The road up until this point has been a bit a rough. We had some issues with communication and we had some struggles with our main subject. However, after having a really constructive conversation in class things really seem to moving well.

This past week David and I got a lot of footage of students. We asked some of them to read statistics and we interviewed the others about their opinions of WiFi. We also got some B-roll. Annie and Ayanna went to interview the two main subjects that are going to drive our film.

Now all that is left is constructing a good rough-cut and figuring out what else we need. I am not quite sure how things are going to be pieced together. However, I am excited to see how this turns out.

I recently watched the first couple of episodes the F-Word. I thought it was a really cool idea and I am in love with how progressive the film is. I think that this sort of film could not have existed several years ago because of ideas surrounding sexuality and accessibility to internet resources. The series is really intimate and the characters are really lovable.

It’s a bit weird to think about this series as a documentary. This more feels like a show I would watch on television; a reality-t.v show. I wonder if those are also considered documentaries.

I also really respect the film maker in this series. It seems as if they did a really good job of getting comfortable with the couple. I also really like the cinematography.

I am not going to post the five facts that my group and I gathered for this project because David already posted them. I just want to express some of my thoughts about on them.

Again, our group is doing a project on WIFI accessibility in Allentown, PA. The more I learn about this issue the more I become attached to this project. Even though our video will only reach a small number of people, I am very proud of the work we are doing. WIFI is a necessity to function in the modern world. We need it do to things like find and apply for jobs, to learn, and to connect with others. It is so widely used that everyone is expected to have it. However, this is not a reality. There are a lot of people even in the U.S without access. Many of these people are low-income people of color. Thus, this is another example of how a lack of access contributes to the oppression of people of color and perpetuates cycles of poverty.

One of the best of parts about DOC-150 is being able to share the classroom with other students who are interested in film. If you do not know, Lehigh does not do the best job in providing students with opportunity to learn about films. In fact, Lehigh does not do a great job in providing education or resources in really any artistic field. As a person who is very passionate about music and other artistic avenues, I find it draining to be around students who are focused engineering, business, and medicine. What I find even more draining, is being signed up for an engineering degree and not knowing feeling like that’s the thing I want to do with my life.

Of course, this is college and we are all students. This is supposed to be the time where we don’t really know what we want to do with our lives…. I think.  But I guess I am curious about everyone who is taking this class. What do you plan to do as a profession when you are older? How confident are you that you will be successful? Why? Are you going after the goal that you would pursuit if money where no object?

Let me know in the comments below.

Ever since I saw the film Boyhood, I have been really interested in films that follow some sort of growth or progression in real time. For example, I have been thinking about shooting a film that follows a musical artist’s growth from having no fan base to occupying a pocket in mainstream media. I believe my interest in this sort of film paired with my interest in comedy is what drove me to love Sara Taksler’s film Tickling Giant.

As you all know the film follows a man named Bassem Youssef and his ascent from being a heart surgeon to becoming known as Egypt’s Stephen Colbert. Aside from the impactful images and witty humor present in the film, I find this sort of a progression to be the most interesting part of this phenomenal film. In trying to analyze this film solely on story, I am very attracted to the idea of seeing an influential character rise and fall in real life and in real time. Perhaps in this way, the film becomes a tragedy as we watch the deterioration of a fun-loving man we all want to root for. I think this plays a large role in why the film is so impactful.

I know there were questions about how Sara got involved with this film but looking back on it now I wish I would have asked for opinion on recognizing that a story needs to be told. I think it took a lot of courage to follow a story that she couldn’t foresee an ending to.

I have been into watching and analyzing film since my sophomore year of high school. However, only recently has attention turned from watching fictional pieces to watching more documentaries. Of course, this class has played a major role in this.

This and my growing interest in photograph led me to watching a film called Harry Benson: Shoot First. The movie is a documentary about the life of a famous celebrity photographer named Harry Benson. He is the man responsible for shooting hundreds of iconic photos of influential characters in last 50 years or so. He is famously known for his photos of the Beetles and has also taken photos of figures such as Martin Luther King, Michael Jackson, and Ronald Reagan.

The film itself is very good. The director pairs a fair number of backstories about Harry’s most iconic pieces with biographical information on the artist.   It was a very interesting film and I would recommend it to anyone who interested in documentation or photography.

The reason I am mentioning this film up is because it touches on several moral issues that we spoke about in class. For example, Harry tells us about his experiences marching in against segregation with Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders. He mentions witnessing the abuse in form of tear gas and fire hoses on these protesting peoples. He often had inner battles in trying to decide between helping others and taking photos of the horrific events that he witnessed. He often chose the latter. He firmly believed that he was there for a purpose and that was to document what was happening so that others could see. Throughout his life he was faced with this decision many times and he always chose the camera.

This brought up more questions for me than answers. Specifically, I am now questioning the need for documenting events and how much value that has over helping others in a moment. I find myself mostly agreeing with Harry in the sense of understanding place and duty. What do you guys think?

One of my favorite parts about this class so far has been being constantly exposed to excellent content that has not only influenced my ideas surrounding documentary but also my thoughts surrounding my own life and experiences. Watching Newtown in class was no different. I loved every moment of it. I am in big support of its construction and I am in awe of the amount of courage that Kim Snyder had in making this film.

If I were the one making this movie, I know I would have a difficult time choosing an angle. I would probably teeter between focusing on the horror that the kids faced and the difficulty in their life thereafter. However, I think this would be a mistake that Kim does not make. Although, there are probably millions of ways to tell this story, I think Kim’s emphasis on the community and the family was probably the most effective. She was able to work magic in turning a horrific event into as an opportunity for others to take control back in there lives and influence change all while never mentioning the shooter by name.

I knew that during my time here at lafayette I wanted to take a FAMs course but had simply never come around to it. Since it was my senior year I knew that my time was running out. Luckily I was able to get into this course, after the first week  of school and it has been an amazing experience ever since the first day.

I remember the first class I attended was the one where we needed rush to make a short 30 second movie. I had never used the sophisticated camera equipment or the fancy editing software so while it was fun it was a little intimidating. As the course went on, I loved it even more. Having to go to talks was awesome because all of these talks and screenings are events i would normally love to go to but never had the time, So having this class as a motivator to go and engage with visiting film makers was just a cherry on top. When I look back on the semester I can see how much I’ve grown as a film maker and as a person. I was naive when I started, never having used an external mic or premiere, but not I could confidently handle sophisticated equipment and use various tools in premiere to really bring a movie together.

While there were many challenges and bumps a long the road, the road was worth the knowledge gained in my opinion. The only thing I wish that could’ve been done with this course is watching documentaries and critique-ing them/commenting on them more often. Everyone in the class had such interesting and insightful comments that I wish I could have had more discussions with everyone. All in all I am so happy I took this course.