After months of scheduling and planning, filming, interviews, and editing, Margie and I have finally finished our project. We experienced many ups and downs throughout this long journey, but I think we can both say that we are very happy with how our film ended up.

The most frustrating thing of the whole process was trying to coordinate schedules with other people we wanted to work with. On top of that, some people who we tried to schedule interviews with would sometimes not get back to us. We had to work around many obstacles that were put in our way to end up with the film we have. When we first decided upon our idea of making a film about Easton’s new restaurants, we wanted to interview newer restaurants such as The Bayou, Oak, and Stoke compared to older restaurants such as Maxim’s 22 and River Grille. As these restaurants are very popular, we could it almost impossible to find a time to interview with them. The three places that we did interview; Tucker Silk Mill, Playa Bowls, and Chocodiem, all came about spontaneously. I believe some of the most interesting moments in a film can happen by accident, and that is what Margie and I were handed.

Another challenging part of the process was editing and choosing what footage we wanted to include. Margie and I probably shot b-roll footage on seven different days, so by the time it came to the editing we had so much to chose from. Trying to organize three different stories into one cohesive piece also turned out to be more challenging than I thought. Once we figured out the order of the story we were trying to tell, it became easier to assemble our b-roll together.

This was the first time I have created a documentary piece with another person, and it was a very beneficial experience. I am very proud of the work that we created together and am excited to show to the class on Wednesday night!

This past week, filmmaker Sara Taksler came to Lafayette to talk about her film Tickling Giants.  The film was about a doctor, Baseem Youssef, who gave up his medical career to become a powerful Egyptian television star, using satire to comment on his country’s oppressive regime. It was shocking to watch as people were slowly brainwashed into hating Baseem because of the political comments he would make. He was just trying to shine light on the horrible situation that his people were in, but the Egyptian population eventually all turned their backs on him. It was a little bit ridiculous that a comedian was considered a wanted man when there were so many other horrible things going on in Egypt. 

Baseem states that maybe his jokes are insults, but they are not injuries. No one is getting hurt by him having his satirical show, yet people act as if he is a felon. Baseem is “the Jon Stewart of Egypt” and the people there need him more than they know. The film made me very sad to see the stakes Egyptians face every day just to tell a silly joke. Watching Tickling Giants really made me think about how in America we take for granted satirical political commentators, but when people try to do this in Egypt, all hell breaks lose. The film had a good way of showing the freedoms that we have here in the US that not all countries have the opportunity of having. People like Bill Maher, Steven Colbert, and Chris Rock, could never be what they are had they been working in Egypt.

I very much enjoy when well-known, talented people come to our school to show us the amazing work they have created. It was very exciting to have Sara Taksler with us because she is a producer on The Daily Show, which is very popular with the current generation. With each talk I attend, I not only learn more about how to create art, but I learn more about the world around me which I believe is one of the main purposes of art.

This is the link to my finalized personal interview. I wanted to add music because it would make it feel more complete, but since I recorded Olivia’s volume so low the music overpowered her (even on the lowest volume).

Since Margie and my project is about Easton Restaurants, we were excited when we discovered that an Australian cafe has just opened up in the area. It has only been open for a couple of weeks, so we decided it would be a great addition to our story. It really sparked our attention because this is a “one of a kind” type of place that strictly serves Australian dishes. We have an interview with the owner and are excited to add Tucker Silk Mill into our Easton restaurant story.

It was hard for me to find data specific to Easton restaurants, so I also researched the restaurant industry as a whole.

1. Easton is home to more than 800,00 people.
2. Oak Steakhouse is Mick Gjevukaj’s third Easton dining establishment, following the 14 year-old River Grille and the 11-year old Ocean.
3. 68% of Americans try new restaurants based on recommendations by friends.
4. 10% of the entire workforce within the US is part of the restaurant and food service industry.
5. 1.7 million jobs are expected to be created in the restaurant industry by 2025

My process narrowing down an interview subject has been difficult. I originally got in contact with Sweet Girlz Bakery to interview them about their business and their delicious cupcakes, but they ended up calling for a raincheck on our interview. I was scrambling for someone to interview when my sorority’s Philanthropy Chair came to mind. Philanthropy and community service are not often mentioned when the typical stereotype of sororities or fraternities are portrayed in media. Sororities and fraternities might have a negative connotation in today’s society because of the unfavorable media towards them, but the goal of my interview with Olivia was to focus on the positives and shine a light onto Greek organizations.

This is a very, very rough cut. I would like to get more shots of B-roll at philanthropic events and of the girls in the chapter. Adding music and fixing the text on the film is also a must in the next editing process.

When Kim Snyder came to show and talk to us about her film Newtown I was blown away. I loved how she opened up the movie by saying that this movie is the community’s story and not hers; she was just there to document this neighborhoods experience and listen to their experiences. I almost did not want to take any notes while watching the film because I wanted to experience every second of emotion. Watching the expressions on the faces of the grieving community were such raw moments that really made me think about how difficult it was for Newtown to get over Sandy Hook.

The interviews in Newtown were so powerful and chilling because of the natural feelings that the subjects showed. The interviewees did not even have to say every word of their sentences before they choked up for me to tell how much pain they were in. For people to really understand how horrible something is, they need to see visual evidence, and I think the pain on these people’s faces showed just that. Us as viewers did not need to see gruesome images from the event because we were just as impacted from the emotional interviews.

One of the smartest decisions the director made was by making the story about the victims and not about the shooter. There were some clips that referenced the shooter, like the security footage from inside his house, but not much information was given on him. I am not sure that his name was even given in the film, he was just referred to as “the shooter.” This reminded me of visiting the 9/11 Memorial two weeks ago and how the museum was set up to honor lives of the fallen. Inside the whole exhibit, there was only one room that talked about the terrorists who committed this horrible crime. The importance of this in both the 9/11 Memorial and in Newtown is that they both exist to honor those who are gone and for the families who have lost their loved ones. The people who are at fault for their crimes should not be addressed because these creations are about the good and not the evil.

Going off of Margie, I understand that your project is about the high levels of lead in the Lehigh Valley so adding more clips in specifically about lead would really help bring your story together. The shots that are really working in your favor are the ones of the nature because they help to tell your story. I think I understand what you are trying to do at first by showing the happy people of the Easton community and then making them blurry (maybe this means they were effected by the lead?). I felt as if the shots of the community could be much quicker- maybe a 5 second shot of a happy Easton community and then a black screen and out emerges a different 5 second shot with the community that is blurry and effected by lead. These shots would have benefitted your story more had they been shorted because with a minute long blurry shot of people walking around, your audience might feel as if you accidentally forgot to focus your camera.

Had the chart showing PA’s lead level had not appeared, I am not sure I would have known the story. You have some valuable shots, just add more B-roll solely focused on how to portray lead in the community. I love the ending to your story and how it leads into a hospital room because it adds a feeling of drama that could help force change against the lead problem.