Good Updates! :)

I texted my close friend Lexi who is on the board of BLMWeston to find out if anyone was interested in being interviewed for my doc. She reached out to her groupchat of board members and got back to me

Good news: we have one person so far!

They appeared to love the idea and want to schedule a virtual Zoom call with me to discuss it further. Only one person has responded so far, so I will definitely keep in touch with Lexi to see if anyone else wants to be part of my project.

Over the Zoom call, I hope to talk about my vision for the project and discover what specific details potential interviewees want to share. I’m planning to brainstorm some questions with them while on the call in order to make sure the questions fit their topics and that they are also100% comfortable with them. Making the interviewee comfortable here is always my #1 priority. I also hope to plan out how I will go about filming this, in other words whether the final interview will be virtual or in-person due to ‘rona. Won’t be my first time making an aice portfolio project during a global pandemic so we’ll push though no matter what happens!😎

Group Meetings>>>

Today in class we had a group meeting in class over Microsoft Teams to discuss our portfolio projects and it honestly went gr8 :D

I got put in a group with Valentina, Autumn, Sara, and Amy, and two of them were also doing a docuseries so it was extremely convenient to hear insights from one another! After voicing the lack of direction I had with my idea, they made me reflect on whether I want my project to be based more on facts, and the structure of how BLMWeston was created, or to be a more emotional piece focusing on the perspectives of the interviewees regarding racism. Some suggested to focus more on facts since racism is of course a very sensitive topic, but we ultimately came to a conclusion that I have to speak with my potential interviewees first to discuss what they want to share, and how comfortable they would be sharing the more intimate details of their story. Having touchy scenes could lead to a powerful piece, which is ultimately what I’m aiming for.

Therefore, after our lengthy discussion, I decided that I will be combining both history and personal perspective in my docuseries. Mentioning the events of the summer would explain why some of the interviewees were influenced to create BLMWeston, so I think it’s a perfect idea. My group members also reminded me to discuss the potential questions with the interviewee before filming, and to maybe include screenshots of the BLMWeston social media page to make the piece more engaging. They also suggested that I could reach out to the followers of BLMWeston in case I have trouble finding more interviewees. As of now, I only think I’ll need one or two for the five minute piece, which shouldn’t be much of an issue since my close friend is one of the founders of the organization.

Anyways, I’ll definitely keep in mind everything my group told me, and I’ll start finding some potential interviewees from BLMWeston ASAP. 

So. Excited.

Research for the Soul

I decided to refresh my knowledge regarding general history of the Black Lives Matter movement + organization since it is integral for this project.

The Black Lives Matter (BLM) international organization was founded in 2013, and the movement protests against police brutality and racially motivated violence. The official website states that organization was originally founded after the murder of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old who was fatally shot by a police officer in Florida. The police officer was acquitted of the criminal charges, which caused great outrage in the media and brought more awareness to other possible racially motivated crimes.

In the summer of 2020, the movement gained even greater international attention after policemen in Minnesota killed George Floyd, a 46-year- old Black man. This event triggered global protests on racism amongst the police force and the lack of police accountability. My docuseries will likely mention these events since it is was inspired the creation of the local BLMWeston in June 2020. BLMWeston organized their own peaceful protest in Weston, FL on June 12th which made local news. I will attach a screenshot and link of the article below because it’s pretty cool and I’m so proud of my friends who are in the organization :) BLMWeston has many social media sites but uses Instagram has their main platform to educate our community about racial injustice.

On a personal note, I just wanted to add that as young person active on social media who has witnessed these events unfold last summer, it has been really amazing to see many members of the Black community feel empowered to use their voice and speak out on these incredibly sensitive, but important topics. I will definitely take this project as a learning experience for myself as I delve deep into the personal viewpoints of my Black community members and friends. BLMWeston’s first post was actually named “Media Made by CBHS Students” that educate on racism, BLM, and police brutality, so it would be an honor if my project can make the cut and continue to spread the message the organization supports :)

links!

https://blacklivesmatter.com/

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/weston/fl-ne-weston-protest-highlights-student-action-in-anti-racism-20200612-apnlvnmzrrbrlfwxejyuj6lluq-story.html

Me trying to find a clear structure for my doc

I knew from the start of this project that I wanted to make a documentary about the on the BLM movement and the perspective of some individuals in my community regarding racism, but there’s a lot of directions I could take with this.

Here is what I know for sure:

I will be working closely with a local organization by the name of BLMWeston to find interviewees for my docuseries. It’s a student-led organization that was made by Black students from my high school, and I know a lot of them have a great perspective to share on the BLM movement and how it has affected our community.

What I don’t know:

Everything else.

Should I focus more on this local organization was founded, or on the interviewees’ personal experiences with racism? Of course this is all dependent on the interviewees level of comfort, since racism is a very sensitive topic. But in terms of the entire docuseries, I think the most probable structure would be to focus on one person per episode, and the personal story/perspective each individual has to tell. IDK. I’m thinking out loud :0 

I think we’re having a group meeting in class this week, so I’ll definitely discuss these concerns with my classmates and see what they think. Keep you updated ;)

Logging off. xoxo

Schedules are Important

After the pandemic greatly altered the timing and schedule of our AS Level project, I realized the importance of schedules more than ever. Hopefully this year no global crisis gets in the way of my creative process...... pls.

Mrs. Stoklosa gave us a recommended schedule, which I just adjusted to fit my documentary.

2/16-2/21

introduction of idea, planning/brainstorming

2/22-2/28

RESEARCH (I was lacking on this aspect last year), more planning on the overall structure of documentary, perhaps some outlines

3/1-3/7

shot list, plan to meet with interviewees, choose select days to film

3/8-3/14

film interviews, reflect on production process and how the interviews went, make changes if necessary

3/15-3/21

film any needed voiceovers, get b-roll footage, make changes if necessary

3/22-3/28

re-film any shots if necessary, begin editing process, create social media page + magazine article, enjoy my spring break lol

3/29-4/4

continue editing process, choose fonts, choose title for the piece, create social media page + magazine article

4/5-4/12

finish editing process along with the social media page + magazine article, write critical reflection, reflect even more on entire process

New Beginnings

Wow.

Almost a year later, here we are. I'm excited to announce that this blog will be repurposed to document the progression of my A Level project. I have definitely grown a lot as both a creator and a person since my AS Level project last April. 

On this new journey, I will be producing an extract from a documentary TV program, along with a social media page and a magazine article to tie in with the documentary. With the recent events and protests that occurred in 2020, I was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement to continue to bring more attention to racial inequality present in our country and how it directly affects my community. To do so, I plan to work closely with a local organization by the name of BLMWeston and interview the members who run it. There is still much to consider regarding the structure and execution of the documentary, but I am glad I have a clear focus on what I wanna do so far. 

Stay tuned for more!