Class Notes: Week 6 (AMP Story 1 Guac Premiere)
Guests
Nathan Bellis - Senior, VMS & AMI
-Works in the VR Lab in the Bolt
Cara O’Malley - Junior, VMS
-Works for Amy as a production intern
-Duke in LA
-Started own videography and marketing company
Madeleine Lambert
-Professor Theatre Studies
-Theater, Social Justice, Documentary
Chrissy Beck
-GM at Chronicle
James Todd
-Comm. Manager at Duke Chapel
Pilar Timpane
–Media Producer at Duke / I&E
-Works in the VR Lab in the Bolt
Cara O’Malley - Junior, VMS
-Works for Amy as a production intern
-Duke in LA
-Started own videography and marketing company
Madeleine Lambert
-Professor Theatre Studies
-Theater, Social Justice, Documentary
Chrissy Beck
-GM at Chronicle
James Todd
-Comm. Manager at Duke Chapel
Pilar Timpane
–Media Producer at Duke / I&E
Piece #1 - Old School Child
Members: Danielle (P), Julian (DP), Quinn (A), Sarah (E)
Self-Reflection
FOCUS: Invoking the theme through anecdotes; somber tone; identity of being an African-American man and a single father
-B-Roll / Audio / trying to match context
-Not very much usable B-Roll
-Difficulty using B-roll shot on different cameras b/c of color and tone
-Interview was challenging
-Theme of piece matched theme of his film which was helpful
-Reciprocity in sharing footage
-Hard drive caused complications
-Some unusable audio
James: Backed into the story. Started something, became something else. Little unexpected. But worked. B-Roll was endearing, but felt the need for another scene.
Nathan: Story was good. Could tell a lot of different cameras were used.
NOTE: I thought the flat footage made sense here and I gave them my opinion there.
Cara: Thought it was going to be about his filmmaking. 30-seconds in was a good transition. The B-Roll placement was pretty good. Tamir Race / Playground was a good decision.
Madeleine: Good commentary on social issues. Reality of being black in our country. Conversation was good. Story was vibrant.
Chrissy: I wanted more. I’d be interested in getting another slice of life from other people in Durham.
Pilar: Wanted to learn more. Kid was adorable. Great subject material. Would be cool to get soundbytes from Zion. Interview and camera focus — maybe use two cameras. Pairing of B-Roll / Audio was pretty great.
Lauren: Shot of them not talking / no audio. Cool thread.
Carson’s notes:
Old School Child // Danielle, Quinn, Julian and Sarah
Interview: good: rule of thirds, bad: focus
Broll: awesome: showed the relationship. Missed opportunity: where's the nat sound?! Dead quiet park shots: is that the right mood?
Revisions: Photos of kid in school? Brighten broll (color correction)
John Larson’s notes:
What I liked about this were the rich interesting elements of it. The filmmakers questions about the need to understand the specifics about African heritage, the desire to keep his child safe, The issues about children playing with guns – specifically African-American children.
The challenges? It felt visually like it was too dark. That the light was hurting you instead of helping you. It was little sound of the father interacting with the child, which was an important element of the story.
And the largest challenge was the focus. It wasn't sharp. For example, the piece could've been focused on the father and sons attempt to process guns - the extreme danger to African-American children, policing, not shopping for toy guns, images on the television or in the museum. Etc. Or, it could have been more about the difficulties of not knowing specifics about ones heritage. The were at least theee good stories in here that might have been explored and expanded. But it would require diminishing the other two.
Self-Reflection
FOCUS: Invoking the theme through anecdotes; somber tone; identity of being an African-American man and a single father
-B-Roll / Audio / trying to match context
-Not very much usable B-Roll
-Difficulty using B-roll shot on different cameras b/c of color and tone
-Interview was challenging
-Theme of piece matched theme of his film which was helpful
-Reciprocity in sharing footage
-Hard drive caused complications
-Some unusable audio
James: Backed into the story. Started something, became something else. Little unexpected. But worked. B-Roll was endearing, but felt the need for another scene.
Nathan: Story was good. Could tell a lot of different cameras were used.
NOTE: I thought the flat footage made sense here and I gave them my opinion there.
Cara: Thought it was going to be about his filmmaking. 30-seconds in was a good transition. The B-Roll placement was pretty good. Tamir Race / Playground was a good decision.
Madeleine: Good commentary on social issues. Reality of being black in our country. Conversation was good. Story was vibrant.
Chrissy: I wanted more. I’d be interested in getting another slice of life from other people in Durham.
Pilar: Wanted to learn more. Kid was adorable. Great subject material. Would be cool to get soundbytes from Zion. Interview and camera focus — maybe use two cameras. Pairing of B-Roll / Audio was pretty great.
Lauren: Shot of them not talking / no audio. Cool thread.
Carson’s notes:
Old School Child // Danielle, Quinn, Julian and Sarah
Interview: good: rule of thirds, bad: focus
Broll: awesome: showed the relationship. Missed opportunity: where's the nat sound?! Dead quiet park shots: is that the right mood?
Revisions: Photos of kid in school? Brighten broll (color correction)
John Larson’s notes:
What I liked about this were the rich interesting elements of it. The filmmakers questions about the need to understand the specifics about African heritage, the desire to keep his child safe, The issues about children playing with guns – specifically African-American children.
The challenges? It felt visually like it was too dark. That the light was hurting you instead of helping you. It was little sound of the father interacting with the child, which was an important element of the story.
And the largest challenge was the focus. It wasn't sharp. For example, the piece could've been focused on the father and sons attempt to process guns - the extreme danger to African-American children, policing, not shopping for toy guns, images on the television or in the museum. Etc. Or, it could have been more about the difficulties of not knowing specifics about ones heritage. The were at least theee good stories in here that might have been explored and expanded. But it would require diminishing the other two.
Piece #2 - Building Spaces
Members: Lauren (P), Hunter (DP), Serges (A)
Self-Reflection
-Condensed production experience
-Built reveals
-Color correction
-Lower third didn’t show up
-Nat Sound that could’ve been used but we wiped all of the sound as we were exporting
-Distracting music
-Felt the story was super strong
-Shooting went fairly well — more footage the better
-Scheduling was difficult
Carson: I never got bored watching this.
Pilar: It was cool learning more about her because I know of her. Great character. Music may not have been needed. Hoping for a “what’s next?” moment.
Chrissy: Really enjoyed this. How much control do you have over the subject? Really engaging, lots of energy. Music is distracting.
Madeleine: Visuals moved very well. Spaces were very well-iterated. Well-constructed.
Cara: I like music on pieces, maybe not a perfect song choice. Very beginning, I would’ve liked more variety of shots. See more of space. Great shots chosen. Fantastic reveal on political job.
Nathan: Structure was good. Wish had more knowledge of her in the beginning. Spaces were great. Interview space maybe weirdly framed.
James: Nat sound serves as a good transition.
Julian: Enjoyed intro as a part of the story. Amazing subject.
Alice: The first line was a great tone-setter. Such a likable character.
Questions on tear gas - Didn’t seem as applicable in this one
Amy: Maybe an archival photo. Access to city council?
Hunter: All up online. Probably should’ve checked access. Assumed it was public access because public council.
Carson’s notes:
Building Spaces // Lauren, Hunter, and Serges
Lovely opening sound byte
Great opening broll (eatablishes community theme)
Need audio from the broll
Nice musical sound-bed
Nice chapter two transition! (Identity and organizing)
Nice chapter three transition! (Politics, nice broll)
John Larson’s notes:
This is a great example of how a powerful lead sentence or piece of sound can make a piece. Her opening comments about wanting to go to an island with friends was so evocative and c ool, it's set the stage for the entire piece. I really felt like I got to know this person, one small thought? I would've loved if that opening island metaphor could've been looped back to the city Council at the end. Meaning, how is she now trying to build community among council members in order to build for the larger community? Again, a little Nat sound would have helped. At the table. At the cc meeting. At the march.
I love that opening soundbite about the desert island. I think if I had been there it would've swept me down a different path. I might've asked, so I know you're not a little girl anymore, but if you fell asleep who would be on that desert island now? Any city council members? The entire city of Durham? Or, are you still just on a little island with your friends?
Self-Reflection
-Condensed production experience
-Built reveals
-Color correction
-Lower third didn’t show up
-Nat Sound that could’ve been used but we wiped all of the sound as we were exporting
-Distracting music
-Felt the story was super strong
-Shooting went fairly well — more footage the better
-Scheduling was difficult
Carson: I never got bored watching this.
Pilar: It was cool learning more about her because I know of her. Great character. Music may not have been needed. Hoping for a “what’s next?” moment.
Chrissy: Really enjoyed this. How much control do you have over the subject? Really engaging, lots of energy. Music is distracting.
Madeleine: Visuals moved very well. Spaces were very well-iterated. Well-constructed.
Cara: I like music on pieces, maybe not a perfect song choice. Very beginning, I would’ve liked more variety of shots. See more of space. Great shots chosen. Fantastic reveal on political job.
Nathan: Structure was good. Wish had more knowledge of her in the beginning. Spaces were great. Interview space maybe weirdly framed.
James: Nat sound serves as a good transition.
Julian: Enjoyed intro as a part of the story. Amazing subject.
Alice: The first line was a great tone-setter. Such a likable character.
Questions on tear gas - Didn’t seem as applicable in this one
Amy: Maybe an archival photo. Access to city council?
Hunter: All up online. Probably should’ve checked access. Assumed it was public access because public council.
Carson’s notes:
Building Spaces // Lauren, Hunter, and Serges
Lovely opening sound byte
Great opening broll (eatablishes community theme)
Need audio from the broll
Nice musical sound-bed
Nice chapter two transition! (Identity and organizing)
Nice chapter three transition! (Politics, nice broll)
John Larson’s notes:
This is a great example of how a powerful lead sentence or piece of sound can make a piece. Her opening comments about wanting to go to an island with friends was so evocative and c ool, it's set the stage for the entire piece. I really felt like I got to know this person, one small thought? I would've loved if that opening island metaphor could've been looped back to the city Council at the end. Meaning, how is she now trying to build community among council members in order to build for the larger community? Again, a little Nat sound would have helped. At the table. At the cc meeting. At the march.
I love that opening soundbite about the desert island. I think if I had been there it would've swept me down a different path. I might've asked, so I know you're not a little girl anymore, but if you fell asleep who would be on that desert island now? Any city council members? The entire city of Durham? Or, are you still just on a little island with your friends?
Piece #3 - Queen Curator
Members: Marina (P), Summer (DP), Will (A), Alice (E)
Self-Reflection
-Messed up the first time. Only one of the cameras could handle the low light, which affected B-Roll.
-Enjoyed how the relationship with her grew.
-Film about how music can overcome difference.
-Was at first a difficult character to pin down, so our persistence helped.
-Cool team-building experience.
-Knew technical issues, sound was difficult.
-Some music was distracting and low at points
-First song was from an artist who was part of the Underground Collective
-Scrapped entire 1st interview
-Going multiple times was huge
James: Powerful moment when she got choked up. Photos were huge. Kid photos pulls the heartstrings. Having hip hop groups performing live, so much energy. Instead of her saying it’s exciting, show me with audio.
Carson: Everybody has asked for more nat-sound.
Nathan: I thought the Pinhook shots were gorgeous. Contrast to the interview, little overexposed. I appreciated the band photo.
Cara: Shots were beautiful and stylized with the club. Interview was a little off. Setting threw me off. Enjoyed the story. First 30 seconds was confused as to who the subject was. Maybe hone that a little more.
Madeleine: I liked the interview — stillness and brightness, juxtaposed with Pinhook at night. Wanted to see more B-Roll.
Carson: I missed the group photo. Nat sound. Adding the establishing shot of Durham helped a lot given the interview contrast.
Chrissy: This felt professional. The photography was beautiful, and also weird. Doesn’t look like the Pinhook. I don’t get it. The Pinhook looks like a dump and this felt beautiful.
Pilar: You really picked up the vibe. Interview difference was jarring. Had trouble figuring out the subject. Add more text to her lower third.
Pilar: Perhaps do an experiential interview of going to the interview space, as a visual transition. B-Roll to guide into the setting
Carson’s notes:
Queen Curator // Marina, Summer, William and Alice
Nice scene setting broll! (Two daylight shots set up the juxtaposition of day and night shots throughout)
More nat sound from show
Nice school photos
Love and respect + group photo = perfect pairing
More nat sound from group photo
John Larson’s notes:
I really like this piece. Again, we needed some examples of the music, specifically the wrap, so we could appreciate the room we were in? Emotional by in about high school, and the teachers, put a whole new element into this story. Really good. I would've loved a shot from the yearbook of those teachers? Also, if she could have a looped back this sense of her now being the teacher, of empowering her musicians? A closing thought is just as important as an opening thought or piece of sound.
Nice opening shot, too
Band teacher story was surprising.
Having the other musician in the piece really helped I think. Also the shot of the group photo was really helpful. It Proved the sense of community.
On Nat sound:
It's unscripted. It requires waiting through a massive amount of information to select out just a little bit?
It also means having to think about audio when you're shooting B roll. This idea of the B roll being reduced to wallpaper is an important concept for your students. Something to avoid. Wading.
Self-Reflection
-Messed up the first time. Only one of the cameras could handle the low light, which affected B-Roll.
-Enjoyed how the relationship with her grew.
-Film about how music can overcome difference.
-Was at first a difficult character to pin down, so our persistence helped.
-Cool team-building experience.
-Knew technical issues, sound was difficult.
-Some music was distracting and low at points
-First song was from an artist who was part of the Underground Collective
-Scrapped entire 1st interview
-Going multiple times was huge
James: Powerful moment when she got choked up. Photos were huge. Kid photos pulls the heartstrings. Having hip hop groups performing live, so much energy. Instead of her saying it’s exciting, show me with audio.
Carson: Everybody has asked for more nat-sound.
Nathan: I thought the Pinhook shots were gorgeous. Contrast to the interview, little overexposed. I appreciated the band photo.
Cara: Shots were beautiful and stylized with the club. Interview was a little off. Setting threw me off. Enjoyed the story. First 30 seconds was confused as to who the subject was. Maybe hone that a little more.
Madeleine: I liked the interview — stillness and brightness, juxtaposed with Pinhook at night. Wanted to see more B-Roll.
Carson: I missed the group photo. Nat sound. Adding the establishing shot of Durham helped a lot given the interview contrast.
Chrissy: This felt professional. The photography was beautiful, and also weird. Doesn’t look like the Pinhook. I don’t get it. The Pinhook looks like a dump and this felt beautiful.
Pilar: You really picked up the vibe. Interview difference was jarring. Had trouble figuring out the subject. Add more text to her lower third.
Pilar: Perhaps do an experiential interview of going to the interview space, as a visual transition. B-Roll to guide into the setting
Carson’s notes:
Queen Curator // Marina, Summer, William and Alice
Nice scene setting broll! (Two daylight shots set up the juxtaposition of day and night shots throughout)
More nat sound from show
Nice school photos
Love and respect + group photo = perfect pairing
More nat sound from group photo
John Larson’s notes:
I really like this piece. Again, we needed some examples of the music, specifically the wrap, so we could appreciate the room we were in? Emotional by in about high school, and the teachers, put a whole new element into this story. Really good. I would've loved a shot from the yearbook of those teachers? Also, if she could have a looped back this sense of her now being the teacher, of empowering her musicians? A closing thought is just as important as an opening thought or piece of sound.
Nice opening shot, too
Band teacher story was surprising.
Having the other musician in the piece really helped I think. Also the shot of the group photo was really helpful. It Proved the sense of community.
On Nat sound:
It's unscripted. It requires waiting through a massive amount of information to select out just a little bit?
It also means having to think about audio when you're shooting B roll. This idea of the B roll being reduced to wallpaper is an important concept for your students. Something to avoid. Wading.
Themes for Story 2
Inequality / Equality - 8
Environment - 6
Innovation/Technology - 3
Arts/Culture - 3
Relationships - 0
Identity (Politics) - 0
Environment - 6
Innovation/Technology - 3
Arts/Culture - 3
Relationships - 0
Identity (Politics) - 0
