of the garden and the community of its participants. Interviews would include The Grain Project administrators, kids, parents, teachers, possibly city council members, and other non-profit organizations. It is definitely a nice story which would develop into good narratives as we do our fieldwork documenting THEIR field work.

Nature and Constructed Space: Blue Planet and my love for Christmas

2008-11-09T01:15:00.000-08:00

While I enjoy buying dresses and snazzy shoes as much as the next person, I am mostly a consumer at Barnes and Noble. I recently purchased the documentary series by the BBC called the Blue Planet: Seas of Life to accompany my copy of Planet Earth. Needless to say, both documentaries are filled with breathtaking video.

Tonight, it seemed appropriate to watch Blue Planet since I have also started filming for our own documentary about "nature". As I watched what could have potentially been boring, repetitive shots of ocean waves (except that each shot was utterly captivating and would most likely be boring to someone who thinks only white walls are pretty to look at),

a fear crept into my mind. I thought about how even the most beautiful of locations can look flat, unmoving, and dead if the shot isn't framed/set up well. As a infant cinematographer, I am bound to make such mistakes...repeatedly. I do believe the the assured way to get better, familiar, and lucky, is to be filming as much as possible. If not filming, then at least remembering to ask, "Hmm...I wonder what this would look like if I were able to frame 'it' like this?" So that's my plan.

On a more philosophical note, I also watched A Charlie Brown Christmas tonight (that's why it's so late - and my roommate is telling me a fantastic story about Dinosaurs being alive in the Congo - and if you want to visit the dinosaurs, you need space suits because its too toxic).

As Charlie searches for the true meaning of Christmas, we are searching for the meaning of "nature". Charlie is unsatisfied with the seemingly self-centered and commercialized nature of Christmas. In fact, one could argue that Charlie is deep down, an idealist - one who hopes the world is different than it seems. Anyway, Charlie is lucky enough to have a prophet in his life named Linus who explains the true meaning of Christmas to Charlie. Somewhere in this film process, I hope we find a Linus who will simply explain the underlying meaning of humanity's complex relationship with "nature".

The "Culture of Beautification"

2008-11-05T17:09:00.000-08:00

Things are cruizin' right along! We've welcomed Nicole as a new member to our film family!! She's already proved as a great asset to the development of the film! We're really narrowing down what it is this film is going to be about! Its exciting now that ideas are coming together!

It looks like we'll be conducting our first formal interview next Friday in Bakersfield. We first thought this consultant would be a source regarding the experiences of botox, but this has changed. As it turns out, she has participated in breast enlargement, rhinoplasty, and mentoplasty (chin augmentation)! We're excited about interviewing her, as she'll provide great insight into the motivational factors behind cosmetic procedures, as well as being able to express how her thoughts changed as she progress through what we're calling the Three Levels of Cosmetic Enhancement. Non-invasive (laser hair-removal, dermabrasion, etc), Semi-invasive (botox, tattooing, etc), and Invasive (liposuction, breast augmentation, etc). The consultant has requested to see some of our questions before hand so that she can think on the questions and provide us with a better interview. I personally think this is a good idea, but that perhaps some questions should be left out as there may be certain questions in which we want to be answered spontaneously. And, of course there will be questions that will be spontaneously asked during the interview.

The camera.

As a photographer, I like this camera a LOT!!! I got the chance to explore it over the weekend, I must say that its a gem! Some of my favorite features are the on-board sound mix, and the focus ring. The sharpness of this camera's lens is amazing! This is a good thing, but it can also cause you problems. Its imperative to make sure you're in focus when shooting. If you're out of focus in the slightest bit, it WILL show.

"The Eyes Have it All"

In portrait photography, it is standard to focus on the eyes,as they are what express the most emotion, as well as sit in a good position to provide a good plane of focus so the rest of the face is sharp. The expression, "The eyes have it all" could not be more true. When one eye is closer to the camera then the other, be sure to focus on the eye CLOSEST to you. Here is a link to some basic portrait photography technical guidelines that may help.

http://www.picturecorrect.com/photographytips/207/better_portrait_photography.htm

You don't necessarily need to shoot so close that you can see the detail in their eyelashes, but zoom-in on the eye to focus, then zoom out to your preferred framing. I think these basic principles of photography can help. They certainly can't hurt. Just remember, that everything you do in regards to framing, focus, lighting, etc., guides the viewers eyes and influences how they'll interpret the image. I'm sure Steven talked about this, I just wanted to reiterate how important it is. If you have any questions feel free to ask!

Happy shooting!!!
Ryan

Environmental Charter High School

2008-11-04T14:47:00.000-08:00

Since our last post, we have been focusing on putting together some wordy contracts between the school and ourselves to ensure creative control of the project. We are also trying to figure out our approach to creating a symbiotic relationship with the teachers, faculty and staff of ECHS! Here are some photos to give you all a better idea of what ECHS looks like....

Personal Liability Insurance Info.

2008-10-29T12:52:00.000-07:00

Hey there everyone, I just spoke with my aunt about personal liability insurance. Steven recommended I blog this information.

As I mentioned in class, my personal liability insurance is tagged onto my renter's insurance, for which I pay $13.50 per month. For the personal liability insurance portion of my plan there is no deductible. Meaning, if I were to be out in the field with the camera, and, due to my own personal negligence, drop the camera off a ten foot wall, 100% of the value of the camera would be covered. But, if we were to have the camera, and another group member (or total stranger for that matter) were to damage the CSULB property, my insurance would not cover it. In addition, if the camera were in my apartment, and someone were to steal it, it would not be covered by my renter's insurance because I do not own it.

My aunt recommended that if people want this sort of insurance, it is more cost effective to tag it onto a renter's insurance or auto insurance policy (to just get in individually is about $10 or $11 per month--I think). She recommended people in the class to call their local insurance agent (State Farm, etc.), or, they can call her office to write up a policy through Driscoll & Associates, which is located here in Long Beach (technically Signal Hill). My aunt's name is Carleen Armstrong.

Driscoll & Associates

3150 E. Willow Street

Signal Hill, CA 90755

Phone: 562.595.5355

Fax Number: 562.427.6069

I hope this helps! Personal liability insurance is kind of cool to have. For example, if I were to be shopping in a store, and break a large and expensive vase, it would be covered. Another example my aunt gave was that if I were have a dinner party and serving a walnut salad, in the case of someone chipping a tooth on a walnut shell, their damage would be covered by my liability insurance.

Tanakatainment Photo Supplement

2008-10-28T15:43:00.000-07:00

Gail handing off the launch controls...

and...blam!

The corn looked suspicious...

Tanakatainment? First day of filming

2008-10-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

Mike, Lauren and I had our first day of filming at Tanaka Farms on Sunday 10/26 and I have to say...everything went pretty well. We filmed three interviews (one of which we will probably not use, but was useful practice for filming and setting up the interview shot and sound) and also a number of cut-aways.

We were all under a lot of pressure to capture footage that day since it would be out last opportunity to film during the "pumpkin patch/Halloween season", which may be taken down after friday to begin setting up for Christmas tree season.

One problem that we did face while filming had to do with the audio from the external mic. We had set up our interview, prepped out interviewee, and were ready to film when we discovered that the only audio we were recording was from the internal mic (and there was way to much external noise). After about 45 minutes of fussing with it, we finally were able to figure it out with the help of our interviewees father (who happened to be a filmmaker).

Another small problem we faced was that many people we talked with did not want to do interviews with us. The environment of Tanaka Farms is very crowded and busy, and many families with small children don't have enough time to stop and give us the time needed for a proper interview. We ended up finding individuals who were stationary. For example, out best interview was a father whose daughter was having a birthday party at the farm, which allowed him free time while the kids were playing and eating cake. Another great interviewee was a volunteer who manned the "launch pad" which shoots pumpkins out of a large cannon toward a target at the other end of the farm.

Anthropology News: March Issue

2008-10-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

This is from an email I received from AN. I just wanted to throw it out there in case any of you might be interested in submitting commentary on the topics they're addressing.

-Ryan

I’d also like to let you know that March AN will focus on the theme “Ethnography across Media.” Series topics will include (1) Multisensory Anthropology across Media and (2) Visual Ethics. If you are interested in submitting a commentary piece for this, please go to www.aaanet.org/issues/anthronews/callforpapers.cfm for submission details and guidelines.-

Botox Anyone?

2008-10-28T13:11:00.000-07:00

Things are coming along in the world of cosmetic surgery!! We've established some great contacts in the last week, and what was looking like a dry river of access has turned into a flood of information and willing consultants!! Hopefully this deluge remains throughout the project.

As of now, we have a woman who regularly undergoes botox treatments, and has participated in botox "parties". She is willing, and practically pushing for us to film one of her treatments in the coming month! She may also connect us with others who undergo similar treatments. Thanks to Patricia, we have a consultant at a local salon who is willing to give us an interview and perhaps give Tin a facial. Speaking of Tin, his hard work has put us in a great position to capture the innards of the cosmetic surgery industry! Through a physician friend of his, we hope to gain access to, and film a surgical procedure!! We'll be pitching our film at his facility this week in hopes of acquiring permission to document a tummy tuck/face lift/liposuction/breast enlargement/etc. procedure! There is also the possibility of a contact within a penis-enlargement office!!

Now we just need to narrow down our angle and pin-point how we're going to drive this train to make an interesting and personal documentary. I will admit, this class is turning out to be formidable. There are times when it seems overwhelming, and I'm sure its going to get even more so. But, I'm really excited to see what's going to happen in the coming months.

Nature and Constructed Space: First Contact

2008-10-28T10:28:00.000-07:00

Since our film is focused on the nature around us, we do not have one location we have been visiting to help us direct our film. Instead, we have been exploring different opportunities, organizations and people in search of a good story. From there, we plan on letting our story develop.

A few weeks ago while searching the website for information about parks I stumbled across another organization that formed for the sole purpose of preserving parks. Partners of Parks is a non-profit organization in Long Beach who raises funds to preserve and protect green spaces and provide recreational opportunities for people in Long Beach. I thought they might just be a good interview for our project, but I found out that they are more than just an interview, they are the entrance key we've been looking for to develop our story.

I met with the Executive Director and Senior Program Manager today. They were very friendly and very excited about our film on parks. Instead of doing the pre-interview questions I thought I would do, they gave me contact after contact who they thought would be informative and interesting people to include in our film. They told me about all sorts of people: the maintenance men who are passionate about keeping their small area of the park clean and beautiful, about a neighborhood called Rose Park who has an association to preserve the historic area and the small park in their neighborhood, and El Dorado Nature Center which was formed to replicate what the land use to look like and has fanatic volunteers and staff who tend it. I am especially interested in including El Dorado Nature Center in our film. When this park was formed not only were plants brought in, but rivers and lakes were carved into the land to follow the patterns of the California rivers. The Nature Center has many community projects, activities and volunteers that may be fascinating to include in our film.

Darren the program manager of Partner of Parks has volunteered to be our main contact and connection with the Long Beach Parks. He is going to begin by contacting the people they know at the Nature Center and arrange a tour for us to see the land and meet the people. He is also going to talk to the Parks and Recreation Department to find out what permits and permissions we need for filming.

I am so thankful for this connection with Partners of Parks and their support of our film. I am excited to see how our film develops with our new contacts and I look forward to the interesting people and stories we will encounter as we begin meeting people and exploring our sites.

- Rachel

Team Green: E-Skate at ECHS

2008-10-27T16:49:00.000-07:00

On October 28 and 29 the Green Ambassadors program at ECHS will be hosting E-Skate. One of the students was able to get skateboards donated to the program. Then, students painted environmental messages on them. On the days mentioned above they will be selling the e-skateboards to raise money for the Green Ambassadors program.

The address is 16315 Grevillea Ave., Lawndale, CA 90260

Call 310-940-1626 for more information

Team Green: Visiting Environmental Charter High School

2008-10-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

Environmental Charter High School (ECHS) is a small campus nestled in a cozy Lawndale neighborhood of single-family homes. The blue and white bungalows and buildings are decorated with inspiring slogans like “I am my own super hero.” In several locations trash, recycling and compost bins are brightly painted with signs that distinguish one from another. The few friendly security guards roam around campus and seemed relaxed in the alternative high school atmosphere.
Our group met with Sara who works with the Green Ambassadors program and has previously taught at ECHS for six years. The program team members share a small narrow office where they work and run the program. The Green Ambassadors program is housed at ECHS and teaches the required environmental course for 10th graders. Two of the team members, Gabriel and Sandra are paid by L.A. Trade Tech College, so when taking the course students receive college credit. Although Green Ambassadors is at ECHS they receive a lot of press for their program and seek outside sources for funding.
In our discussion of how to best approach participants for our film Sara suggested that we present our project at a Monday morning teacher’s meeting. Additionally, she added that it’s best to prepare questionnaires for the teachers to fill out so we can assess whether they will be interested in us talking to them or their students. This strategy can help with building relationships with several teachers, so they can feel more comfortable with us visiting their classrooms and working with them. Sara did share that some of the faculty felt neglected because their program receives so much attention. So, she suggested it would be a good idea to possibly focus on a department or particular discipline to assure that we get a well-rounded look at the campus and what is offered at the school.
As we continued to discuss the program and school some issues came up that we had not considered or even discussed as a group before the meeting. During our meeting Sara mentioned that they (the program and the school) wanted access to sound bytes from the completed film to use in other media outlets. They can be used to promote the high school as well as the Green Ambassadors program, yet we hadn’t worked out our contract with the school or program participants. They seemed excited about our interest in wanting to cover the school and program, yet I felt like if we as a group didn’t tighten up our focus soon we could possibly be persuaded to cover the stories and events that they viewed as important.
That was a challenge for me. Are we supposed to be crystal clear about what we cover before venturing out into the field? Will other stories and directions emerge while we’re doing fieldwork? I think so.
One notable moment that stuck out during our meeting is when Sara said that she had just gotten a phone call from an angry parent. She went on to tell us a story about how a parent complained to her about her daughter who she described as “self righteous.” According to the mother her daughter acted as if she was better than everyone else, especially other students that didn’t attend ECHS. The mother, possibly feeling like her power over her daughter was threatened asked Sara for assistance. But Sara didn’t know how to help her.
This kind of situation, students armed with new information and challenging old ideals, seemed to come up a few times in our discussion. Sara told us how many of the teachers at the school aren’t environmentally conscious and only chose to teach at the school because they offer a college prep curriculum. So, when the teachers make mistakes like not using both sides of a paper the students call them on it.
It would be interesting to examine that issue, how students are building a bridge between the environmental knowledge they get at school with their lives outside of school and with authority figures, namely their parents. While the students are being prepared to enter college and help to improve the environment their parents may be used to being the knowledgeable ones and may have issues with that relationship changing so rapidly. That maybe something our group can explore.

Storytelling

2008-10-26T12:39:00.000-07:00

I think we are all more or less in a place where we want to learn how to tell good stories. Current.com is a website oft-recommended by Dr. Wilson. They have a "storytelling section", including great video based inspiration from Storytellers like Robert Redford, Dave Eggers, Ira Glass...the Ira Glass video is especially worth watching. Actually at the risk of sounding too serious, watching this video in full will probably be the best thing you do today.

Jessica

Mead Film Festival

2008-10-22T21:44:00.001-07:00

With all that extra money in our program, we should think of sponsoring the Traveling Margaret Mead Film Festival at CSULB. The rental fees are $1800 for the full program and $900 for half, such a deal...

I don't actually know what would constitute a deal, but if I don't have to pay for it...well, I guess my taxes are paying for it, and my tuition. Hmm...maybe we should buy more equipment instead.

Free Screening of Four LA-Themed Documentaries

2008-10-22T20:33:00.001-07:00

So, this is incredibly late notice, but I just found out today about this screening on Saturday. These are four films sponsored by the same organization (California Council for the Humanities) that is sponsoring the Master's project that Donia and I are working on .

The four films are: "The New Los Angeles", documenting the city's recent political and social history; "The Eastsiders", about the historic Central Avenue area before 1965; "Chicano Rock", Jon Wilkman's film tracing the history of rock n' roll and Latino identities in East L.A.; and "Chinatown Remembered: Los Angeles During the 1930s and 1940s", about the creation of the first planned Chinese American community in the U.S.

These films will be screened for the L.A. Archives Bazaar at the USC Davidson Conference Center (3415 South Figueroa Street at Jefferson Boulevard) on Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm. I know this conflicts with the proposed Grad Student Mixer, but maybe we could go in the morning for part of it.

Admission is free, but parking is $8 (of course).

Schedule:

"The New Los Angeles"

10:30-11:45 am

www.californiadreamseries.org/nla.htm

"The Eastenders"

12:30-1:30 pm

www.eighthandwall.org

"Chicano Rock! The Sounds of East Los Angeles"

2-3 pm

www.wilkman.com

"Chinatown Remembered: Los Angeles During the 1930s and 1940s"

3:30-4:30 pm

www.chssa.org

Please let me know if you are interested in going.

The Blog & The Contracts

2008-10-22T10:46:00.001-07:00

I really am enjoying watching how this blog is evolving. Special thanks to JSteaffans for thinking outside the box on how to use this tool & for posting interesting images. Also, thanks to filmgirl, Mike and Suba for their recent interesting posts.

So far, we've seen posts related to the thematic development of our teams' films, thoughts on weekly assignments, information about artistic events around town, intergroup dynamics, struggling with difficult decisions the groups need to make & others topics as well. I really encourage each group to expand how this blog is used by finding new things to write about. I'm especially looking forward to seeing posts about your production experiences.

The thing we really need to push forward now is story-development. How are we going to push these ethnographic films from simple informational pieces to important and compelling stories that resonate with your future audience/s and the people with whom you are working? Remember the driving motivation to make a film - we are all Homo narratus!

Please feel free to post any random thoughts about the stories you are developing here.

One last thought. This contract issue is really fascinating. From our class discussion yesterday, it was obvious that the 'final-cut rights' are the greatest struggle. While all the groups want to be fair with each other and proposed an egalitarian approach (kudos to DL for employing anthropological parlance), in the end we were not so sure whether that was the wisest choice. Ultimately, each group will need to decide for themselves what works best. My own thought is that final-cut rights should not be shared as a collective. One person should have the ultimate responsibility. Hopefully, though, there can be some flexibility built into the contract as well. Maybe there's a way for the groups to include language that would allow someone to rework the film under agreed-upon circumstances. Good luck with this one - it's a tough one.

Great Questions List

2008-10-21T16:56:00.000-07:00

http://www.storycorps.net/record-your-story/question-generator/list

Agri-tainment?

2008-10-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

(by Mike)
Our visit to Tanaka Farms this weekend left us with results that we were not expecting. The original theme we were shooting for for this project was the push for "green"-ness and how people might be making a shift to locally grown foods. This was not the case at Tanaka Farms. What we found there was young families with small children having fun in the sun running around and picking pumpkins for halloween. We were the only people on the premises who weren't escorting a small child.
We were able to question a few people while they were pumpkin hunting and our "in" was typically freeing their hands and taking a picture of the whole family. We asked questions like "how often do you come to Tanaka Farms?", "Would you have come here without your child?", or "Do you shop at farmer's markets?". It seemed that most people answered that they were there simply for photo opportunities of their children in the act of pumpkin picking, and they didn't necessarily shop at farmer's markets and typically only come once a season if not just once a year.

Environmental Charter Schools, is there room for them on Gods green earth? By SZB

2008-10-21T12:36:00.000-07:00

Good day mates, I am officially a blogger. This Friday, Oct. 24, our team will hold its initial meeting with Environmental Charter high school, ECHS, administrators. No need to break the ice, our teams Producer, Caroline Pinal, has done that already. Rumor has it that the school is very excited about our upcoming project, hopefully they will agree with the direction we want our film to go. As for that, our proposed film will focus on the need for an environmental charter school.
With that in mind we will be looking at the internal and external functions of ECHS, located at 16315 Grevillea Avenue in the city of Lawndale. Among other things, the film will focus on the advantages ECHS students gain over high school students who attend non-charter public high schools. In addition we plan on taking an in depth look at the environmental practices that exist on this campus, our inquiring minds want to find out just how environmentally sound the campus itself is. For info about ECHS you can check out there website at http://www.echsonline.org/?page=home. Check out the "Green Ambassadors" video on the homepage, I am particularly interested in this program.
For the sake of tension we hope to compare our findings at ECHS with local public high schools and watch the controversy explode. One question that may be central to this film is what percentage of students are likely to enroll into two and four-year colleges? Also, are the students at ECHS more environmentally conscious then students who attend local public high schools? Does ECHS offer extra-curricular activities that are comparable to the extra-curricular activities offered at public high schools, i.e., social events, sports programs, academic and social clubs, etc?
If you haven't guess yet, the subjects that we are most interested in are the students themselves. Although ECHS if the focus of this study it is our intent to also include Rosie the Riveter charter high school right here in Long Beach. We are still working on setting up a meeting with school officials.
As for our next entry, look for Bahati to discuss our struggles with getting our contracts finalized.