1.What is the essential story behind the piece you created?
The story I wanted to convey was what power film has on
society. The art of filmmaking has been
one that people have enjoyed since the early 1900’s, but recently this medium
has become more and more accessible to the everyman as a storytelling
tool. I wanted to explore the idea that,
not only does film impact society, but how we watch and create films is
impacted by a collective idea or experience.
2.What was your purpose in creating this piece of new media
narrative? Do you feel you were successful in communicating your purpose?
Originally my purpose was to interview several people in the
industry, both professionals and independents who have experiences filmmaking
from different aspects. I also wanted to
explore how social media can assist in the process, but this proved to be
harder than I expected. I found a couple
of things out with this approach.
1.)
I received a lot of positive feedback on those wanting to
participate
2.)
I found that relying on people across the country is not always
a great option. There were two interviews I wanted from colleagues out in LA who are experienced in the world of New Media Filmmaking.
The reason for the latter is because the footage I was expecting
to receive via social media never came through, but this was because of timing and circumstances beyond anyones control.
This portion of the documentary had to be scrapped, but I still hope to
add it in one day soon. On this section
I would say I was not successful, but have learned what to do and that I can think quickly on my feet if needed.
I also took advantage of a trip I took out to California and was
able to do one face-to-face interview with a filmmaker in Hollywood. Going into the trip I decided I should make
the most of where I am going and try to get as much footage as I can,
regardless of if I use it or not. See
images and video below of Warner Brother’s, The Los Angeles Film School, and
Sunset Boulevard.
Warner Brothers
Amoeba Music - Sunset Blvd
Warner Brothers Water Tower
The Los Angeles Film School
My other purpose for using this particular medium was to create
a small film, because I was talking about film.
I wanted to use the medium I was presenting.
3.Who was your audience? Do you feel you were successful in
reaching your audience?
My audience was anyone interested in the art of filmmaking. I wanted to target those who not only enjoy
creating films, but also those who enjoy watching them. As we discuss in the piece, filmmaking is
very much a collaborative process and how we experience film has become this as
well. How we experience a film at home
is very different than how we experience a film in the theater, and I wanted to
reach the audience who appreciates film and storytelling.
I do feel I was successful because the piece is long enough to
provide information, but short enough that they might want more. Where I think I lose the audience is with the
length of the interviews on screen. I
want to go back and add in footage or still shots to break up the monotony of
the talking heads.
4.Why did you use your particular approach to media
production and media selection? Were you successful?
What did you learn
during the process of crafting your media piece that you can use in creating
future new media narrative?
Documentary
films are something I have always loved.
I think when done right, they are a great tool to provide information to
an audience interested in a particular subject.
I am not an on camera personality, nor do I enjoy being on camera, so I
wanted to use an approach that would let me pull information, while still being
behind the camera. See image below.
B-Roll from Gabe interview
I
learned what to expect from those wanting to help, and how to utilize my time
more efficiently for the success of the project. Because I was traveling to the home of film,
I wanted to try and capture some of what I was experiencing for the
audience. Sadly, I ended up not using
the material in the piece itself, but I am including some of it here. For my future project I will plan, plan, plan
each location and interview down to the smallest detail. I know sometimes things don’t go as planned,
but if I at least have a plan, it will be easier to deviate if necessary. Other than a few sound glitches I am very
pleased with the outcome of this film.
