Week 16 Update

This past week, we edited Starting Again to prepare for the end-of-semester screenings. Getting all the b-roll assembled and color correction and titles added took more time than expected. Although we were able to wrap things up into a completed film, it is currently not anywhere where I want it to be. We will be tweaking the film this week to prepare for the Carolina Bay screening, and probably more so on my own before submitting to festivals. I understand that the way the film is shaped now it is kind of one-sided, without anyone really saying anything negative about their retirement experience, either a homeowner or a community resident. I also realize that adding more from the gerontology professors about how younger audiences could relate to the film is a necessary component. Looking back over the course of the semester, I feel that we accomplished a lot as far as getting interviews scheduled and filmed and making extra time for b-roll filming. Although it would have been nice to possibly get perspectives from not-so-happy retirees and more variety in b-roll, we just did not have the time. I should have dedicated more time to editing on a regular basis, so that I was not scrambling around to get the final cut in this past Tuesday, but I definitely learned the importance of time management.

Week 15 Update

The past several days have been spent cutting down all the interview footage and editing to create the final sequence. It has been time consuming and stressful, because each and everyone of the people we have spoken to and interviewed throughout the course of this semester have provided such interesting perspectives on the topic of aging. Having to decide on only certain soundbites to use in order to tell an organized story has been a challenge. Although I did radio edits of each of the interviews throughout the production stage, I do feel like I wasted valuable time to really focus on editing. The end-of-semester screening date coming up so unexpectedly threw me a loop, as well. I tend to be a perfectionist and take pride in all the work that I do, so making sure this film represents my vision is crucial. I do plan to edit a slightly longer cut before submitting to festivals, but I will for sure be submitting. I believe the ideas discussed in this film, hearing various individuals' stories about retirement is interesting and  important for audiences to see. I do feel that we were able to film unique people this semester and that having enough footage to work with was never a concern/issue, because of the amount of footage we have. I have enjoyed the experience of serving as director on this short documentary and I look forward to the possibility of more directing projects in the future post-graduations including gaining the funding to make an environmental feature that my co-director Henry Klein and I have been pitching in producing class.

River Run Film Festival Response

Participating in and attending my first ever River Run Film Festival was a valuable experience. On Friday morning, I met with both Caroline Cuny, the organizer of the PitchFest and the other three contestants from Elon, UNC School of the Arts, and Wake Forrest alike. We each presented our brief pitches and film clips and engaged in a Q&A session with the three judges. A discussion panel with the judges proceeded afterwards, in which they shared their personal experiences getting into the industry and their advice on the art of pitching. Top points that resonated with me included remaining passionate about the idea and expressing that not only to potential funders, but to the audience as well. Maintaining a professional as well as colorful presentation hook individuals in and allow them to care about the film and its future. Also, being able to articulate why a filmmaker is the right one for the job is the right one to make a particular film is important to consider. As far as my film is concerned, some constructive criticism I received/tips for the editing process included narrowing down the scope to allow stories of certain characters to shine through and allow audiences to follow through with the overall story.

Apart from the PitchFest, I attended student film blocks of both documentary and narrative films on Friday. The following day, I screened a block of documentary shorts from established filmmakers in the morning, attended a panel discussion in the afternoon, and screened a narrative feature in the evening. It was interesting to listen in on the Q&A sessions at the different film blocks, to hear the filmmakers’ challenges and visions, and the audiences’ reactions to the films. Naturally I am fascinated by the documentary film genre and the various people explored in film. Watching the selections of documentary shorts at the festival gave me some inspiration and ideas for how to go about editing the final cut of my film. Certain aspects I noticed were gradual breaks/pauses in dialogue with overlaid b-roll to allow breathing room for audiences, to allow them to focus solely on the imagery and take in the information presented. I also noticed rare moments within some of the films where the filmmakers’ questions to the subject were included. To hear the filmmaker’s voice proved to me that they were genuinely interested in learning about their subjects and what they had to offer. I am not sure whether I will utilize that technique, but it was rewarding nonetheless to see how other student and established filmmakers shaped their films into stories.

Week 13 Update

This past weekend, I attended RiverRun Film Festival and pitched Starting Again to a panel of three judges. Some constructive criticism I received/tips for the editing process included narrowing down the scope to allow stories of certain characters to shine through and allow audiences to follow through with the overall story. Watching selections of documentary shorts at the festival gave me some inspiration and ideas for how to go about editing the final cut of my film. Certain aspects I noticed were gradual breaks/pauses in dialogue with overlaid b-roll to allow breathing room for audiences, to allow them to focus solely on the imagery and take in the information presented. I also noticed rare moments within some of the films where the filmmakers’ questions to the subject were included. To hear the filmmaker’s voice proved to me that they were genuinely interested in learning about their subjects and what they had to offer. I am not sure whether I will utilize that technique, but it was rewarding nonetheless to see how other student and established filmmakers shaped their films into stories. This afternoon and evening, we gathered the remaining b-roll footage for the film. This included going to Kure Beach with Emma and Anthony to get footage of Cathy and Steve doing activities in and around their house, followed by going to Carolina Bay where Anthony and I got footage of residents at a forum, as well as footage of residents attending a dance class. We then went downtown by the waterfront and captured the sunset. The remainder of this week and next will be spent editing in order to prepare for fine cut.

Week 12 Update

This past week was spent editing selects from our interviews to prepare for the Rough Cut 1. Anthony and James went to Carolina Bay for a Garden Party & Piano Recital to get B-roll and sound bites of the residents in action/socializing. Today, Anthony and I went back to Carolina Bay and got B-roll of a resident painting and conversing with Erin. This week will primarily consist of completing the Marketing and Distribution Assignment and planning out times to gather more B-roll at both Carolina Bay and Cathy and Steve's house. The next few weeks will be spent structuring and polishing the film for Fine Cut.

Week 11 Update

This past Friday, the whole group and I met up and took a drive to Wallace, NC to interview Emma's aunt, Kathy Lord, who lives in River Landing, a gated community with homeowners of various ages. We gathered some b-roll inside her home and then took her golf cart for a spin around the neighborhood, getting driving footage in the process. Anthony and I also worked on a 90-second clip for my River Run Film Festival pitch of the film. It basically features soundbites from various interviewees about the idea of owning a home or moving into a retirement community and how retirement has treated these people. The rough cut, which we will work on today, tomorrow, and Tuesday will have a similar approach, but expanded further. To save time and hassle, Anthony discovered a feature on Premiere Pro that allows you to combine and sync a two-camera set up together. Our interviews of Cathy/Steve, Doug, and Kathy had interview footage from two cameras. This feature allowed everything to be more concise and easier to edit for rough cut assembly. Today, Anthony and I filmed the sunrise on the beach and will hopefully film the sunset in downtown near the waterfront soon. We also need to schedule out Carolina Bay events to attend to capture residents socializing together. I would like to get back up with Cathy and Steve and see when they plan to spend time with friends, so that I can hopefully get some b-roll of them interacting with others, as well.

Week 10 Update

Since the beginning of April is quickly approaching and I continue to play email and phone tag with Erica from Lake Shore Commons, I have decided not to include any interviews from that particular retirement community. We have a lot of footage already from Carolina Bay and I would like to gather some nice b-roll of social events, showing the residents engaging with one another. I also need to work on completing radio edits of all the interviews, so that it will be easier to pick out selects to put into the rough cut in more of a storytelling manner. I need to seek out editing help from my group mates, because it is a lot to take on by myself alone. I am looking forward to interviewing Emma's aunt in Wallace this Friday and getting some b-roll of her in and around her home. The following weeks will be spent gathering needed b-roll and editing editing editing.