When thinking about documentary, I keep returning to the idea of truth. Documentary is seeking the truth to the best of ones ability. In this film, Errol Morris ultimately tells two truths: the truth of the case itself, and the truth of how these people found that truth. Morris tries to make his own opinions unknown and purely show the truth of the case; he does so through the story of people who lived these events. The story is told through a synthesis of material: music, radio recordings, images, interviews, acted scenes, and newspaper articles. Normally, I would think that it would be difficult to keep to the truth in such a dramatized film; however, Morris does a very good job of this.

From the beginning, the audience hears different tales of the encounter. Morris also keeps the audience hooked through repeating shots in different ways, going back and looking at different peoples’ scenes during the same time. This is illustrating if testimonies match or not. I found The Thin Blue Line thought provoking because both documentary and investigation try to find truth; documentary is investigation.

While Morris’ voice is never actively inserted into the film, he does add many elements of art: intense original music, photo shots dramatically framed in black tint, shots of the buildup of cigarettes, shifting hours of the clock, the chocolate drink spilling on gravel, scenes shown in the drive-in theater, feet slowly stomping and loudly clicking. Morris uses artistic techniques to show what occurred, since it cannot actually be seen.

This is a documentary about families who are affected by their loved ones unwillingly putting their lives on the line as they grapple with addiction to opioids.

Dams diminished populations such as the American shad, but allowed for the introduction of others; at this point in time, is dam removal worth the repercussions?

We will explore dam removal by documenting is controversy in local river and stream systems. Is dam removal necessary on the Delaware, Lehigh, and Bushkill? Would its effects positively revitalize the environment, or have dams been in existence in these areas too long, creating new ecosystems that would be damaged by removal? We will use resources readily available to us at our institutions, such as professors, as well as reach out to local interest groups. In terms of local ecosystems, our focus will be on mussels and shad. We will focus on the dams proposed for removal on the Bushkill, as well as some on the Lehigh and Delaware.

(Anna, Emily R., Devin D.)

Opioid addiction is far more encompassing than one might imagine. It is incredible for someone struggling to even ask for help. “I need help” is an ethical plea, but what if the help is not there? Rehab is not enough.  Willingness to go through a rehabilitation program is an act of strength. An individual is willing to put their life, on the line, to make the change to live. A disease is a disease. So why aren’t the voices being heard of those affected by opioid disease? Why do people fail to see the humanity in addiction? Why are addicts seen as degenerates, rather than victims?  This documentary will examine how addiction affects families of opioid users in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Everyday families experience the roller coaster of addiction; anxieties, frustrations, and triumphs mark the journey of an opioid user fighting for their life.  We will take you firsthand into the heart of opioid support groups to experience what addiction truly is.

Kenzie Corbin, Laura Pezzulich, Luke Madronal

Pitch: What is the story?

Based in downtown Allentown, PA, Center City Thrift will follow a unique thrift shop which provides free community wifi. The owner, Kevin Easterling, uses profits from the shop to provide this internet access through numerous hub spots in the city. This film will interrogate the accessibility and necessity of public wifi in the city of Allentown. The film will explore how a store such as Center City Thrift helps provide access to not only inexpensive clothing and household goods, but also to what should be considered a luxurious commodity; one that is expensive, but becoming vital in our 21st century society. We plan on telling this story through interviews with Easterling, community members, and customers of the shop.

-Ayanna, Annie, Reggie

Notes: Things we are thinking about?

-the birth of the store and why he wanted to support the community access to wifi program

-Who do we want to interview/consider?

-Kevin Easterling

-maybe a sociology professor?? (to talk about accessibility and how institutions limit that)

-maybe people who frequent the shop//community members 

-Visual components and aesthetics

-B-roll of the shop and Easterling working in the shop…

Erol Morris’s Thin Blue Line (1988) is a well crafted documentary and is one story in this history of injustice that often leads to exoneration with no compensation after being put to death. It’s incredible how Morris was able to influence the outcome of Randall Adams’ death sentence. I appreciated the usage of the reenactments over and over again, assimilating one piece of the evidence into the documentary and also allowing the audience to play a role in this investigation. This brings in the themes and importance of memory and truth throughout this case. I initially thought it was odd to not show us the reenactment of the real killer behind the wheel, but then realized that this played a role in the mystery of the documentary. Morris structured it as a whodunit, a story or play about a murder in which the identity of the murderer is not revealed until the end. But, the interviews were a form of giveaway, since David Harris was in the orange prison jumpsuit while Adams was in a white shirt. The narrative spine is the evidence that helps move the Thin Blue Line forward.

This once again brings up the question of ethics. Was it right for Morris to use Adams’ miserable story to create a piece of art? In one of Morris’s interviews, he says that if the internet was as prevalent as it is today, more people would be more aware of Adams’ story back in the day. The fact that it wasn’t helped him investigate and create this documentary. Morris also talks about how Adams was never part of the equation; he went into this documentary with intentions of filming a psychiatrist about his role in the implementation of death penalty in Texas. Through this psychiatrist, he heard about this case and decided to start investigating. This goes back to the point Bernard and all of our documentary books collectively say, “the story revealing itself over the course of the production or even in the editing room.” (Bernard).

Working Title: Not like You

Growing up as immigrant DACA students didn’t know what it would mean for their future. For many of them when they applied to college, they realized they were not like everybody else. DACA gave them some protection and now that it has been rescinded, their life is in limbo. We will talk to several students in the Lehigh Valley about how they have been affected by DACA being rescinded. What does this mean for them and their family? What were their hopes when DACA was intact? And particularly how do they feel studying for a degree that they won’t be able to use if they can’t work legally after they graduate?

Mystery and murder documentaries always tend to catch my eye, so watching “Thin Blue Line” was exciting because I had never seen it before, and, because it was produced in 1988, was different from many I have seen. Adams had a unique personality that I think drove the film, because from the start I felt as if I was on his side. This film started a little slower than most, but picked up with the extensive interviews and visual reenactments of the crime. While the story itself was engaging enough, the reenactments of the shooting were crucial to the film; without them, it would be easy to lose viewers, as there were few other strong visuals.

As Natalie stated in her post, this film was very similar to the documentary “Making A Murderer,” that became a Netflix hit upon its release. These two storylines drew several parallels, and the usage of interviews is prevalent in both films.

This documentary reinstated the power that comes with this form of storytelling. I had never heard of this case before, and this film, like “Making A Murderer,” exposed several aspects of the criminal justice system that go unnoticed. Adams deserved to have his story told, and I’m glad this documentary did just that.

We hope to begin this documentary “The Loss We Can Gain” by framing the problem of food waste in the Lehigh Valley area. We will do this by interviewing people who have been community activists by fighting food waste and promoting food justice in the Lehigh Valley. We don’t want this documentary just to point out a known problem, but rather show what Easton is doing to combat this problem. We will show the steps Easton has taken to tackle this problem by telling the story of the pilot composting projects that have been taking place over the past few years. These programs have been very successful and the EPA wants to roll out more programs like these during their conference that will be hosted at Lafayette this November. We hope to capture the conference to highlight the future plans of the food waste problem and we will flush out those details via interviews.

–Josh Klien, Kiera Kehoe, Aidan Trevisan