Before embarking on this project, I had no idea what aspects made a documentary inspiring or effective. I I had watched a few documentaries before, but viewing the full-length documentaries in class was a new experience for me. To be honest, I am not a huge fan of documentaries because I often feel they lack a fast pace. So, making my own was definitely going to be a challenge. Fortunately, I was able to work with Martina and Samantha who helped form ideas and a topic to base our documentary on.
The research portion of our documentary began in class, where we watched two full-length documentaries: “American Promise” and “Exit Through the Gift Shop.” “American Promise” follows the experiences of two Black boys as they navigate their school years in a predominantly white school, highlighting the ways in which the school system treats them based on the color of their skin. On the other hand, “Exit Through the Gift Shop” focuses on how street artists gain popularity. Additionally, we viewed several op-docs from the New York Times as part of our research.
After watching “American Promise”, I felt a strong connection to the subjects because I could relate to their stresses with school, difficult classes, extracurricular activities, homework, and ultimately, college applications. I witnessed these young men grow and mature as they faced challenging times, including dealing with deaths and cancer, which made me root for them by the end. I realized that this is how a truly beautiful and inspiring documentary should be made—by naturally bringing people together and fostering a connection, even without meeting in person.
I found “Exit Through the Gift Shop” (ETTGS) to be more entertaining but less impactful. I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen, but at the same time, I didn’t feel emotionally connected to any of the subjects or topics. I would recommend "American Promise" to anyone, as it presents a humanitarian tone and story. However, ETTGS didn’t change me much as a person. Although it wasn’t meant to be a deeply moving piece, I realized that those are the films I resonate with more. This understanding ultimately led me to work with people who also wanted to create impactful stories.
We found that the documentary we drew the most inspiration from was "American Promise," primarily due to its overall tone and structure. In contrast, "Exit Through the Gift Shop" had a more lighthearted approach, leaving the audience with questions rather than a sense of inspiration. This distinction helped us establish the tone we aimed for in "The First Cut."The story progression of "American Promise" closely aligned with the development of our own narrative, reflecting the seriousness and audience interpretation we aimed for. We chose to adopt a serious tone because we believed it would resonate more with viewers, rather than opting for a lighthearted approach like a silly vlog.
No comments:
Post a Comment