Several of the ideas discussed for potential documentaries have intrigued me and provoked thought about which topics would be best to explore – especially those specific to the Lehigh Valley. Two of the themes that seem to be prevalent throughout these ideas list we were given were the food industries within the Lehigh Valley and the life and culture that exist in the valley. If we were to explore the topic of food, I’d be interested in “Urban Desert” and “The Loss We Can Gain,” both dealing with food scarcity and food waste in our communities. The two stories ideas that caught my eye regarding life and culture in the valley were “The Arts Valley” and “Life in the Valley.” Doing a version of these stories or combining them into one would be an exciting documentary to make, especially because there are so many hidden parts about Lehigh Valley’s culture that should be brought to light.
I’m also interested in working on exploring the topic of food in the Lehigh Valley! I originally was interested in fracking but (oops) there is none in the Lehigh Valley. There are some schools and farmers doing cool things with food waste that could give great interviews and locations. I also took a GIS class on spatially organizing food scarcity and SNAP benefits in the Lehigh Valley that could be useful, if not for content, then for added expertise from the Prof.