Attached, please find our final product. Overall, I had an amazing time working together with my group to produce this. Although we hit a few bumps along the way, we are so proud of what we created and we hope that you guys enjoyed our documentary last night at the festival. Thank you to everyone who made this possible!

Overall, I have had a great time working with my group. We were very confident going into this project because we knew exactly who we were interviewing and what story we wanted to tell. I didn’t think there was really anything to worry about until we sat down and started piecing together our documentary. We soon found that a few of our interviews were not usable because the audio was not audible. However, together, as a team, we were able to brainstorm ideas as to how we were going to fix this. Kiera, Josh, and I work really well together as a team and were able to figure out other people to interview. I am really excited to continue to edit our final product and to see everyones next week!

Impressed would be an understatement when it comes to the documentary Tickling Giants (2016). When I saw the poster for the documentary, I thought it was going to be an animated film. It clearly is not just an animated film, but I was so intrigued by how Sara Taksler was able to incorporate the animated figures into this film. This stuck out to me the most because you don’t usually see this in films unless it’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid. (2010).

I thought everything about this documentary was incredible. The story of Dr. Bassem Youssef is one that many people have not heard before. When I was first watching the documentary, I thought Bassem was crazy to even think about hosting a talk show when there was that much drama occurring in Egypt. However, as I continued to watch, I started to praise him because I realized that he was so brave to take on something that he was so passionate about. He put his life and his family’s lives at risk but he did it because he loved it and he wanted to help the people of Egypt feel less tense. Bassem’s story is so unique and I truly believe this is a documentary everyone must learn to appreciate: not just because of the powerful plot, but to appreciate our country because at the end of the day we should be so grateful for all of the freedoms and opportunities we have here without being threatened by the government.

This film uncovers the food waste problem in the Lehigh Valley and reveals the active roles the community is taking to combat it.

Thank you to the people who commented on my rough cut! I really appreciate it and it definitely helped me form this final cut! I hope you guys enjoy.

1. In the Lehigh Valley, 100,354 tons of wasted food goes to landfills per year.
2. In the Lehigh Valley, 50,177 tons of wasted food needs to be diverted from landfills to meet the 50% by 2030 goal.
3. We are now spending a much smaller percentage of our income (9.7%) on food than we did in 1929 (23.4%).
4. The Lehigh Valley has lost 80% of its farms and 53% of its farmland in the past century.
5. Based on the average American diet, the Lehigh Valley is only able to produce food for 24% of its current population.

I can say confidently that Night and Fog (1956) was one of the most horrifying films I have ever seen. My jaw was open for the entirety of this film, even though it was only 32 minutes. The images got worse as the film went on, and it was truly hard to watch at some points. Everyone knows how terrible the Holocaust was, but this film really showed how horrible it was. I will never be able to get rid of the image of a bulldozer picking up dead human bodies. It was one of the hardest things I ever had to watch. This film is extremely powerful because it truly shows no filter on any of the images shown as well. Although it’s a really hard film to watch, this film really shows how awful the Holocaust was. The fact that there were sub texts throughout the documentary also really added to the overall tone of the film. I believe the words appearing on screen made it more depressing to watch. Overall, this was a great film, but one that was really hard to look at the screen for its entirety.

“Not Like You” really captures a great tone and feel throughout their B-Roll. By using long shots of the American flag and the slow up tilt on the Kirby building really sets a strong ominous tone. This is carried beautifully as the film builds into the dark shot of trees. Afterwards the B-Roll juxtaposes itself with happy shots of family and children. These shots humanize the B-Roll. There are some points in this B-roll where there isn’t really a story being told. Some of the images were just meshed together. The family shots were great, and we all think this documentary is going to come together nicely.

It is very evident from this B-roll that this film is going to be about DACA. There is a lot of strong footage included in this B-roll. It is clear what this film will be about and who is involved. We enjoyed the single shots of people showing detail on what they are doing, then followed by group shots, showing unity and strength towards this cause. We believe the B-Roll is beautifully done and I am excited to see the finished documentary.

-Aidan, Kiera, Josh

I remember the day during my sophomore year in high school when this occurred. Everyone was talking about if for days, even though I am not from Connecticut. Although this tragedy happened almost 5 years ago, it seems like it happened just yesterday. I remember watching the news with my mom as we watched all these parents hysterically cry and hold each other. This documentary was one of the most upsetting things I have ever watched, but at the same time one of the most powerful. I really respect the fact that Kim Snyder was able to make this documentary. As I was watching it, I not only could not stop crying, but I kept thinking how hard it must have been for her to interview these people without crying. Listening to the stories of these families stabbed my heart, and I applaud Snyder for building up the courage to document this horrific tragedy.

Everything in this documentary was stunning. From the way the b-roll flowed, to the interviews, to the music. There was never a part of the film where I thought “oh, this isn’t needed.” Every part of this film was so amazing to watch, even though it was very depressing at the same time. Although I was very emotional throughout, I really enjoyed watching it and it is a documentary that everyone should see.