A particular aspect of the McLane reading that caught my eye were the ethics involved in documentary-making. Robert Flaherty cherished the moments with his subject(s), something admirable, perhaps especially for the time. This led me to inquire about his process in building relationships and respect with those subjects. It seems he lacked the superiority complex that he could have had to cultures and people who were different. McLane writes, “he never condescended to or marginalized his subjects”. This is important to me because when I think about what it will be like to formally interview someone myself, I would want them to be as comfortable, open and as much themselves as possible. How else to reveal more of the truth? She writes, “he always presented people at their finest, simplest and noblest, gaining their cooperation to achieve this presentation”. That is one way of ensuring comfortability in front of the camera, but sometimes the ‘ugly’, confusing, and demoralizing can be the most telling, influential, and beautiful, bringing the audience along for the ups and downs.

At Muhlenberg, I am a philosophy major, so for me this minor has fallen right into place. I love to try to understand, to maintain an open mind, and to think critically. I also enjoy being challenged and discovering when I’m wrong. That is how I learn best, sometimes called the “hard way”, but it turns out the moment I realize I might be wrong and begin to consider a different perspective, is the moment that further develops the overarching process of thought I tend to use, if that makes any sense, this explanation hopefully translating into how I might approach potential stories, the potential itself being a thrill! I am fascinated by reality first rather than fiction. I hope to be able to document the lives of people who have something to say, whatever that might be.

I have already begun to think about how I can use this minor to further my discipline. Next Fall semester, I intend to begin the Philosophy Honors Program, in which I will need to complete an independent study, do research and write a substantial paper to defend orally in front of the philosophy department. I’m not sure how it will come together yet, but I am hoping to discover my own philosophy of documentary in the postmodern world. I could root my thesis in various theoretics of art and epistemology to focus on how we learn from/teach using documentaries, all while sorting through that reality by touching on metaphysics, and taking an axiological approach when considering morality needed in this particular medium. My concentrations fit like a glove. I can be creative and analytical in both disciplines and I am eager to learn how the two will create something brand new.

I’m not sure what place specifically I would choose to tell a story about, but I do know of a person I have been dying to interview, a former professor of mine from LCCC. now at least 86 years old and recently retired last year, he has led an incredible life. Having no family left, I have always strongly felt his story needs to be told. Originally thinking I ought to write a biography about him, I think the better vehicle for this would be film. I’d tell you more, but you will just have to see for yourself!

Currently as a documentarian, my phone is loaded with pictures of my cats. They are quirky animals that have tremendous personalities and I want to remember them (they are my children, after all). I take pictures of friends, family, events, and most generally, things I find beauty in. As for why I take these photos or videos, aside from the simple sentiment of wanting to remember them, I am forced to think of why I want to remember them. I can’t go back and have that exact same experience, however I absolutely get a sense of nostalgia, which is something I value.

I keep them for my own sake, but I share some on social media such as Instagram, which is a fairly new social media outlet for me so I am still learning how to operate all of its functions. My travels are also well-documented. My intentions are to capture the personality of the backdrop, unique individuals (sometimes strangers), as well as the unforgettable experiences as much as the forgettable. Sometimes I won’t remember some moment of a trip until I reminisce upon watching the clips from that time. Additionally, I have been traveling the past few summers abroad, recording video of my experiences with the intention of editing them into one video for website advertising purposes for a college. Hopefully in a couple of months I will have the knowledge to do so. So here I am, open to anything that this class has to offer. I am here to absorb everything I can.

Documentaries leave a lasting impact on me because of their non-fiction nature, and so the documentarian I hope to become is one who tells a story other people will remember. Reality has always been more intriguing to me than fantasy. I find that humans are far more fascinating precisely because the conflict they endure is real, and so the solutions to those problems, thus, are real. Resolution can be such a creative process. Finding the best answer, and to see how it unfolds will forever attract me. I hope to encourage people that amongst the mundane drills of the societies we live in, are seemingly fantastic individuals leading extraordinary lives and for that reason, their stories are important. Even the mundane can be re-conceptualized as extraordinary when actively and deeply thought about.

They say that a picture is never as good as the real thing. By framing the world, I learned how there can be truth to that sentiment. I went to a park near my house, which for me, I care deeply about because of the many memories I have created there over the span of my life. There were times walking the trail along the creek, when I stopped because it felt as though the foliage grew to ‘frame’ the trail just for me, as if it were expecting me to notice it, as if it had a personality. When you see something beautiful or awe-some, it can feel natural to want to share that with other people (as natural as it can be, in this case, to love having the experience to oneself). Regardless, I thought this would make a great image, and if others were to see this in a still it might evoke the same idea, being that the trail is welcoming. It looked as if the trees were bending in to literally frame the trail and encourage me to venture on, keeping me intrigued by what could be around the next turn. This same feeling occurs to me each time I’ve been there which perhaps contributes to why I love it so much. Holding up my frame, that emotion didn’t seem to register. Instead, I would have to move the frame, or my physical self, backward to capture more of the image, which turned out to limit the detail I could see with my naked eye. Perhaps if I were using an actual camera, I could keep what I wanted in focus or add a vignette or deepen the color in some way to better convey what I see and what I feel.

In class we talked about making sure that when we are framing, we think about the edges in relation to the subject of the shot. That helped me in doing the assignment because I noticed I felt inclined to center the subject and focus only on that at first. But what about the subject in relation to the rest of the frame? How do we create an appealing composition? There must be more to it than the rule of thirds. I noticed I was neglecting the the edges, but after learning to be attentive to the entirety of the image, I found a more aesthetically pleasing outcome.

To think that snapping a photo haphazardly will elicit what you want from an audience isn’t enough. I also realized that sometimes there won’t be a way to get the audience to feel precisely what I feel. However, being creative and tedious in the approach could get me pretty close I suspect. Essentially, to document (in terms of documentary film making) is to recreate experience for others from which they draw their own conclusions, a truly Socratic method in its own right. It is within the “re-creation” process that artistic capabilities (such as setting up the shot) will prove vital.

This assignment helped me understand that framing something well is necessary in order to convey to your audience what is important. You can manipulate their emotions depending on how well you use your camera.

Having never taken any filmmaking classes before, I was actually surprised to be asked to have something filmed, edited and ready to screen in two hours, however I quickly realized this was possible because I would be grouped with people who know how to tackle that. With that being said, the roles and abilities of my group members and myself were diverse. Shreya was assigned the group leader, and she did a great job of making sure we all stayed focused. The most important element to consider was what we could do with the time we had. As Margie set up the camera on the tripod, we worked simultaneously to speak our minds eliminating topics so we could quickly come to an agreement. Multitasking paid off here. This seemed to be a tactic that worked because once we moved passed that, we could begin to focus on the interviews.

Also, being new to film, I wanted to observe everything. I watched how to properly mount the camera on the tripod, and once we realized we needed a new battery I was able to assist in removing the camera so the battery could be changed. A small, but meaningful feat for me.

Shreya suggested using Prof. Smith’s office which ended up being a nice choice because of its various visual elements we could use as a background for the interview. It was visually appealing, but not over-stimulating to the eye, keeping the focus on the interviewee while adding a dimension of interest. Margie was a great group member to have because her personality is laid back, which was helpful when the group might have been feeling the tension of a rushed assignment. Her input in questioning was helpful too because she began to ask questions to the interviewee as if she were having a conversation with them without a camera. In relation to some of what I’ve read, this is a great skill to develop as a documentarian because it provides some lubrication in getting the storyteller to loosen up and be natural. I myself felt like I was acting which was a really uncomfortable experience. However, I am glad I did it because now I know how people feel who are being interviewed and what might help to alleviate that awkwardness. There was a hiccup in our sound recording during Regi’s interview, which was quickly realized by the time we got to the next interview. The downside was we had to do a retake of everything Regi said. I can imagine it being awkward to retell a story on camera. I could tell that his excitement in telling the story dwindled. People don’t like to repeat themselves under any context, and especially on camera. As we were packing up, it was established that Regi would edit the film, him being confident enough in himself that he could manage it, which he did amazingly. I appreciated his mild manner paired with his conviction. It made me optimistic in his abilities. I was excited to watch him use Premiere because I will be learning this software in another one of my classes this semester. I actually learned a lot from everyone and had a really fun time working with everyone. Our group was awesome.

I’d say some things I took note of in terms of areas for improvement would be trying make quicker decisions in all parts of the process (in this case, due to time), have more trust in the abilities of others, and take into consideration everyone’s strengths and weaknesses, perhaps using the weaknesses to your advantage through entertaining open lines of communication for learning opportunities amongst all group members.

The final product was a success. I was really impressed by Regi’s editing and relaxed confidence, Margie’s camera knowledge/organic prowess in interviewing, Shreya’s leadership/actively creative thought and thinking ahead/persistence (such as trying to get our title into the final product), and with myself for being inquisitive and jumping into the challenge knowing basically nothing.

The final pieces of the other groups were splendid and really inspiring in a way that makes me excited to be taking on this minor. The diversity amongst the groups with the same topic was very cool to see. I liked how some groups highlighted their interviewees with a very dry sense of humor by cutting immediately after some of their remarks. The camera angles in the DACA interview assisted in conveying to the audience that something serious and meaningful is being talked about. That group also had someone reading a definition from their phone which was a helpful touch because it implied a reliable source of information. The pet therapy film was well done. The jittery hands and feet added to the narrative and played comically into the stereotype of quirky, ’off-balance’ people who seek counseling. I was also impressed by the ‘Unifying Universities’(?) group for working smart, and hence effectively, under the pressure of creating a film after having lost it.

If this is the kind of work that can be done in two hours, then I can only imagine how well we all can work together in composing future projects. The learning opportunities ahead are irresistible.