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

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.

The webisode formatting of the F Word was a wonderful departure most documentary films. It felt as fun and intimate as a reality TV type show, but, due to the nature of the issues covered and how the couple is, it felt much more like cinema veritas. The F Word struck this balance through a number of formal elements. For instance, the intimate close up framing of Kristin and Nicole snuggling made us feel like we were right there in the room with them. What’s effective here is getting both faces in frame, as well as their hands holding each other. One of the first things that you might notice about the F Word is that its graphics are FULL of color. They seem like a visual dynamic collage of magazine clippings, which for me definitely reminds me of childhood. This seems particularly fitting for a web series about having a child. Their graphics are varied and effective at evoking certain emotions; the show uses a chalk board and chalk graphic to communicate information about what a home-study is. This is an effective way to make what would normally be the task of voice over into another varied visual aid that brings me back to childhood. I was really impressed by how many different graphics there were, and the effect that each had on the tone of a scene. The shimmering iPhone frame is totally unusual; it also serves to give a sense of veracity to the shot in a playful way.

The F- Word also introduces variety in the framing of the shots of their characters. These range from cinematic shots in the woods among tall trees. The frame, which is static, is obviously purposefully composed. The characters themselves are also obviously posing. In these shots, the objects in the frame are all along the lines of thirds, more or less, which immediately draws the eye to them. This indicates a departure from the cinema veritas approach that other shots employ. Shots of the two parents having a conversation gives the impression that there isn’t a camera in the room. Instead, the viewer is simply transported into an intimate moment in someone else’s living room. Similarly, the conversation feels intimate too, and the reactions between the parents is genuine enough that it can be easy to forget that there is a camera and then a screen separating me from the story of these humans. Yet, there are direct references to the camera at the very beginning of the series, when they meet other foster families, among others. This varied approach of cinema veritas type shots, graphics, the webisode formatting, and direct references to Kristin and Nicole’s relationship with the camera create a unique documentary blend for the modern viewer.

You need a tripod when you pan and tilt around the colorful art work at the beginning. Even if you have good shots without a tripod it is hard not to be distracted by the subtle camera shake. Also you need to be careful about your focus in the future, for many shots especially like the nameplate on the wall the lack of focus doesn’t seem to add any aesthetic value. The shots of the paintings were awesome. I loved the close framing on the paintings. These shots really conveyed a sense of intimacy, and you were able to really capture the colors, textures, etc of different paintings with effective exposure! In addition, the reflections of other paintings and people walking by was an interesting, abstract way to show that the art gallery was alive and full of action. The zoom on the newspaper article was ineffective because of camera shake; as a general rule, any significant amount of zoom needs to be paired with a tripod, as camera shake becomes more pronounced when a zoom is utilized.

The story seems to be a focus on art, although where you’re going beyond that is unclear. I don’t think thats a problem though, I can see there is some emphasis on certain spaces, as we visited the same settings throughout your video. In this respect, the B-Roll video does a great job of setting you guys up for success when you can overlay interviews over your shots. I though the music and transitions were effective as well. In the future, I would try to use a tripod whenever possible. So many shots will look more clean and professional if you eliminate camera shake. Personally, I try to stay away from dynamic zooms because they are hard to pull off with our level of camera experience. Your pans and tilts though were solid for the most part, and they definitely made your shots feel more alive and dynamic. I would also like more shots that are similar to your pottery shots. The earthy aesthetics of these shots worked well in tandem with the anonymous and intimate hands shaping the clay.

Kenzie, Luke, & Laura

To watch Kim Snyder’s documentary Newtown and not feel an ounce of the pain that Newtown felt on December 14th, 2012 would be impossible. While the documentary focuses on the town and victims’ families before, during, and after the shootings it does have an underlying argument for gun control policy changes. Snyder’s ability to form close connections and bonds with the families directly affected by this event allowed for her to show less graphic information but still tell a brutally honest and real story. One of my favorite parts about the film was that the killer was not named. It emphasized Snyder’s desire to keep the documentary about the community.

During the talkback, Snyder talked a lot about ethical dilemmas she faced on more than a daily basis. Snyder believed that graphic reenactments were not necessary sometimes the facial expression of the interviewees were enough to convey the horror. This is similar to Grizzly man where just watching someone listen to his death was enough to understand the tragedy.  Overall this documentary is a great case study of ethical dilemmas that documentarians face.

Ultimately, Newtown was successful because of Kim Snyder. She is a caring, compassionate woman who was able to create real relationships with the families and therefore an honest and true documentary.

Sunday, November 5 was a difficult day for myself as long as the rest of our country as news spread of another mass shooting that had taken place – this time at a small church in Texas. As I read the headlines on my phone, I became increasingly alarmed at my numbness to this news. I called my dad and asked when it would be that I’d wake up in a world without these weekly headlines. He had no answers for me.

Monday’s viewing and discussion, for this reason, came at an important time. “Newtown” was an incredibly well made documentary that Kim Snyder most definitely captured and executed well. It is important that topics that weigh so heavily on the lives of so many are properly told, and I think Snyder could not have done a better job. The beginning shots of the film followed by the interview with the first father create an immediate emotional impact that viewers can feel and thus become attached. Even the title of the film – simply “Newtown” – struck a cord because I immediately knew what the film would entail and the emotions it would surface. As a viewer, I knew I could not feel half the grief that these parents and siblings had from losing their first-grade children, but the content of the film made created an intense emotional impact on its viewers. We saw into the lives of these people before and after such a huge part of their happiness was taken from them.

I think it was important that Snyder did not include a picture, or much information, on the shooter. This film was about the victims and their struggles to go on after their children were murdered. So many films and news sources today tend to document and report on the killer or murderer, because, unfortunately, that is what people gravitate towards in the news. I appreciated that Snyder acknowledged this and defended her belief that he should not have been included.

Because of the events prior to Monday’s class, I was able to take a lot away from Snyder’s answers after the screening, especially when she spoke about the role of doctors in these events and their argument to find out why these events are taking place. This idea, spoken about by one doctor who was in the ER the day of this event, was definitely one that shed some hope of finding out why these things are happening and perhaps a way to decrease their frequent happenings. I was able to walk away from the film feeling upset but also with some sense of hope that these tragedies may one day come to a stop.

The Holocaust is something that can never be truly depicted by words or film, in Night and Fog (Resnais, 1955)  the narrator says, ”No shot can restore their true dimensions” and Elie Wiesel says, “How can one recount when- by the scale and weight of its horror- the event defies language?.. The essential will remain unsaid, eradicated, buried in the ash that covers this story…Does there exist another way, another language, to say what is unsayable?” (page 209) I was blown away by his words and the how the film acknowledges that the horror of this event can’t be shown. However, Resnais still makes you uncomfortable while watching his film.

The film made me feel uncomfortable with the pan of the endless piles of bodies and the buildings and equipment used for torture. I was glad it made me uncomfortable because I knew it was challenging me and making me see something I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. Flitterman-Lewis talks about how this, ”allows him to represent the unrepresentable, to image and unspeakable terror, and to simultaneously produce both anxiety and reflection on part of the viewer.” (page 205) The ending was thought-provoking, to say the least, with the question of “who is responsible?” followed by a series of questions. It made me realize how similar stuff is happening like in Rohingya. What are we doing to stop this genocide? Turning a blind eye.

Every time I read or watch something about the Holocaust I learn something new. For example, I didn’t know about how they used, “every bit of “waste”… ashes become fertilizer, bodies become soap, hair becomes textiles, and skin becomes paper for drawing.” (page 206) When I first heard in Night and Fog ,” the skin gets used for” and they showed the paper I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t fully realize the truth until I read it in text and I was shocked. Once again, the Holocaust is something that I will never know enough about and I’m glad films like this keep bringing awareness to the experience of it. Continue reading →

I was very excited to come to this screening because I am from Connecticut and went to a day school where many of the students and some of my friends were from Newtown. I remember the day very vividly. I remember constantly checking my phone for updates on the details. I remember the confusion. No one knew what was happening or what happened for hours after the fact. I remember getting let out early and watching my parents cry over the tragedy. I remember singing with my acapella group a year later to the families who lost a family member. It was truly a horrifying and emotionally traumatic event that affected the lives of many and the entire state forever.

There was one phrase that was said in the beginning of the film that resonated with me throughout the rest of the film and that was “The world needs to be made emotionally aware.” Kim Snyder did an excellent job honoring this phrase.

One of the strengths of this film was the fact that it wasn’t completely based around the political picture or by the violent picture or about the attacker picture, it was about the emotions, the loss, the trauma, the support, the love, the hope, the belief. It was edited into this beautiful story that portrayed so much emotional pain but so much emotional growth as well. The interviews were so moving and to be honest some of them even made me cry. They were so powerful, everything in this film was so powerful. Watching this reminded me and brought back emotions I had felt during the time of the event, but I felt like I became closer to the event and the people through watching this film because it was an inside look into these people’s lives who were affected. How they’re feeling, how they’re coping, it was so interesting to watch and at some times incredibly heart wrenching.

I hope this documentary continues to reach masses around the world because I think it is truly special. It educates through emotion, not just fact, not just by visuals, but it makes you feel. I left the room wanting change. I left the room with the motivation to protest just like the people included in the film desired and did.

Overall, this was an incredibly moving experience, it was truly touching and groundbreaking. It gave me new perspective on the incident and I feel like it has opened my eyes even wider to the beauty of documentary filmmaking and how it can really touch peoples lives and help to change the world. Incredible film, incredible experience, incredible filmmaker.

Overall I am proud of the work our group did in to create our B-roll film. I hope that the clips we put together depict what we wanted to portray in our documentary. While editing, it was helpful to have everyone in the group together so we could all put in input. Additionally, while one person was cutting the films, other could be looking up b-roll or music to put into the film.

One thing that we discussed in our group was putting music in the background. While I liked the idea of music, we decided as a group that it was not necessary. Overall, finding music to put in the background was hard, because we were unsure about the legality of using others music. I was wondering how others found/ decided on their music. Another factor I was contemplating was the effect of the music on the b-roll. Do i want to tell the audience what to feel when they are watching the b-roll or let the sights and sound to the job?