Blog Post Week 4
(This was written last week, after class, but figured I would post at the same time as the new one)
At this
point, as I am watching and organizing footage, I am finding myself
reconsidering some of my initial thoughts. During the summer, I thought of
filming city events and Black queer spaces. The goal was to try to make some
semblance between the two, to show that while these spaces are specialized with
a racialized and queer energy, they are also part of the Oakland history of
community building, consciousness raising, and vibrant culture at large.
Interviews of some of whom I recognized to be key individuals (and also
reoccurring individuals, frequenting spots in the overall social scene) would
provide “substantive” information and commentary connecting a broader analysis
of racial, gender non-conformity, sexuality, and class trajectory. This is what
led the footage I shot: observational city/community scenes and interviews. In
the process of creating selects for each interview and social scene, I am now
wondering if this initial plan is too much for the allotted 20 minutes.
Thinking about perhaps rerouting, I am asking myself if I can still tell the
story of a neo-Renaissance movement through several characters and thereby,
slightly minimizing my current map of participants or if I should shoot for
something else. I think I am a little lost in my sea of interviewees and trying
to identify exactly what I could use from them.
I also have another list of people “on stand by” for when I need to pull
more interviews. However, it is not my intent to tap into this list until I
fully understand what I am working with, with what I already have. For these
reasons, this week’s assignment fit perfectly, for which selects of three
interviews and a few observational scenes are prepared for class.
I noticed a
change in my anxiety from before and after editing this week’s sequence. After
cutting the sequence, I feel a little less anxious about a method for
identifying strong commentary in strong characters. In addition, Ruby suggested
that I start building the structure of my film by taking a realistic inventory
of what characters I have, why I was drawn to them in the first place, what the
individual does/ what they contribute to the community. In the process of finishing selects and
cutting scenes, it is my goal to see who works well on camera in terms of what
they say, how they say it, and their overall presence.
Blog Post Week 5
The more I
watch my footage, the more I realize a few things and am seeing myself critique
myself as interview facilitator. Due to the framing of my questions, one thing
I noticed is that I was trying hard to deliver my questions in a clear, uniform
way, but in the process left out room for the personal narrative. This all
brings me to restructuring my interview questions in the now, particularly
since I have more shooting to do. From last week’s class commentary on my
sequence, I am being very mindful of how people show up on camera. Some folks
like Breathless show up kind of pretentious, making powerful statements about
the state of the community, but speaking with a particular authority. While
these types of statements can be useful and cut sporadically through the
narrative, I strongly feel that the majority of the narrative should be built
with more personal accounts, like what Sienna the dancer gives. There is
something more magical about these types of interviews. In addition to it being
more action based, Sienna uses accounts of her subjective experiences as bi-racial
and multi-sexual, versus just speaking generically.
This week,
I went through my list of already interviewed interviewees. Out of the seven, I
have decided that three need to be redone, perhaps shot in a more action based
format. Ruby also suggested that I begin recording with an audio recorder
before and after set interview times. It seems as if I could potentially get
some good material after participants have loosened up and also, these moments
would be more candid interactions. I also rewrote my list of “stand by”
interviewees, noting who each person is and what they can add to my already
existing line of Renaissance individuals. Gearing up to go back into the field
soon, it seems as if I need to spend more time with folks, allowing their
personality and personal stories to unfold before the camera, as these are the
moment that will connect more readily with the audience.
Another
thing that I am considering is how I want to show the connectivity of all my
characters. They all are apart of the same community creating these
gender/queer spaces and as such, frequent similar parties and gatherings. But
how exactly do I show this connection, other than having footage of each person
in the social scene, which at this point I do not have? In addition, I am a
little lost in cutting scenes for my observational footage of social life.
There is no defined beginning, middle, and end. In many cases, there are just
people interacting with one another and the space. Just some thoughts and
questions of the now…
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