Please give is your feedback on our second rough draft.

So far I feel fairly good about our documentary. Our rough cut mainly comprised of great interviews with DACA college students here at Lafayette and Lehigh. I am satisfied with the shots, the audio, and there is a good mix of students of different gender and race. All our interviewees are articular and have a lot to say.

Certain things that we are working on changing is explicitly telling the audience more about what DACA is. I also realized that it isn’t necessary to make the location of Lafayette or Lehigh such a grand reveal since our location isn’t that important here, it’s the topic that is. The talking heads in our rough cut get too long which is why we are working on adding more B-roll to the fine cut. Overall, the documentary needs to be a little more emotionally dynamic since most interviews are similar in tone and message, which is important but there needs to be some form of variety.

I’ve also learned that I need to let go at certain points of the project. For instance, Andrea was away for the weekend and she asked to get the hard drive in order to start editing more. I was initially resistant because I felt that we should all contribute to the editing in some way or the other but it’s important to trust your group members. It felt weird because I’m usually used to doing most of the work but in this project I think our entire group is contributing fairly. We are working on a finer cut and getting feedback from the rest of our classmates.

I studied a lot about the Arab Spring before I graduated from high school, especially because Egypt and Tunisia are Morocco’s neighboring countries. It had also inspired protests in Morocco in 2012. After watching Tickling Giant, I realize that there is so much that was left out of what I studied and comprehended. I really enjoyed the timeline of the entire documentary. It had a start to finish book ending, starting with the Egyptian revolution and Youssef’s journey with Al Barnameg show to the end of his show and  Youssef reaching America, trying to make a new life from himself. The over-arching theme of the repressed population’s free speech is important and relates to many different countries, Tunisia as one of them as well. Taksler succeeds in showing us how satire can challenge the government and how the government can then react to satirists.

Her choice of ending Tickling Giants by telling us how all characters proceed with their lives is a smart choice, showing us that this story isn’t only Youssef’s but everyone who is part of the Egyptian population and those who were behind the cameras as well. It tells us that their lives don’t have a happy ending and that some are still fighting to appease the population with their satire while others are trying to make their ends meet.

The usage of animation shows us that television show (Bassem Youssef) and the internet aren’t the only mediums to address the larger population. The animation also helps enhance Tickling Giants variation of visuals since we are exposed to actual extreme footage that was shot live, the studio footage, and then the cartoons.

I think one of the most tense points of this doc for me was when Bassem Youssef spoke about how celebrities go through points of their career when they face suicidal thoughts. That was scary and from that point on we got to see the lows of Youssef’s career and how he suffered when many of his fans became his haters. That part also reminded me of a similar key moment in Simply Complicated, a documentary about Demi Lovato’s career and personal life. Overall, I enjoyed this documentary but I wish it were a bit shortened. There were a few moments within the last half hour when I started looking at my watch and got restless. It was a g

After watching the intro to Triumph of The Will, more than having the urge to keep watching it, I wanted to learn more about Leni Riefnestahl. She seems like an extremely driven personality. I did some research and read that she was debating between becoming a dancer or a filmmaker and actress. She also says she wrote no text when making Triumph of the Will, “The moment I had a clear picture of the film in my head, the film was born. The structure of the whole imposed itself. It was purely intuitive. Starting from that idea, I sent the technical crew out on different tasks, but the true establishment of the form began with the editing.”

It is a German propaganda film that has such a compelling intro. The calmness of the clouds contrasts so evenly with the tense hierarchy of Hitler and his fans. At first sight, it’s difficult to determine that this piece is a documentary since the intro is extremely dramatic. After being exposed to many different docs in this class, I realize that there is no particular formula on how to structure the content. It’s mostly focused on the directors intent with the piece and how they choose to work around it. We see how creatively Riefenstahl has filmed, directed, and edited this piece of work. The power of the videos along with the soundtrack says enough, there is no need for narration. I don’t only think that this is a propaganda film, but also a piece of art in the way its put together, especially from the standpoint of Riefenstahl. Her usage of moving the cameras as the Nazis march and following Hitler as he walks is bold. How can this art form be both morally sinful yet beautiful at the same time? We can see the unity and loyalty of all Hitler’s followers through the intro. The high angle shots of Hitler and the soldiers show us how perfect their formations were.

Questions:

Does the sequence of this interview make sense?

What do you think is the tone of the interview?

Should I add music?

Other thoughts or advice?

Last week, I started shooting my interview with Tina Yerdon, a friend and a cancer survivor. I made a few mistakes which I was absolutely freaking out about. I had two cameras to get two shots: a close-up and wide shot of Tina. The close-up camera had the ISO set way too high, the White Balance at a terribly yellow setting, the f-stop at some wild number, and the shutter speed – I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking. It was a great interview but once I looked at my footage, this close-up shot was grainy. It is an interesting aesthetic that could work but also annoyingly grainy. I was stressed for the rest of the week but then spoke to one of my professors who told me these mistakes do tend to happen while filming and that this is the beauty of doc filmmaking. It’s not going to be perfect. The audio should be decent and it is what the interviewee is saying that is important. The audio of the interview is good and I think I will be okay. I can cover up most of the close-up shots with some good B-roll.

I initially had thoughts of re-interviewing my subject but I think it is extremely unethical. I asked her some deep personal questions and she cried. It was very sad and I don’t want to put her in that vulnerable position again. I think this will be a great challenge for me to test how well I will deal with this interview and still make it as good as I think it is.

It is difficult for me to meet with my interviewee often because she is barely on campus. She goes home for 4-5 days a week because of her doctors’ appointments. She managed to text me yesterday, telling me that she was available for a few hours. When I visited her at home, I could tell she was not having it. Tina was miserable and in a bad mood because she had a feeling that the doctor wouldn’t take off her stitches this week and she might have to have another surgery in December (her seventh surgery). Before I could think of pulling out my camera, I felt the urge to cheer her up. I decided that we get her out of her stuffy home and go for a walk. Tina grabbed her crutches and quietly started walking out of her home. As soon as she stepped out of her house, the color of her face changed. She was smiling, commenting on the smell of the freshly cut grass and the cool air hitting her face. She was so happy. I started filming her and she was responsive. I hope that my interview b-roll captures this excitement she had. The purpose of me writing about this is to say that we will develop intimate relationships with our interviewees and might be put in awkward situations when they’re in an off mood. I tensed up when I saw her sad.

I am also questioning my intent with this interview : what am I trying to show the audience? what is my goal? what am I trying to add to the table?

A day before the Newtown screening we find out about the Texas church shooting. I rush to inform my friend who is sat beside me. She responds casually. Later at a meeting with other peers, I bring it up and they react for a brief moment and later one of them shrugs. Are we a generation that is desensitized to gun violence? At this point, probably. Newtown, Orlando, Las Vegas, Texas, and I know I am missing many more. The US has the highest rate of gun violence among developed countries and this is a problem.

Newtown was a documentary that had to made. It is important that these stories are told and that we are aware that events like these remain in a city’s DNA. It is a scar that doesn’t heal. I like how Snyder blatantly had a black screen behind nearly every interviewee (especially at the start of the documentary). I also enjoyed the usage of the drones throughout. Drones are usually over  exaggerated in films but this was subtle and gave a floating effect to the piece. I think Snyder blatantly tried to contrast the community’s heavy hearts with the lightness of the drone shots such as the high angle shots of the trees, homes, and Newtown as a whole, giving a little breathing space as well. Adding to the lightness was the final shot of one of the fathers jumping off the plane and parachuting. I think that was the most beautiful shot throughout the film.

The footage from the police car and the parents waiting outside the school was triggering. It gave us a feel of how tense and miserable the situation was. I looked around me and saw many people in the audience crying. I was numb until the parachuting scene. That scene was liberating in a very powerful way. After the screening, I asked Snyder about that moment. She said that she was shocked how he willingly wanted to do it. It was therapeutic in its own manner. Memory played a big role in Newtown. Many parents said that day will never be forgotten, but one mother kept fearing that she will forget her son as life goes on. It is a scary thought and her fear resonated with me. As parents, many of them said that they try to keep watching videos to not forget how their child sounded. Losing memory overall is frightening but losing memory of a little child you birthed is worse. This was, as we all know, a painful documentary to watch. But, it is a wake up call to us that people are hurting and gun violence must end.

From viewing the B-roll, I like the variety of restaurants that were included, from fine dining restaurants, to pubs, to wineries, and a ice cream parlor. It was a good way to show the multiple businesses that provide food to Easton’s residents. I love the use of stills and videos clips to show various places like the Easton food market. The types of shots were also nice. The panning of a restaurant’s street menu was good and the clear shot of the vegetable dish with the less focused cook behind it was a great way of directing the viewer towards the dish itself. I feel that the B-roll gives a light, joyful tone to the documentary, with several shots showing workers, such as the bartender and the chefs, smiling on camera, having  a good time. Some of my favorite shots was with people in the restaurant like the two waiters smiling at the camera. It was such a genuine smile and it added more life to the film. The shots of the OAK restaurant really showed a beautiful interior inside and lets the viewer know that this is a fine-dining restaurant. Lastly, I enjoyed seeing the little girl playing the piano and skipping away, I think that would be a great way to end the documentary on another joyful tidbit. It was something so innocent and childlike. It would make a great transition. Two things I would consider when going into post production would be stabilizing some of the clips and color correcting, because they are a tad bit over exposed.

Overall, you did a great job capturing the essence of these restaurants in Easton. If your documentary is solely focusing on Easton’s restaurants this B-roll works in your favor. I think the story was, “Hey. Welcome to Easton. This is a cute little town and also a food hub here in the Lehigh valley.” I cannot see change and development in this B-roll. If it’s possible, you can try and get old pictures of what Easton’s main area looked like and what actually existed before many of these restaurants were built. I can only see what’s new and glossy here in Easton. I can only see an upper-middle class community. I was hoping to see more Eastonians and shots that would capture the reality of those who live here (people who we see hanging around Dunkin Donuts and the Dollar Tree store). Where do they eat? Where are they? The people who are in these restaurants don’t accurately portray the Easton community. I’m saying this because I reread the one sentence/main question which was “What happens when a community changes and develops? How do those changes and developments positively or negatively affect its community.” I know many locals cannot afford to eat in most of these restaurants that were shown. There are also many Mexican taquerias and other small American restaurants you can look into.

Yannick, Andrea, and Shreya