Small update

Hi, just popping in quickly for a small update. I think I finally found a name for my episode. It will be titled “Left a Stray” but I'm still struggling with coming up with a name for my show. It's just complicated putting everything I wanna discuss in that show into one but I'll figure it out eventually. 

Structure

 The structure of my documentary:

Beginning of the Interview:

We will begin by asking basic questions about the dog like

What's the dog's name? 

Where was *insert dog's name* found?

What was their condition like?

While I'll be asking the interviewee these questions, they will provide me with the pictures they have of the dog when it was found and I'll be using it as a b-roll to insert while she's speaking. 

Middle of the Interview:

By this part, I'll start asking how their transition from street life to shelter life was for them by asking questions like 

How were the dog's first few nights in the shelter?

How well did they behave with the other dogs?

What was the most challenging part of this transition and why?

During this section of the doc, I will include pictures of when they first arrived at the shelter and their first interactions with people as they settled in their temporary home.

End of the Interview:

By the end, the interviewee will be speaking about how the dog is doing now and how much they've helped them. Questions like these will be asked

How are they doing now?

How long have they been here?

Have they gone to foster homes?

This part might mostly focus on reflection too about how and why this story is important and why the dog's story should be told.

Great News!

 Ok, so in my last blog, I spoke about how neither of the shelters responded, so I took initiative and went to one of the shelters I emailed. I ended up going to The Abandoned Pet Rescue in Ft. Lauderdale. It was kinda a long ride, it was about 35-40 minutes away so I was hoping there would have been a good outcome since I'm making such a far drive. As I was approaching the shelter the area didn't have the best scenery and I would be lying if I said I was getting scared. I walked in and I spoke with one of the ladies behind the desk as I introduced myself and my project she told me to wait for the manager to finish a phone call so I can speak to her. I sat down for about 5 minutes and in those five minutes, I realized a lot. Nothing has been easy recently but those 5 minutes uplifted me a bit. As I sat there I heard so many dogs barking each had a different pitch that would represent the size they were. While I heard the dogs bark back and forth I saw the cats playing with one another. I watched them chase each other and slap each other in awe. But then I realized how sad this place was. Yes, this was a safe place for them but that didn't mean it was the right place. Each and every animal deserves a home at that shelter, if I could I would take them all with me trust me. But seeing them and the environment they were in made me really sad. I would be lying if I said my eyes weren't getting watery. I'm not saying the shelter is a bad environment, it's a safe place for the animals but it's not a home where they have a family. So while I was in that environment it gave me so much more motivation to put my all into this project. It gave me the push I needed and have been looking for. When I got to speak to one of the managers she was very on board with my idea and with no hesitation said yes since I also applied to be a part-time volunteer we also spoke about what positions I had and I offered to do anything. But she did suggest that I do more research on the fact that since the house market prices are going up more pets are being abandoned due to families not being able to take care of them. So, I will be doing more research on that idea. I brought up the filming schedule I wanted to go with. She said that she wasn't going to be in town throughout the whole spring break but that she will talk to the other manager about interviewing her instead. But if I'm unable to, I'll just do a b-roll throughout spring break and the interview once she's back. I asked her if they had a specific dog with a rough past and an abusive home and she told me that they do have one, so the documentary will focus on the dog and their story. 

Filming plans for next week:

So now that I have a location secured I can envision the documentary more. Next week I plan on getting a b-roll of the dog and its kennel as well as its interacts with other dogs etc. With the b-roll that I'll have I will play around with color palettes that will complement the background and the dog. 

Struggles.

 The shelter hasn't responded to my email or calls. So I might have to go down to the rescue and ask about it in person. I'm kind of freaking out because if this doesn't work out I don't know what I will do anymore. I am hoping for the best but still thinking about second options if it's not too late. I was hoping to film next week but I don't know anymore. Not having an answer delays everything. It delays the title process, the research on the techniques and colors I will use, and even my social media process. 

Finding and Contacting The Location!

 The shelter that I am going to contact will be Good Karma Pet Rescue. Good Karma rescues both dogs and cats of all sizes, ages, breeds, and even medical conditions. They are the largest foster based rescue in Florida and they have saved over 2,000 dogs and cats in 2022. They don't just offer adoption for the animals but they have programs for terminally ill and unadoptable pets, community cars through their TNR program, struggling pet owners, and pet owners who need affordable routine veterinary care through their Good Karma Pet Clinic. 

https://www.goodkarmapetrescue.org/

Once you arrive at their website they show you different ways you can help/ take action. Either from adopting a dog or cat, fostering, or volunteering. At the top, there are drop downs to their locations, information about them, what they do, and ways to donate. Today I emailed them asking if they would be on board to film the documentary. Now we wait for an answer...

First Group Meeting

 Today during class I met with a group to discuss all of our projects. Everyone's ideas sound great and I'm excited to see all the end results. When it came to talking about my project everyone seemed to like the idea I was going for. But there's two things I really urgently need to do first figure out my documentaries title which to be honest I have no idea what the title could be and second I need to write out what all the other episodes will be. So throughout these weeks postings I will be discussing specifically what every episode will be like and hopefully get an idea for my title soon. Well that's all for today, bye. :)

Small and Quick Updates!

Research overload!

With all the documentary sub-genres my piece would be based on an expository documentary. These documentaries set up a specific argument or pov about a subject. The argument I will make in the episode will emphasize the idea of adopting and not shopping for animals like dogs. I was in between expository and poetic. The one characteristic that had been thinking about a poetic doc is the emotional response they usually have. But after further evaluation, I decided the only answer is expository. 

Planning for the next weeks:

I'll be doing more research on the color schemes, representation, target audience, and storyboards now.

Documentary Sub-Genre Research

 Genre

My portfolio project will be a documentary. A documentary is a product that illustrates a “slice of life”. It's usually non-fiction and focused on a specific subject. A documentary uses videos, photographs, real people, and events that create a specific story that at times can have a message. They can go from 30 minutes to 2 hours long. After doing a fair amount of research about documentaries there are 6 different types of documentaries.

Poetic Documentaries:

These types of documentaries focus more on experiences, images, and moreover showing the world through a different lens. This sub-genre aims to create a feeling rather than a truth. These documentaries focus on specific images and music that help create an emotional response or experience. The three characteristics of poetic documentaries are visual rhythm over continuity, lack of traditional narrative, and subjectivity. For visual rhythm over continuity, the editing goal is to use shot design and composition to emphasize the look of the documentary and create a new perspective for the viewers. When it comes to poetic documentaries a common characteristic is to not go with the traditional narrative route meaning that the characters won't progress throughout the story and it won't move towards a resolution. Instead of the documentary fighting to make a point, a poetic documentary wants to approach its specific subject “in a more abstract and experimental way”. These characteristics will help the viewer trigger the emotional response the poetic documentary wants to have.
Source: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/guide-to-poetic-documentaries

Expository Documentaries:

These documentaries set up a specific argument or pov about a subject. Usually, there's a narrator that speaks directly to the viewer. These docs include footage that supports or helps strengthen the argument the film is trying to make. They include stock footage, archival footage, b-roll, or re-enactments. The documentaries are usually made to inform and persuade. The three main characteristics of a documentary are omniscient voice-over, a “right” answer, and evidentiary editing. Throughout the documentary, there is a voice accompanied by the images and visuals that are being shown. The voiceover helps explain and state the argument. When watching these types of docs rhetorical questions recount history, and interviews are often used to support the claims and to have supportive evidence. Unlike poetic docs which are meant to trigger emotional responses, expository films use images to help support their claim.
Source: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/understanding-expository-documentary-mode

Observational Documentary: 

This aims to record a more realistic, everyday life but without any intrusion. These documentaries tell concrete stories about real people which means a huge factor in these docs is using realism. They do this by following people or events in real time, giving the film a sense of immediacy. Handheld shots are used by having around portable cameras that would allow the subjects to be followed around more easily. Long takes help create a sense of realism and allow the viewers to connect to the film. There is almost little to no voiceover in order to not have any intrusive narratives. In observational docs, there are no re-enactments in order to not interfere with the look of realism they strive for. Observational is raw and authentic, it gives voice to all sides of an issue by giving the viewers a firsthand pov of the subjects (whom or what the film may be about) and a closer perspective.
Source: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/guide-to-observational-mode 

Participatory Documentaries:

These documentaries would include the filmmaker in the narrative. This can be used by adding the filmmaker's voice to prod their subjects with questions during interviews behind the camera. The filmmaker will be able to appear in the film during an interview as well. The effect of their presence could be to have a bigger influence on the narrative. In this film, the filmmaker is a character since they can be seen or heard at certain points of the film. The interviewer's questions are included in the edit, so the audience is allowed to see or hear the filmmaker asking the specific questions. This allows there to be a clear relationship between the filmmaker and the interviewee. The viewer is aligned with the filmmaker, which means that the viewers can see the film through the filmmaker's perspective allowing them to view the situation from a specific pov or lens.
Source: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/guide-to-participatory-documentaries 

Reflexive Documentaries:

These as well can include the filmmaker within the film. This film does not want an emotional response but actually wants the audience to consider the material. The subject of the film is always the purpose of the film. Characteristics found in reflective documentaries are often like the ones from participatory docs. It will often show the camera and/ or production to call attention to the conventions of filmmaking.
Source: www.masterclass.com/articles/understanding-reflexive-documentary-mode 

Performative Documentaries:

This documentary focuses on the filmmaker's involvement with the subject. They use their personal experience or relationship with the subject to start exploring a larger subject. These films are more personal; they tend to share the experiences and personal feelings of the filmmaker. Their personal feelings tend to be included in order to receive an emotional response from the audience.
Source: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/understanding-performative-documentary-mode 

Introducing My Project

A small introduction to my project 

When this project was introduced to the class, I was initially stuck on what I should do. So many options were thrown at us but I was only able to choose one and commit to it. So I began to think about the content I like and topics I love to learn about and the first thing that came to my mind was animals. I've always had an interest in animals and ever since I was little I have wanted to work with them. So I wanted to create a project that would be relevant to my future practices. My project will be a documentary. It will be based on animal activism. The 5-minute portion of the episode will focus on an interview in a resume dog shelter. Although there will most likely be changes, my plan, for now, is to focus on a dog's story, especially one that has been through a lot. In the next posting, I will focus on specific shot ideas and genre research. 

Topics: 

-How did they find him/her: How were their living conditions (were they homeless or living in an abusive household) and how were they able to get a hold of them.

-What has their journey been like ever since arriving at the shelter 

-Any injuries of some sort?

-For how long have they been looking for a home

-Do they have a specific amount of time they will be allowed to stay in the shelter.

First Meeting With My Instructor!

Meeting With Instructor 

Today I had my first meeting with my instructor. I brought up my ideas and she helped me brainstorm my topic. She brought up this rescue called Good Karma Rescue, which I will make a blog posting about the research I made about them and set up the email I will send them discussing my project idea. I explained to my instructor how I was having difficulty figuring out the other topics of my episodes. So she brought up the idea that I could make my series about pet and animal activism and each episode will focus on different ways to save the elements of the world. I will also be doing research by watching films and videos on the dodo and animal planet. That's all for today, bye!! 🙂

Project Schedule

 Week One:

-choose the project genre

-begin developing full film plot/documentary topic/music video idea

-research genre and story ideas

-blog

Week Two:

-continue research on project components

-watch documentaries that are related to my choice of topic. 

-continue to develop the story 

-blog

Week Three:

-continue to research/plan project components (digital/print)

-research social issues that correlate with my topic (research for CR)

-blog

Week Four:

-continue to research/plan project components 

-develop script or outline

-develop filming/editing schedule

-create shot list/storyboard

-create social media tool

-document production process (for social media and blog)

-post to social media

-blog

Week Five:

-continue to research/plan project components 

-begin production of video component

-begin planning print component

-post to social media

-blog

Week Six:

-continue post-production of video component

-begin editing 

-continue planning of print component

-post to social media

-blog

Week Seven:

-finalize video component

-work on print/digital components

-post to social media

-blog

Week Eight:

-finalize video component

-work on print/digital components

-post to social media

-blog

Week Nine:

-create Critical Reflection

-finalize print component

-post to social media

-blog

Week Ten:

-create final, overall project reflection

-post all project components to blog

-post Critical Reflection to blog