When looking at the sheet of topics, I feel that #4, #12, #1, and #19 are the ones I would have the most interest in filming. #4 can show a meaningful view of the current lead pollution that’s affecting Allentown and #12 could be a nice documentary to see how items can be used again when the original owners don’t want them anymore. Additionally, it would be good to view the Lehigh Valley in another perspective, to learn more about cultures that are around here and #1 would be a great option to document that. #19 is good way to show the future of Lehigh Valley. Being able to interview kids who  are creative and ambitious would be a wonderful experience to be a part of, and is another way to directly connect to the community. Any of these options would be fine with me.

One line that stood out to me in the reading is this quote, ” Who would have ever thought that a slide-show about global warming would become a hit film?” This line was said by Vice President Gore and it was in relation to the film An Inconvenient Truth. This line stood out to me because it reminded me of the reaction that Leonardo DiCaprio’s film The Flood. I think it had a bigger impact than they were originally expecting. It grabbed the interest of all ages which I think is a significant accomplishment for a documentary and especially for a documentary on climate change.

I also thought it was interesting when Errol Morris explained that he is asked frequently whether if his films are documentaries or not. His answer was intriguing and reminded me of the discussion we had in class where we concluded that, in some way, all films are documentaries.

Lastly, the section of theaters and festivals was interesting to me because I don’t usually hear about documentaries being shown in theaters where mostly Hollywood films are shown. But, it is also interesting how festivals are mostly documentary based. It just makes me wonder why that is the way that it is.

“My work can change the way my subject is perceived by the people who surround him/her and can impact reputation or safety for years into the future.”

I thought this line was very interesting because it reminded me of the assignment we had to do in class with the different statements and how ethical or unethical those statements were, compared with one another. One of the statements during that assignment was if it is ethical to change what someone says or edit it in a certain way that does not sound like what the person originally said. Although that statement and the one Kirsten Johnson makes are not the same, they do relate and bring up the idea that the way someone is can be altered on a video or can be seen differently by different people. It brings up the idea that it kind of is inevitable that this might happen. The filmmaker is well aware that this might happen but at the same time she will not stop her artistic process because a vision of someone might be altered. The statement we had talked about in class was different because it talked about it in a way where the filmmaker knew very well that the way he or she was editing the video was changing what the person was truly saying and therefore purposely changing the way they appear but I like the way Kirsten Johnson mentions it. Her statement also does not necessarily imply that the person will automatically be perceived negatively but it just means that a way someone is seen can be altered. I have only seen the first ten minutes of “Cameraperson” in class but from what I have seen none of the people filmed are shown in a negative light. Yes, the way they appear might be very different from how they appear to people around them without a camera but the change does not have to be negative. This statement is also important because it brings up the idea that films do impact people, have a purpose, can make people change their minds and that they’re also here for filmmakers to take risks and be “bold” so it makes sense that someone’s reputation can be impacted or changed and that the effect will hopefully carry on for many years.

You normally don’t hear a lot of filmmakers owning up to the fact that this might happen and I like that Kirsten Johnson is completely open about it and in her entire director’s statement she does not apologize at all for what might go wrong or “errors” if you can even call them that. She is very well aware and does not make excuses for the decisions she makes. For example, she mentions as well that she follows stories that the director does not want to follow, therefore making decisions on her own and deciding what is worth filming.

“Criminal at the age of 5”

The reason why I think “Criminal at the age of 5” is interesting is because it talks about a topic that is very relevant today and it either affects us or people around us. I think it would be interesting to get interviews with students and how differently they’re dealing with it. The idea touches on a such important topic that it would be interesting to explore it more.

“The loss we can gain” and “Urban desert”

As an environmental studies major as well, and the EVST capstone this semester is focusing on food and farms, I am very interested in being part of a film project that focuses on food as well. The EVST capstone will not be a film project but having the ability to do a film/documentary through the documentary class would be great. I don’t know about the food scarcity in Bethlehem so it would be a good opportunity to learn about it more. In terms of “The loss we can gain” this project would also be very interesting. I don’t think as students who go to Lafayette we are really confronted with food hunger in general so this would be an opportunity to understand what goes on around us, in the towns around us. Food waste is a big problem and definitely happens in all colleges and so it would be interesting to talk about it and maybe really show the contrast between certain places who waste a good amount of food and other places on the other hand who do not have enough food available.

In regards to the 21 topics that are on given on the sheet, I really feel like topics: 17, 18, and 5 can all be combined into one big topic that emphasizes the arts that we have in the Lehigh valley. I feel as if we focus on the artistic culture that we have in the valley, we will eventually talk about the fashion, the music, tattoos (which is an art too), food, etc. We could be able to talk to the most prominent figures in each of those arts forms from our respective campuses, which would a great chance to bringing our campuses together. This is a very possible project that I would be very passionate about completing.

Documentary storytelling was never in my mind growing up, thinking about what I wanted to do later in life. To be honest, doing art was never in my plans until now, and I feel that I am honored that this has came upon me and from reading about Kirsten Johnson I can tell that she is honored to be apart the documentary scene.

Within the Kirsten Johnson’s piece, I was greatly touched by the very first sentence that was on the page, “The joys of being a documentary cameraperson are endless and obvious”. This quote resonates with me because I can relate to her despite the fact that I have not more than a year experience of being a true documentarian. I feel like this goes less with everything artistic: music, photography, filmmaking, etc. Another quote that stood out to me the most was moment she talked about her troubles. It states: “I ask for trust, corporation, and permission without knowing where the filming experience will lead the project”. This shows and proves that coincidence isn’t a coincidence, things happen for a reason and when it comes to filming, we should let things be even when it wasn’t meant to happen because art is bound to happen one way or another. This whole piece just goes to show how open minded Kirsten Johnson is, her vulnerability has allowed her to be the uniquely driven person that she is, something that I admire about her.

I want to focus on a project that has meaning beyond the present. I want to be able to watch the film I was apart of years from now and see it in the context of that time. I was most interested in Gifted Youngins and Criminal at Age 5. Gifted Youngins could go in many different directions in terms of the story being told. Also, I think children in front of a camera is fascinating. There is usually no invisible barrier of self-consciousness with kids and cameras. I would love to explore that idea itself while pursuing a meaningful story. The DACA topic is also of heightened interest me because it is happening now, yet it will effect individual’s futures. It is scary and there all so many opinions surrounding this subject that it would be worth exploring, and really it is worth learning about since our audience is our class. We are students and we are young and we know people, perhaps inadvertently, who are going to be effected by DACA being rescinded. Their futures will be effected one way or another, and their stories are worth knowing.

If I had to add any topic, I would be interested to include a project that focuses on the opioid epidemic in the Lehigh Valley. Opioids are a very serious problem in this area, as well as all over right now. This includes heroin and prescription drugs. Now that medical marijuana legalization has been passed, I feel it is time to bring awareness to the opioid issue people face. 13 people died everyday from a drug overdose in PA in 2016. 45% of drug overdoses in PA in 2016 found heroin present. This is a crisis. It needs attention.

I am really excited to start working on a documentary short. All of the story ideas so interesting. Some of my favorite ideas are “On the Rise”, “Center City Thrift”, “Bad to the Bone”, and “Reconnecting with our Food. ” I like “On the Rise” because Easton has really started to attract more people. The atmosphere is really picking up. There have been recent restaurant additions like “The Bayou” and “The Oak” that have added a nice touch to Easton’s environment. It would be interesting to research what the city of Easton will do next to increase attractions. “Center City Thrift” would be interesting to explore because of the recent obsession with thrift stores and my generation. It would be cool to find out exactly what kind of an impact this creates for people in the Lehigh Valley. “Bad to the Bone” is also interesting to me because recently people have been using social media platforms, especially Facebook, to spread awareness of animal abuse. I would be curious to see if this is an issue in the Lehigh Valley, if there are any kill shelters, and what people might be doing about that. “Reconnecting with our Food” could potentially tie in and relate to “On the Rise” since many of the most popular attractions in Easton are the amazing restaurants and food places such as the Easton Public Market, Sette Luna, Maxims, and so on. I am interested in seeing how the list will begin to narrow down.

From reading the title of the potential project topics the ones that stuck out with me are ‘What the Frack is Going on?’, ‘Learning to tattoo’, and ‘Bad to the bone.’ Reading just the titles and being inspired by many shows how a catchy title can make or break who is inspired to come see the documentary. After reading through the descriptions I am really intrigued by ‘On the rise’ and “saving the shad?” Breaking these down into overarching topics I would say there is an environmental issue, the growth of Easton, social justice, and gifted people. If I had to pick two topics that I am inspired to further explore it would be environmental or social justice. I think the “Many beliefs,” “saving the shad” and “what the frack” have similar intentions about highlighting an environmental issue within Easton and therefore should be combined. It would be good for each group to have one film and media studies major. Having one film and media studies major is important to each group for technical purposes. Everyone in the course is very creative and will be able to come up with a great idea, but the execution is what is important and FAMS majors hopefully will be able to help gear the execution in the right way.

I still find it fascinating on how the documentarian of the ONE documentary I chose to watch this summer is coming to Lafayette. Is this a coincidence? I don’t know but I think I’ll be in shock until I hear from Kirsten Johnson tomorrow. After reading her director’s statement, what mostly stood out to me was , ” I fail to see or follow stories the director I work for hope I will follow.” This statement is honest and shows how KJ has her own opinion and thoughts. By writing this statement, she also shows how she’s entitled to perceiving situations and stories differently. She won’t completely agree with the director she’s working for because something that does make sense or seem right to the director might not align with KJ’s thoughts. KJ seems to be aware that there will discussions and decisions to be made when thoughts don’t align. From her one sentence, I can tell that she is in terms with her opinions and isn’t afraid to express these differences to her peers.

Another honest statement is, “I ask for trust, cooperation, and permission without knowing where the filming experience will lead the subject.” In other words, she tells us how that maybe while filming she might not have a fully established idea of the direction the piece will go in. But in post-production, there might be a story that will be formed.

I’m excited to watch Cameraperson for the second time tomorrow. I’m curious to see how I’ll feel towards it after this second round.