IMG_7759.MOV

I instagrammed a video of my friend Quinn and asked her questions relating to documentaries as a whole.

Last Monday was my very first day of this class. Everyone, except those who came from my school, of course, was a new face and new name. But I was easily able to interact and bond with my video group. One of the members in our group decided it would be better to make a video on the pets so it would be comical and not at all controversial. Then, as we were telling our stories they seemed to have a common theme. The making of the video was smooth and very little trouble. We did, however, have trouble with the original camera we picked, but after receiving a new one, it was pretty much smooth sailing. Having very little to no experience at all with making film and editing, I felt like I wasn’t able to help very much. Even still, my group was very knowledgeable, so I picked up a lot of tips and points as the night went on. Overall, I think it was a successful project with a great outcome, considering the circumstances.

My name is Nely and I am from Trenton, New Jersey. I am a junior at Muhlenberg College. I am majoring in Media and Communications and Sociology. My partner for this class assignment was Shreya. She is from Morocco and has two siblings (one sister, one brother). Shreya is also a Junior at Lafayette College studying Film and Economics. At Lafayette, Shreya is Vice President of student government and French language proctor/tutor. Shreya is fond of nature; thus that is why we decided to have her take a picture in the midst of trees. Shreya took a picture of both my wrist. My right wrist has a “Play 4 The Cure In-F-C-R” bracelet. My left wrist contains a fairly fresh scar. Due to my competitive nature, especially in sports, I’m constantly prone to some bumps and bruises.

I believe that giving viewers a broad look at where the story they are about to be told is taking place sets the tone for the entire documentary or film, helping to engage and capture their attention. “Exposition is the information that grounds you in a story: who, what, where, when, and why,” says Bernard in “Documentary Storytelling.” She goes on to state, “The opening sequence contains the DNA of the entire film to come.” It gives insight as to where the film will be headed and what it may be about. For this reason, I chose to do a span of some of the Lehigh Valley from the roof of our parking garage on campus. If I were doing a film on the Lehigh Valley I think this could serve as a good opening, as it captures the broadness of the setting and shows directly where this story is taking place before we zoom in on individual people and their individual stories.

If I were to do a story in the Lehigh Valley, I think I would like to explore the social divide that exists within South Bethlehem. We have a middle school directly next to our campus with many students who come from low-income housing and difficult home lives. Last year, I did a tutoring program there and my eyes were opened to how many of these kids live and how vastly different their worlds are from the students right next door at Lehigh. Many of them opened up to me about themselves, their families, and some of their struggles. It impacted me greatly and I’m sure others would be affected as well after hearing their stories. I would like to maybe do a documentary comparing students from Broughal Middle School and Lehigh U, or even just the students at Broughal. I think it would be an interesting and eye-opening topic to explore.

lehigh valley

Last year, I’ve read in the Lehigh newspaper that Bethlehem was in a food desert, having multiple signs of food insecurity in the area. This was found through a graduate class that conducted multiple studies and interviews in the city. As I read more from the entry, I was shocked to hear the info, to learn that people would have drive to nearby towns just to make a decent meal. Then I remembered going to Ahart’s before, and seeing that the store was much smaller than Giant or Walmart and was limited in the produce aisle. After that point in mind, I wanted to find a way to document this problem, to get more attention toward for this.

To do so, I am going to interview the professor who helped created the reports of the food insecurity, talk to residents who are currently facing this issue as well as students, and listen to local programs who are trying to stop the food insecurity in Bethlehem.

Since I moved away from St.Louis for college I have occasionally been asked what is the vibe of St.Louis? People would ask me to describe the music scene or how people dress and I often had trouble providing a definitive answer. Growing up I never got the feeling that everyone in St.Louis was on the same page.  Since I left home my original belief has been solidified. Being that the Lehigh Valley is the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Pennsylvania I would like to explore the identity of the Lehigh Valley if any.

In my documentary I will explore the idea that population centers have unique cultures; specifically, food, fashion, and music. Additionally I will attempt to determine if the Lehigh Valley fits within the group of population centers with their own distinct identity.

These images show the transformation of an agricultural landscape, not only through out different times in the day, but as the crops grow and transform the horizon.

From its elaborate murals to its eccentric music venues, the Southside of Bethlehem PA has come to be praised for its artistic qualities. Often referred to as the arts district of the Lehigh Valley, the Bethlehem Southside is home to many musical venues, unique restaurants, and community centers for the arts. I would love to explore this aspect of the Valley in a documentary. Specifically, I would love to explore the history of how the Southside has come to be an artistic center point. Furthermore, I want to discover the dynamics of the arts scene today and how they affect people who live in this community. I want to answer questions like who makes up the arts scene, what music is most popular, and how does the art scene impact the community? I am very into music and art and I think it would be cool learn about the scene in this area.

Long Line: I want to make a documentary about the art scene in the Lehigh Valley. I want to focus on the Southside of Bethlehem and explore how the art of scene has affected the culture and lives of the occupants there.

The frame that I made is extremely small, making me focus on the smaller things in life instead of the bigger things. I walked through Lafayette’s campus looking through a frame with one eye. I focused on the individual bricks that I was walking on, the trunks of different trees, and people walking at a distance. This assignment showed me that the camera can pick up on the smallest angles in the world. Ir proved to me that I need to focus on details when I film, and that I don’t always have to think “big picture”. I kind of felt like I was Alice in Wonderland for a second because I was seeing everything from such a small frame. I definitely feel like I need to focus on specific details next time I film something.