Here is the completed version!

Thanks to YOU !

Hello Class,

I want to thank you for a great semester. I was very impressed with your work. You often made me forget that you were intro and not advanced students!

I hope to stay in touch and look forward to seeing some of you again next semester.

Thanks for the great blogging and all the insightful comments.

Happy Holidays,

Ellen Spiro

Graduate Students Screening

Last night I stayed for the graduate student documentary screening. It was great seeing their finalized products and comparing them to our films. Many of the films were very impressive, with my favorites being "Locomotion" and "Western Brothers' Adventure Story." Both of these were just beautiful to watch and "Western Brothers" was probably the sweetest short I have ever seen in my entire life. I actually wanted a copy of it, but I felt really creepy asking!

I loved having some of the subjects in the audience. It created a very special environment with a lot of unspoken excitement. It was just great to sit back and watch other people docs without having to stress about mine anymore!

Lesson #1: Problems Make Progress

No matter what, each film you make will always present to you a new plethora of problems you must overcome. I have come to realize this. And although these problems may get smoother the more experienced are, they are always there to haunt you...or to teach you, depending on how you look at it (are you a half full cup person or half empty?) For me, I like to look at each and every problem as a step to becoming a better filmmaker, and although I get stressed out at times (I am have been known at times to curse at my computer) I know that I will not make the same mistake twice.

One of the most important things I learned this semester were on the grounds of accessibility: how to confront and get somebody to partake in a project, getting permission to shoot more in depth in your subject's life etc. It terms of confronting, I spent an entire month trying to obtain consent to do a documentary about boxing. It ended up not coming to fruition. Looking back I believe the best way to present an idea is to physically meet the person on the first contact--no email, no phone call. Had I just went to the gym from the get-go it may have worked out. As for accessibility, my second project idea turned out well because I had full accessibility. I could shoot/do whatever I pleased. This left the creative door wide open. Having a solid relationship with your subject is critical.

Lastly, I came to realize that with some docs, especially with event docs like mine, it is extremely important to know exactly the way everything works before you actually shoot. Having a complete understanding of an event, per se, will help you make a cohesive and logical documentary. It was my first time ever at a speech tournament when I went to A&M, and I was flying by the seat of my pants the whole time. I was learning about the event at the same pace the audience was; whatever he said to the camera was new information to me. This should not have been the case, I should have known most everything that was going to happen before it happened.

Overall, there is a huge number of things this class taught me. Too much to name. What is important, however, is that I DID learn a lot, and I know as a result I am coming out of this class a more experienced, and, hopefully, a better filmmaker. I think we all are. Anyway, I had a great semester with y'all and anyone who is taking Advanced Doc. next semester I'll see you in January!

What I Learned

With film being a very recent and new point of focus I have felt very behind in most aspects. RTF 318 was the first time that I've ever really had a camera in my hand, with that being said RTF 366k is actually the first time i've ever really used a camera to tell a story. So for me it was extremely beneficial just to get out there and make a film. This film is the first one I've ever made and really enjoyed it. I learned a lot about cameras and lighting and sound as well. I learned the basics of final cut, through a lot of trial and error, and I got the chance to experience many different styles of documentaries throughout the semester. I learned how important it is to build relatiionships with your subject not, only to learn more about them but to enhance their comfortability on screen. I've also learned how important good sound is since I had so much trouble with wind on my shoot. I recently discovered during the course of this class that I love cinematography. Its something I'd really like to explore further through documentaries like Visions of Light etc. Most importantly I've learned that there is no limit to what a documentary can be. All it takes is a simple idea.

Furthermore, I've not only learned from Ellen and Kim this semester, but also from the many talented people who I shared the class with. I've really enjoyed seeing all of your work and can't wait for advanced doc next semester!

Lifes a Doc...You Learn as You Go...

I have been confused as a potential filmmaker as to which route I want to take. This semester was an amazing eye-opener and ultimately made me realize that documentary and non-fiction is the highway I should be on.

I have learned that it takes patience, knowledge, hard work, teamwork, lack of sleep, creativity, and most importantly PEOPLE to succesfully complete a film. This semester really allowed me to get a hands on lesson with pre-production, production, and post-production that was provided me with important skills that I will elaborate on.

Pre-Production: When I picked my topic, I instantly found out how important researching your subject until the point you almost lose interest in it is. Building the connection with everything directly and indirectly involved with your doc and gaining a great relationship with your subjects makes the experience and the final product better. If I wouldn't have spent evenings out on Harley's Ranch working on the farm, listening to his stories, and just hanging out, I stronlgy believe I would have been pulling my hair out when it came to actually filming and trying to get what I wanted on tape so that my post-production wouldn't be forcing me to go rent the camera again spend all day getting info I could have got before. I also learned that you should be concstantly thinking about every possible scenario you could film that involves your doc's subject matter because you will be even more relieved when you sit down in post and realize what all you have to work with. I most importantly learned that you can never prepare enough in pre-production....because the more you have thought about...the more likely you are to be able to handle any situation that might be thrown at you.

Production: I learned that you need to become intimate with the equipment you will be using. Also know enough about your equipment so that when complications come about, you know different options to take in order to make your day of filming not a waste of time. SOUND IS IMPORTANT. IT IS A BITCH IF YOU DONT GET GOOD SOUND! I learned to be aware of your surroundings, weather,natural and artificial lighting, and your subjects level of feeling comfortable around the camera. Good Idea to get a good creative amount of B roll as well. I learned that we should all know the little details like 9v batteries, camera chargers, blacking tapes, marking tapes, and making sure your crew is comfortable and treated with well respect because you couldn't do it without them. Treat Production like a football game: Leave nothing on the field.... give it your all. You pumped your self up in practice and in the locker room (pre-production) and you should leave the game going home satisfied and ready to positively reflect on your efforts (Post Production).

Post-Production: I learned that if Final Cut Pro skills = ninja skills, Kim Hall would be able to kill us all without any of the world knowing. She is a straight gangsta at that program and has taught me a lot this semester with my first time using it. I transcribed all of my interviews which is as much fun as nailing your arm to a table, BUT it helped me in the end and can see exactly why professionals go through the process....I just hope one day I have a little slave doing it for me! I learned that it is important to take a break for a while before you edit your work and take some time in between editing sessions because as a filmmaker you can become so engulfed in some of your footage that you sacrifice a clear story because you are so fixed on putting that one shot in the film when really the best thing is for it to be cut out. I think it is important to have different people watch your cuts of your work as you go because outside feedback is important because sooner or later there are going to be different people watching your work. So take all of the different feedback, look for similarites and differences between those opinions and use that information to mold your work to create a great piece that will satisfy as many as possible.

Ultimately I learned that you never finish making your documentary. There are endless routes you can go and you shouldn't let it bother you when you get upset at times with the direction you are going. Choose one and be happy with it. Be happy you have the coolest job in the world....telling stories. It is a human activity that has been going on since the creation of humans. Everyone has human expereinces....but few get the privelege to produce and recreate it in the manner we do. Be kind to your subjects. Be Kind to your equipment. Be kind to peoples feelings and experiences and know when not to cross the line and make sure you know when you intentially cross the line..it is for the right thing in the end.

One Love,

Fitch

Nuggets of Wisdom Learned Over a Semester

Wow, what a great semester we’ve had! It seems like these past few months just flew by (probably because we were all so busy scrambling to finish our respective projects). Before I started this class, I thought I knew a good bit about making documentaries. I’d made a few before, and thought I’d figured out the craft (at least to a certain degree). Man, was I wrong. RTF 366k has been a huge learning experience for me, and I’m sure it has been for everyone else as well.

 The following are ten or so Documentary Commandments I took away from this class:

 

1.         Thou shalt know how to use equipment before beginning shooting.

2.         Thou shalt acquire equipment before scheduling any shooting.

3.         Thou shalt always have a backup plan, as life is unpredictable, and thing can and WILL fall    apart.

4.         Thou shalt take advantage of a documentary opportunity if it comes your way (in other words,     you never know what might make a good documentary, so consider all of your options).

5.         Thou shalt leave enough time for post.

6.         Thou shalt not edit documentaries in a vacuum (get feedback if necessary, as it helps).

7.        Thou shalt make sure that your documentary subject is accessible.

8.        Thou shalt maintain a good relationship with said documentary subject (regular phone calls or e-mails are a must).

9.         Thou shalt think about structure when editing (structure is everything in my book).

10.     Thou shalt refrain from expecting too much, in terms of how a documentary will turn out.

11.   Thou shalt respect Michael Moore as a filmmaker (even if you disagree with his politics).

12.     Thou shalt not take Ellen Spiro’s name in vain.

 That is all. If anybody has any other commandments, feel free to add them!

Thanks for a great semester everybody, and I’ll be seeing many of you again next semester for advanced documentary. Merry Christmas!

 

-Jason

Oh what I've learned...

I came into this class hoping I would develop more skills and better my abilities, and I did. I am mostly self taught in the editing/shooting arena and I love that I can now take classes and learn from those who have done this for a while and see other people's techniques. The open classroom was an excellent part of the class and I only hope that future classes will allow me and others to express opinions and get immediate feedback.

I have a tendency to fight against what I'm not good at. I lack in the storyline area, and that is one of the reasons I take these classes is to push myself to do things differently. I like flashy, crazy stuff; I want to work for a company like Red Bull or video X-Games or do commercials. But while these classes I am taking at UT better me in what I'm not good at, none seem to address what I am good at. Most classes focus on the individual filmmaker and that is great for most, but sometimes I have to ask myself why the hell I'm even in a film school if I don't want to well...make films. This doc class has been the best so far at trying to help me gain knowledge at what I'm not good at as well as somewhat addressing my strengths.

As for my documentary...it fell short of my expectations this semester. I began the semester with a great idea and ended it still chasing that idea. With more time and less problems outside of the project I could have attained that goal, I know it. But other classes got in the way, my family is going through problems, the house I'm renting needs serious foundation work, my surgery problems resurfaced, and the list goes on and on. With the project itself I lost time when my car was down and I missed a key event I was going to shoot at; thats why there was little footage of me driving. Everyone always seems to be plagued with having too little time and that was true for me, but I had planned on that and compensated, but I couldn't have planned for as many things to go wrong elsewhere.

But even though the doc did not live up to my expectations I'm not giving up now that the semester is over. The whole experience making it was excellent. I learned more about sound and image, got experience with different styles of interviews and learned to work around equipment and location issues. There is always something to be learned whether the outcome was wonderful or a total bomb.

In the end the class was a positive experience. We all worked hard on our docs and very few had to be abandoned. I learned from my experience and in the end that is what matters

The what I've learned post.

Documentary is difficult but spontaneous.

What I most learned in this class was to pay attention to the things around me. When we started with our first assignments, I really felt inspired by a lot of the short pieces we all screened. So many little things happen throughout our day that we may take for granted. So I learned to be observant, and lately I've been jotting down anything interesting that I see, to later develop a story or character with.

What I learned about my documentary was, that I needed to give myself more time. I was overwhelmed this semester by the classes that I took concurrently. I ended up scrambling for time and energy as the semester went on. I think this semester has really kicked my ass but in a good way. With my doc, I learned how to make something out of nothing. Literally, when I sat down with my footage, I was stumped. I had no idea how to create a story out of what I had. I knew who my character was, and I just had to figure out what I wanted to tell everyone about him.

I certainly wish I had more time to devote to this project, I feel like I could of done so much more, however, shorter and tighter sometimes is better. I feel like I may have overcomplicated the story if I had had more time.

I certainly stand by the idea that you can't learn how to make a documentary without making one yourself. I liked the rawness of it all, and the uncertainty almost killed me but at the same time it allowed me more creativity.

In all, I learned how to develop stories through my point of view.

what i've learned...

This is one of my attempts to catch up on my blog posts, which I've been pretty behind on lately. And when Ellen offered a good opportunity the other day in class, I thought I'd take it...so, here's what I learned about making my documentary this semester.

#1 You can't hope to address all of the world's problems in five or ten minutes.
When I first thought about an idea for a documentary, I wanted to tackle almost everything ranging from the Iraq War to other current occupations to "soft" propaganda to the media and mainstream news to the effects of such media on the behavior and culture of American society to natural disasters in the US like hurricane Ike and Katrina to lack of electricity and water and food in the world. It didn't take to long for me to realize that I would have to narrow my topic down quite a bit.

#2 Your documentary never turns out as you expected it to.
What I thought was a "documentary" that I was working on turned out to be more like a video essay. I didn't end up having any footage that I recorded myself, and as a result, the whole piece was from my own voice. Probably the thing I didn't expect the most was how emotional the tone of the video ended up being. But I guess given the topic, the outcome makes sense now.

#3 It's hard to branch out from your own conventional style.
One thing that I'm a little disappointed of is the fact that I never employed conventional skills in making my documentary: recording B-roll and interviews, dealing with light and recorded sound, etc. So I did what I have already learned to do: take already recorded footage and edit it to make my own story. I posted a while back a 2-3 minute video that I edited last year, and I noticed that it had a very similar style (and even similar topic) to my final project. So, I hope to make something very different next time.

#4 It always helps to get feedback.
Usually, for some reason, I don't like to tell people what I'm working on or at least give away the details of a project. Maybe it's because it sets up an expectation that I'm afraid of not being able to meet. Whatever the reason, this habit results in less feedback...which is what I know now that I really need. I showed my documentary to my roommate with two optional soundtracks before I turned it in on Thursday...and her response helped me see something in the music choice that I didn't consider before, which made a pretty big difference fortunately.

#5 There is less time to work than you think.
Enough said :)

And that's all! Good times :)

A scene from Pulp Fiction dubbed en espanol

This is the scene about foot massages at the beginning of the film. I directed, and edited it for my friend Camilo (he plays Jules) for his upper division spanish class. I got the script from script-o-rama.com and Camilo translated it. I then ripped the scene from the dvd, recorded the vocals in my basement, and edited it. The whole process only took about 2 hours. I thought it ended up being pretty funny, so i decided to post it on here. This is also my first attempt at dubbing a film in another language, and Ray Bans Productions is his group's name not mine. Mahalo.

Sherman's March

In Sherman’s March, Ross McElwee invites his viewer into his life and thoughts through an oral and visual account of his Southern journey. His documentary is a wonderful example of the interactive documentary mode. First and foremost, Sherman’s March takes it shape around the filmmaker, Ross, and his subjects. He takes an active role in the film, and his commentary and experiences drive the film. He is both the filmmaker and the main character, for whom the audience feels close to. McElwee’s verbal testimony gives the viewer a second hand account into his world. Although the viewer does not know of his past relationships, McElwee orally fills them in on his history. The use of “talking heads” in the film, including McElwee’s, occupy its central theme. The interactions, places, and people all affect Ross and the audience knows this through his present-tense narration. The film isn’t just a documentary about Southern life, love, and nuclear war. It is about McElwee’s life. The audience shares his embarrassing, disheartening, or pleasant experiences with him. The viewer is reliant on McElwee’s testimony and trusts him.

 

Last Production Report (Speech & Debate)

Over the last two weeks I've been getting some more footage of Joe and Speech & Debate. Unfortunately, after the last week of editing I've realized that much of what I had shot will not fit into the documentary, and that I should focus exclusively on the tournament at A&M. Nonetheless, it was good to at least try a different direction. Anyway, I've just about wrapped editing. It's a fairly simple documentary, not too flashy. I took into account the feeback I got and I appreciate it! I hope everyone is doing okay, and I look forward to seeing the projects!

Honesty is the best policy?

Well, my documentary has been all super mysterious and whatnot. My original documentary was about a Mr. Trey Ratcliff, but unfortunately, I don't think I could fit all the material I want onto a 10 min documentary. But also, I want to learn how to mess with After Effects better in order to illustrate his photography better. He's already posted information about my documentary on his blog...and it's definitely something I want to get to.

But over the break I decided to make a "personal documentary" of sorts of my family, basically trying to establish my own cultural or individual identity. I don't think this will be the final draft but definitely an intro to something that I'll be working on throughout my life.

I asked 12 or so of my family members 3 of the same exact questions. Each of the individuals vary between where they were born and when they were born. I'm trying to illustrate the various similarities and differences between all of them---and the questions themselves don't necessarily have a very tangible answer. At the same time I'm trying to give a small glimpse into my family Thanksgivings.

Maybe I'm trying to bite off more than I can chew (like always); I am having a hard time parting with some of the clips--I wish I could show all footage I captured.

rose i love you

I made this for my 1930's Cinema class project. It's a re-edit of a re-edit. The original was called "East of Borneo" (1931). Joseph Cornell's re-edit was called "Rose Hobart" (1937). This one is called "Rose I Love You" (Today). Thanks for watching.

Production Report (Come on, it's not too late)

After weeks of not hearing from this Health Education Promoter who does talks about study drugs, he got back to me and I was able to get an interview. I've cut about 8 minutes worth of my documentary and now the question is do I put him in? This is always the problem when putting together a short film on a complex topic. Since my doc is looking more like a portrait of the study drug phenomenon, with the voices of the people involved, he might end up looking like a bluntly authoritative talking head. I guess I could use his audio as a voice over for topic exposition. But I wanted a more technical sounding figure and he didn't end up embodying that.

The archival footage I thought was so awesome and so vast ended up looking really strange intercut with my interviews so I had to throw it out. A good interview also went down the drain when I discovered that the audio (even though I used a lav) sounded horrible. I keep experiencing the lessons Ellen and Kim tried to steer us clear of.

These are just some problems I'm having and I thought you all might find comfort in my misery since you might be having them too. With this little time left I'm sure I'll be forced to throw myself onto the right track. I just hope a train isn't coming.

Experimental Doc

I've been searching for different types of docs, I'm having a hard time making my project into something that has a story. I feel like its all fragmented, and not as fluid as the docs I'm used to watching, but somehow I think the fragments tell so much about my subject. I'm having a hard time piecing this together. Anyway I've been searching for examples of different types of Doc, and here is something I found on Youtube that I thought some of you might enjoy, I guess I should elaborate on WHY I enjoyed it and what it did.

Well obviously the visuals are amazing, but more so I'm interested in the way the film maker created a story with them. I don't think the story is literal, for me it was more about the emotion. The story for me had to do with the different images I was reading and how they changed corresponded to the way I felt when I watched...

I appreciated this doc, because it was unlike anything I'd watched recently. Although, I love conventional doc and what it does, its refreshing to see things that aren't so easy to read. I'm fine with having to make up my own assumptions based on what someone wants to show me. Maybe its too late to be updating this post, and I'm a little over emotional and lacking sleep, but it was something really great to watch and I think its definitely worth watching.



PRODUCTION REPORT-

I suck at recording sound. I flubbed up one of my most important scenes, and now I'm going to have to rely on the little creativity I have left in me to save me....Hope everyone else is having better luck. I'll post a bit of what I do today, its going to be a little experimental, we'll see what comes of it.

forgot

also forgot I had this one uploading to Youtube, one I did a while back and forgot to do anything with. Short intro to my car and a problem I was having at the time.

The American Way: Steroids?

The documentary "Bigger, Faster, Stronger" exposes a new side to the raging steroid controversy. Presenting the issue in a very fair, unbiased, and wholesome way was a noticeably prominent goal of the director, Christopher Bell. The documentary is centered around Christopher Bell and his family, which includes two bodybuilding brothers currently on steroids. From this center point, the documentary unfolds and tackles the broad issue of steroid use in sports, recreation, and jobs. Christopher Bell plays a very active role in the documentary being both in front of the camera during interviews and leading the camera through the world of the documentary.

The documentary's focus was on two main issues: how American's idolize athletes such as Hulk Hogan and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and film stars such as Sylvester Stallone; and how there is a lack of consistency in defining what is a performing enhancing drug. The film questions, for instance, Tiger Woods' laser eye surgery to have 20/15 vision or how musicians and fighter pilots take adrenaline boosters to perform better. The question is where does one draw the line.

The documentary did a terrific job interviewing a wide variety of subjects: opponents, proponents, doctors, users, athletes, etc. This gave the documentary a well rounded foundation of information that the viewer could then use to make judgments of how they felt about the use of steroids. Each subject gave an opinion or a piece of information that Christopher would then look at in greater depth and often pose a question to the viewer in regards to what was said. This style kept the viewer engaged in the film by participation.

In the end there was no final judgment presented by Christopher about the use of steroids in America. The film ended with a question and left it up to the viewer to navigate their own feelings. I felt that the film, to a minute degree, and inadvertently, accepted the use of steroids and performing enchanting drugs as part of an American lifestyle. Americans are being torn by two conflicting ideologies: the idea that one should never cheat, and the American desire to be the best, and the result is what is seen in this documentary.

Another production report

Just did an interview with my father and finishing up most of that footage. Just posting up all the production videos I've gotten so far that I never posted.

The American Experience

This week I had the pleasure of seeing a documentary entitled "The American Experience: Coney Island". It was not very long - short, sweet, and to the point. This is probably the first documentary I've seen in a couple weeks that wasn't centered around a personal story at some point. Most of the documentaries that I've seen this semester have been about a certain someone's personal journey or insight into a situation that very little is known about. This film was about Coney Island as a big picture. It went into deep detail about the history and first days of the Island as an amusement park and narrated everything that was important or monumental in the years prior. It wasn't much longer than an hour but it was an interesting look at how people were made in spectacles. An example of this is the Midget City, the Bearded Lady, siamese twins, people with all sorts of fascinating deformations and diseases, and so on. All of these attractions are what made Coney Island what it is and I recommend this film to anyone interested in knowing what's up. -pruitt

Clip from My Untitled Car Doc

I've gotten all my footage for the car documentary. Shooting went really well, and I'm busy editing. The following clip is not an into, even though it's titled so. It will come after the intro, and serves to provide context. Some of my narration is a little low, and will be easy to fix.

Note: This is not really finished. It will be a good while before I get any sort of rough cut together, but I just wanted to post something.

This second clip is of my dad decorating the birthday cake. It's also not finished, but i wanted to post it just for fun.

Production Report #2

Alright, so I've progressed a little further (thankfully) with my project...I actually managed to edit the first minute-woo hoo! But I've suffered writer's block the past couple of days. I know what's my message...I know what I want to say, but I'm having trouble finding the words and style in conveying it without it sounding too cliche.

So to remind everybody once again, my topic is simply to help recall the aftermath of natural disasters like Hurricane Ike and Katrina in the US, then use that experience in understanding the disastrous situation in Iraq and perhaps other war-torn regions, especially in spite of the framing by the administration and media (referring to Iraqi reaction and response as "rebellious," etc.)

The first minute of my doc is a montage of audio clips from Hurricane Ike...I transition into Iraq with a quote from a blog about Hurricane Ike: "48 hours of this was already tiring me out. 4 days of powerlessness is making my friends and neighbors angry and upset. Months and months or years and years would fuel a rebellion."

My idea is just to use voice-over to reflect some of my thoughts like the ones above...like an open diary. But I'm not sure if that's the best approach. I have no interviews, just some footage clips of Iraq, Katrina...and what I have isn't enough I believe. So I thought maybe I should work with pictures as well? The next question is what pictures could I legally include? A lot of the good ones are from Associated Press...but if there are any other suggestions, I would really appreciate it! I'm really trying to look for imagery of everyday life in regions like Iraq (lack of electricity and water for example)...

Any advice would be really helpful in general...thanks!

-Huda

Alborosie - Soul Pirate cd

Alborosie - Kingston Town

I just wanted to spead the word on some new reggae I found. I know some people on this message board are into reggae.

He's an artist named Alborosie. He is originally from Sicily and was in a reggae band there. He moved to Jamaica and has become a full Rastafarian. He had just completed a disc called Soul Pirate. The problem is that this disc is not on itunes or even available is the US yet. From listening to the songs on his My Space page, I ordered his disc from Europe.

http://www.myspace.com/alborosie

This disc is so good that I think it will be as big as Damian Marley's Jamrock or Stephen Marley's Mind Control or even Sean Paul's Trinity disc. With songs like Herbalist, Precious, Kingston Town, Waan the Herb, Sound Killa, and Natual Mystic featuring Ky-Mani Marley it can't help but be a big hit in the reggae world. It sounds like old school reggae while being brand new. The song Bad Mind sounds a little like a 311 song and there is a little bit of the Matisyahu sound as well.

I don't usually get excited about new music, (It's all been done before) but I really like this disc.

Project Change

My subject has disappeared from the face of the earth. She was supposed to come up to Austin the Friday before last to pick her father up from the airport after he flew home from Iraq. I was going to meet her and pick up some home video footage for my doc project, and I never got a call/message from her that night. Since then, she hasn't responded to emails, calls, text messages, facebook death threats,  and even her friends haven't seen much of her. So...I don't know what's going on.

My first idea was to team up with Jason on his Sutton documentary, which I'll still help him with, but with Jason and my girlfriend's thoughtful advice, I've decided to edit an 8 minute (or less) piece out of footage from a road trip that three of my friends and I took last January. They want to see a final cut of the "feature-length" version sometime over the next week, so this will push me to turn this in instead.

Only problem...there's canned music in it. I'll see what I can do.

The Thin Blue Line- Errol Morris

      Morris transforms an inaccessible past into a reality by merging narrative and documentary in this powerful film. The overarching theme throughout the Thin Blue Line is the concept of truth. Morris presents the so-called “facts” to the viewer, just as the witnesses tell them, and leaves it up to the audience to determine the verdict. Of course, we all know who is in prison for the crime. Morris encourages the viewer to correct the deceptiveness presented through the film’s characters. Morris’ uniquely constructed re-enactments in The Thin Blue Line provide the viewer with a quality and understanding that has been historically difficult for documentary film. Using these re-enactments, Morris’ is able to provide the clarity needed to understand the case.

      While many filmmakers struggle with the impact of film on social change, The Thin Blue Line proved a successful challenge. While this may or may not have been Morris’ intention, it sets an example and inspiration for many aspiring filmmakers. The impact of this documentary actually resulted in the exoneration an innocent man, Randall Adams. 

Production Report #2: Speech and Debate

So this weekend I drove to College Station to shoot Joe in a speech tournament on Saturday. I'm broke as a joke so I thought I'd save a buck and just sleep in my car Friday night... Possibly the worst idea ever, don't ever do it. I curled up in the fetal position in the back seat of my Honda Accord at 1am and tossed and turned all night until my alarm went off at 540a. Worst of all I'm a terrrrible packer and I forgot blankets and it was right during that cold front that came in over the weekend. Good call, Alex.

Anyway, I woke up, set up my equipment, and starting shooting at 620a. Everything went smoothly. It was my first speech tournament, so I was still learning the ropes, but I was able to capture Joe throughout the day and get some solid interviews during his breaks. It's funny how much easier it is to interview someone who does speech recreationally. Every question I asked him was a perfect, natural response. Loved it. Anyway, the awards ceremony didn't end until 1030p so it was a long day for everyone. But that was the bulk of my shooting for this project. I have a few more days scheduled for this week so hopefully I can wrap by then. We'll seeeeeee.

I'll post some footage from the weekend on this post tomorrow.

weekend wrap up...I think.

Seems as though I've shot all of my locations. I've yet to capture footage, which is always the deciding factor on whether or not I'll decide if I'm done. I've decided to go with night time shoots for all of my scenes, and I'm going to work with low light as a thematic element in the project. Although at first I was frustrated with not being able to fight the dim lighting, I'm starting to like it. It's becoming more and more relevant to the story. Tatsu, my character, does the majority of his work at night. It's coming together. : )

Rough cut for class attempt 3!

Here we go! This is a rough cut of my intro! Enjoy!

Jesus Camp

Ummmmmm... dear GOD.. get it?? It's like a joke? 

This documentary, directed by Heidi Ewing andRachel Grady, is one of the most provocative and, frankly, frightening films I have seen in a while. This film chronicles the children of the evangelism movement and what/how they are being taught.

75% of all home-schooled children are Christian Evangelists. They are taught strict creationism and that global warming is a hoax. Additionally, according to the film, praised George Bush for bringing credibility to the Christian faith. Apparently, Bush is the shining beacon for Christians. They urge the children to join the fight against abortion and pray that George Bush will be able to overturn Roe v. Wade.

One of the children that they followed is named Levi (how appropriate) and is probably one of the most articulate and well spoken children I have seen. He is a phenomenal public speaker and he frequently gives sermons to children and adults alike on the wickedness of the world and how they are the generation to save humanity. It will be very interesting to watch his career and see which religious movement/cult he leads. 

The children are being taught to be warriors for Jesus and become prepared to give their life to the cause. Some of the things the camp director/creator said about the way we should raise our children are unbelievable. She believes that we should focus on training our children because the "enemy" is doing the same thing. 

In one scene, one of the girls goes up to a group of elderly black men in a park and asks them if they know where they would go when the died. After one man replied, "Heaven" she quested if they were sure and when they said that they were she responded with, ".... ok" and walked off. She then said under her breath, "I thought they were Muslim!"

This is a must watch! There is SO much more I could say about this film but I don't want to bore you or ruin the film. 

Rough Cut for Class

So I have my rough cut and I'm trying to post it but I'm having a lot of trouble. The file is too large, so I've tried to compress is with quicktime, embedding it with photobucket, etc. I'm going back to the DML today to try and work on it some more. It's coming! I just need to learn how to use a friggin computer. :)

Born Into Brothels

Born Into Brothels (dir. Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman) documents the filmmaker's experience with the children of the Calcutta Red Light District. Their parents are prostitutes and they have been ignored by society. 

The filmmaker's teach the children photography and encourage them to document their experience and neighbors. They are able to get access to the residents of the red light district who are very reluctant to have their photo taken as everything they are participating in is illegal. As the students begin to excel in photography, the filmmaker's help them sell their artwork to help raise money and attempt to find boarding schools that will take them in. As the filmmaker's become more invested in these children's lives, they become more dedicated to finding a school that will accept the children as education is their only hope to escape a life in the red light district. 

I really enjoyed this movie but I was a bit frustrated with the beginning of it as there are no subtitles and many interviews with the children speaking Bengali. I felt anxious each time the children would speak because I really wanted to know what on earth they were saying! However, I do think it was an interesting way for the filmmaker's to tell the children's story through their photographs alone. 

I do think this film is a good example of how a documentary can bring awareness to an issue. Without the help of the documentarians, the children who were able to go to a school would have never received that opportunity. I also think this film provides a great example of how important artistic exploration is. Through their photography the children were able to find a sense of who they are in relation to their world. They had a way to explore their feelings about their situation through an artistic medium. 

In short, I think this is a good movie but I wish there were subtitles. 

Class Rough Cut 1

This is my first attempt at posting my rough cut. For some reason this is not the full sequence. There is more interview at the end and the beginning starts later. I will fix this and post it later today.

Kibbie makes her film debut!

So earlier today, I went down to my hometown (New Braunfels) to help my father move his 100 year-old car (which he's named Kibbie) out of storage. I had a really great shooting day, and things are going quite well with my new documentary. I think it's going to be a whole lot of fun to put together. I already have a good 2+ hours of footage, and I think I'm ready to do some edits. The big event (that is, the car's birthday party) is a weekend away. I can't wait to film. The only problem I might run into is camera availability. If anyone knows they will have a camera checked out next weekend that they don't need Saturday, I would greatly appreciate borrowing it (just for that day). Otherwise, everything is going great, and I hope to have some footage posted soon (once I start uploading). Maybe i'll even bring a rough-cut to class this Thursday.

Erika La Güera - AWFUL Video Posts

In lieu of a 5-minute (or less) edited scene for class tomorrow, I'm posting two videos:

First, a "trailer" of sorts for my doc project. It's awful, awful, awful. My audio sucks...but there's not much I can do about it now. Something should still come out of it...Did I mention it's awful?

And second, a clip from my interview with Erika that I don't think I can use but I want people to see because the story's awesome.

Production Report - Pruitt. AND BIRTHDAY INVITATION!!!

Wuddup. So as I mentioned before, I've recently changed my topic from a nature mockumentary on housecats to a personal doc about spinning fire aka dancing with poi. I must say, I am very happy with how it's going. I've had my camera on or near me constantly for the past couple weeks and I have a lot of good footage. I just haven't done interviews yet. The actual fire show that I've been preparing for with my Co-Op is this saturday at the 21st street Co-op and YOURE ALL INVITED!!!! ITS OUR BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!! It's going to be insane. I will need some crew help from one or two people in the class that would like to come to the birthday party but not get too trashed. I just need someone to walk around with the camera and not let anybody else mess with it. SWo, if anyone is interested in helping me out in that aspect, let me know. I'll ask in class, too. I would need someone to be here at the Co-op during the day and evening. But aside from that, I can't wait to edit everything together into the finished product. Dancing with fire is scary.

The Price of Pleasure

I attended the Price of Pleasure by dir. Chyng Sun and Miguel Picker last night with the Director Q&A session in the thompson center. That is why I had to leave class early last night to make it across campus by the music hall at 7pm. The documentary is all about the pornography industry and how it objectifies women. Professor Robert Jenson is a professor from UT who has been following and analyzing the pornography industry from a feminist perspective for over 10 years. He was in the movie and also at the screening. So basically, the pornography industry has gone from being in the back alleys and dark crevices of America, into accepted mainstream America. Porn Stars are glamorized and have been interviewed by every major media outlet. An interesting fact I was unaware of was that these same major media outlets such as ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, HBO, Showtime, etc. all profit (in the millions) annually from the pornography industry. This could help to explain the recent emergence of porn into the mainstream media; it's simple cross-promotion. The Doc then went into how the pornography industry objectifies women. Most porn stars have little to no education, and are basically forced into prostitution/stripping/pornography as a viable alternative to making money to support themselves. They could make more in a day at a pornography shoot than they could make all month as a waitress or at any other entry-level job position. Pornography filmmakers take advantage of that and force these girls to act and fake pleasure in their films, while the girl is often extremely not happy to say the least. She just does it because it is a job. The filmmakers often make these girls do "fantasy" type things that are far beyond normal sexual acts. This causes some pornography consumers own sex lives to be extremely twisted and perverted, usually destroying their relationships with their wives and girlfriends. The industry makes over a billion dollars a year. All in all this was definitely an interesting documentary that I would recommend to anyone in the class. Mahalo

Production Report #2

Last Monday I went to Cottonwood, TX to get some interview footage with Ken. I ended up getting 1.5 hrs of interview footage and learned a lot about Ken. I hadn't taken into account the daylight savings change and didn't have as much good natural lighting as I hoped, but the footage that starts to become darker is where I had planned on using only the audio over footage of the show. 

Now it's time to start editing!

Production Report #1

On Halloween day, I went to San Antonio to film the 999 Eyes Freak Show. It started off a little shaky as I had a major brain fart. The schedule I was given said that the show started at 21:00 and I wrote down 9:00 on my calendar, but stored 11:00 in my brain. Needless to say, when I decided to look at the venue's website and realized that the door's opened at 7... and it was currently 5:30, I freaked out. Luckily, I got there in PLENTY of time because they didn't end up going on stage until 11 anyways. 

The venue was very small and intimate and didn't lend itself well to filming. There wasn't a way for me to get above the crowd so anything that happened near the floor of the stage is hard to see on film. The show lasted 2 hours and I got a lot of great footage. They talked about the history of freak shows and helped to inform the audience what their mission is with their show. In a very cool way, they are trying to educate the public about certain "medical anomalies" by playing with the history and form of the freak show. The "freaks" have taken on that label and defined it as someone who is BORN with a medical anomaly and wishes to showcase themselves.

Spellbound

Spellbound is an incredibly engaging and entertaining documentary. This Jeffrey Blitz documentary follows the journeys of 8 children towards their goal of winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee. 

You can't help but fall in love with each character as each is truly dedicated and determined to be the last speller standing. It reminds each viewer of their own inner-dork, allowing the audience to relate to at least one of the kids. It's a dramatic tale of victories, losses, friends, and family. 

One of the kid's stories inspired the movie Akeela and the Bee. Not only is her story compelling, her personality and character is inspiring. 

This is an amazing film that manages to integrate 8 main characters into a seamless narrative while keeping the audience engaged the entire time. 

Hockey Moms Against Palin

I am posting this video for the dude who is doing a doc on soccer moms. Enjoy.

Sutton, the Minister

I remember at some point when talking to Sutton about his status as a minister him mentioning that he actually performed his first wedding ceremony recently. After prying further, I discovered that Sutton actually peformed the ceremony for a local tattoo artist, known as Katzen. Katzen is quite the character herself, and she is tattooed from head to toe in tiger stripes. Anyways, today, I stumbled upon the actual footage of her ceremony. The footage isn't that great (youtube quality) and the audio kind of sucks, but I just contacted Katzen to see if I can aquire the actual footage. I plan to incorporate it (in some form) into my documentary. I'm also trying to get still photos, if possible. Should be interesting. Who knows what can of worm I'll open up if I actually make contact with Katzen. Ahhh, the fun of documentary filmmaking!



Interesting Note: Sutton is wearing one of his chef uniforms as he performs the ceremony!

Self Promotion/Exposure

Last week I found out that pitchfork media was contacting this band, harlem, asking for a copy of my music video. I am pretty pleased. The reason they found it was because a blog called gorilla vs. bear made mention of it two weeks ago and then it was viewed by about 1,000 people in one day. The reason gorilla vs. bear mentioned it was because they stumbled upon it on youtube and the fact that I had been pushing the video on myspace and facebook gave it more views, making it easier to stumble upon. Anyhow, I don't get any money but I do get a bit of exposure.

Here is the link:
http://pitchfork.tv/videos/harlem-witch-greens

CELEBRITY SPOTTING!

Ok, so everyone should go check out the Cookie Lounge in West Campus (http://www.austincookielounge.com/) if they get a chance and love cookies.

The Cookie Lounge is the last place Jason and I did a "restaurant" review for our TV show, and tonight, as I went to go pick up some late night snackums, Robert Rodriguez and three of his r-named sons hopped out of their dumb H2 Hummer and went into the aforementioned Lounge of Cookies. So, if Rob Rod buys his pastries there, you should, too.

Come on, he made Sin City...the man knows sweet.

portrait of my friend shane

this is terribly compressed but hopefully still enjoyable

Full Frame Vol.3 RENT IT!!

So I recently checked out the Full Frame Vol.3 from Spiro's rentals. It is a dvd compiled of several short documentaries that I think you should all check out. The topics range from a search for the best Philly Cheesesteak (Hilarious characters, a tale of two vietnam soldiers falling in love while being trapped in a fox-hole, all the way to my favorite, the last meals a handful of death-row inmates selected.

All of the short docs on this dvd are unique in their own way. I believe that it would be beneficial for us to watch this dvd to not only entertain, but I believe that it can help you analyze and stir up some ideas to incorporate into your docs. Since we don't have all the time in the world to express our interesting subject, I think we can model our work after the structure of these documentaries.

Obama!

Scrabble Championship documentary

so if any of you out there are really into scrabble or the scrabble national championship, you may like WORD WARS!!!! Word Wars is a documentary that follows six contestants in the 2007 Scrabble National Champion and it pretty much documents their crazy study habits and lifestyles that they devote completely to this game. i saw it tonight with some people that i live with and it was pretty dope. the filmmaker was not there for any Q&A, though. one of the guys that was a part of the competition actually took a vitamin cocktail everyday for his brain and another dude would meditate all the time and it was pretty creepy. another guy would also practice reading his word cards while driving. i thought that was pretty fuctup. anyways. its awesome. check it out

change of mind update!

hey hey there. so i was originally starting my documentary off as a nature mockumentary on housecats but turns out that i have changed my mind on my topic. i simply don't have the time limit freedom i wish i had to work with animals. they're just not very cooperative. anyways!!! on November 15th my residence (21st Street Co-op) is having a birthday party. (&&& YOU'RE ALL INVITED!!!) every year, this party brings thousands of party-goers to one spot in west campus to experience one crazy night of debauchery. it's pretty ridicuslous. last year there were 30 kegs, over 2,000 people, and helicopters and the fire department showed up. anyways. one thing that we all put together is a fire show. this includes spinning poi, spinning staff, fire blowing, and various other dangerous verbs. ive recently started to learn to spin poi and im going to spend the next two weeks learning to fire dance. my documentary is going to document this learning experience up to the fire show on November 15th. im actually very excited. stoked, in fact. here is a video of some really good fire dancers. the girl in the video is spinning a staff while the guy is spinning poi.

This could be one big, awful disaster as well. it's going to be interesting to get this all on camera.

Happy Halloween From Champagne

Hey guys,

I ran into Champagne the other night and she decided to make a few videos for your enjoyment and inspiration. She is a big supporter of the arts being an aspiring actress and all. Of course, she is also a street ho but the girl has got to make her money some how. I mean who are we to judge? Champagne has had a ruff life but she never fails to be glamorous, always classy and only sometimes trashy. These videos were done before and after she did a little partying and money makin'. Anyway, she sends her love and wants everyone to have a safe and fun Halloween. Remember: If Champagne would do it then you probably shouldn't!

Later,
David

Production Report from yours truly - Waldo.

Hey guys here's a short production report/happy Halloween wishes from the flip cam. Sorry for the crappy quality. See ya next week!

-Waldo.

Barber Shop Ballad

Yes, finally...
This is it people, the long awaited and anticipated Barber Shop 1 min. documentary in complete form.

I sent it back home to my brother in San Fran. He's 15, but a talented little guy...3rd time's a charm baby (I'm the middle). He likes to freestyle on his keyboard and sounds a bit like Philip Glass (The Hours, Fog of War) so I told him to slap me together something. He did well. Enjoy.

1st Production Report

So I'm finally getting things to pan out with my documentary. After permission issues shattered the hope of producing a documentary about a boxer, I quickly changed gears and went head first into the Speech and Debate team here at UT. The team has a big event this weekend in Houston, so tonight I went and shot my subject, Joe, and some other debaters as they practiced together. It turned out to be surprisingly interesting and I am beginning to foresee how this could come together as a documentary. I will post a clip once I get the chance.
As of now my plan is to document Joe's life as he prepares for another big speech event 3 weeks from now at A&M. The documentary will be a buildup to the climatic event, reveal, and resolution. Typical, yes, but I hope to incorporate my own spin.

Update 11/6:

Here is a clip from the shoot. Nothing too special. It is Joe and some of his team members as they practice for a match. The part where they are all speaking at the same time is a way of practicing to avoid distractions and get their presentations under 10 min.

new trailer for my first feature.

does it spark interest at least?

Production Report

So I finally was able to get some footage from the IMC...but because of their limited library, I'll have to find the rest online. The clip above shows the anger and frustration that followed the response to Hurricane Katrina back in 2005. I think these images express what happens when people are deprived of what they need to survive. As a result, they might shed light on the turmoil in other conflict regions in the world. And if nothing else, they remind us to empathize with those who were affected by this disaster.

Update on Production

So I got to shoot about 50 mintues worth of interview footage this weekend at the Texas Cowboys' Pavilion. The footage below is a tiny section of one location I shot. I apologize for its plain-quality, but I had some technical difficulties at the CMA and was in a rush to make it to my Cowboys meeting on time. The short clip is of Harley Clark, who was a newman(new member) in Cowboys in 1955. He was the University of Texas Yell Leader in his college years and is known for making the Longhorn Hook' em hand symbol what it is today. In this interview he is discussing the chaps that the Texas Cowboys wear. This interview is kind of a historical background on the Vaqueros influencing the cowboys to wear their Chaps. The clip is followed by a couple of archival photos I have chosen out of about 500. I plan to use them throught the documentary with motion effects to keep you guys from yawning so much. Please by kind...I know the camera work is moving around a lot, but I plan to have B-roll and photos in the sections where it is zooming, moving, etc...

Here is the youtube link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7iL4aHyB-Y

Production report 2: interview w/ Grandmother

finally uploaded to Youtube, these unedited clips are amazingly large...anyway, here is a clip from an interview with my grandmother about my father, who was a large inspiration in my life to be the way I am. There is some random stuff at the end, but I can't edit it so its all in there :)

Inside Tatsu's home studio

This is a very small amount of footage that I have for Tatsu's home studio. I cut a few shots to show a little bit of what I have so far. This is pretty much just him what he does daily after work, before work, instead of sleeping etc...Next up is A live gig at Plush Saturday night.




Its still uploading says youtube. Is there an easier way for me to be uploading? its taking centuries for me to get video up on this thing.

something by pruitt

here is a video segment hooray

Changeling Press Screening

          So, last night, instead of going to lab like a good RTF 366K student, I was invited to attend a press screening of Clint Eastwood's new film, Changeling. It's not a documentary, as you can probably tell by the picture of Angeline Jolie, but I thought I should blog about it anyway, as I might get to interview someone involved with the film. Eastwood? Jolie? The douchebag cop?

          Anyway, the film is based on the true story of the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders, which you can read about on Wikipedia if you'd like - I don't want to spoil too much of the film. After Christine Collins' son, Walter, goes missing in 1928, she files a missing child report with the LAPD, which was, at the time, facing much ridicule from LA citizens for its corruption and abuse of power. After a five month investigation into Walter Collins' disappearance, the LAPD miraculously brings a child back - the wrong child. They coerce Christine into telling the press that the investigation was a success, but, of course, she won't stay quiet for long. Along with the help of a local pastor, played by the ever-yelling John Malkovich, Christine begins to unveil the LAPD's fraud and corruption. In a landmark case which is depicted at the end of the film...well, you guys will have to read about it or go see the movie to find out.

          The acting in the film is pretty solid, though Jolie does little more than cry the entire film. John Malkovich is ridiculous as always, delivering each line, as my girlfriend puts it, as if he's above all the dialogue that's ever been written for him. Jeffrey Donovan is wonderful as the bad guy Captain Jones, and Jason Butler Harner is creepy beyond belief as the kid-killer Gordon Northcott. Eastwood's style remains intact, even after all of his fantastic films - Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Unforgiven - although he seem to have overlooked some minor details in his film. Like, for example, the fact that you can totally see Angelina Jolie's tattoos several times in the film under layers of makeup. Come on, Clint...we're not stupid. But seriously, the lighting design and editing style is pretty interesting throughout the film, and Eastwood's color scheme is wonderful. There's something about a really drab grayscale that just makes a 1930s period piece pop. Am I right, or am I right?

Clowning Around

Here's some footage I shot of Sutton this last Saturday, as he gets into his clown getup. I might overlay some interview dialogue of him talking about his clown-like personality. I composed the music using an instrument called a melodica. I'm using said instrument to compose the entire score.

Production Report (kinda) #1

Since all of my production reports from more recent times are still uploading (that'll take a while) here is one I posted up a little while back of me driving. Pretty crappy video quality, but it'll stand in the place of some of the shorter ones I've gotten recently which are still upside down from the mount kit I had to use. Think of it as an infant version of what might be in my main doc. I couldn't edit it at the time so its pretty long. Anyway, nuff talking, here is this stand in video for my more recent ones still uploading. Some content info: me driving my car before the beastly engine swap trying to burn the tires on skidpad. Enjoy :)

Production report

Restrictions suck! I waited all weekend long to have an opportunity to shoot my character, I schedule a day and always something comes up. When I finally get ahold of my person I'm doing the doc on its already time to turn in the damn equipment. I'm giving up on HD and making due with what I have in order to get some sort of footage on this crazy busy guy. I'm going to have to resort to a 1995 crappy cam in order to get live footage of stuff happening in the moment. I'm frustrated with the idea of having to plan and schedule reality around availability of the camera.  I'm throwing HD out the window and hoping I'm not kicking myself in the ass about it later.  I'm blogging from Tatsu's house waiting for my prehistoric camera to charge...

Hope everyone else is having better luck than I am.

The Order of Myths with Margaret Brown

          So, last week, Ellen invited us to the Drafthouse premiere of The Order of Myths, the new documentary from Margaret Brown, the director of Be Here to Love Me: A Film about Townes Van Zandt and 99 Threadwaxing. Margaret conducted a Q&A after the film, and her presence in the crowd really made it a very interesting screening.

          The film follows the 2007 Mardi Gras process in Mobile, Alabama, which had the first Mardi Gras in the United States (suck it, New Orleans). Despite many generations of cohabitation of the small town, there is still immense segregation and racial division in the town of Mobile. Built partially on the remains of Africa Town, a community built by the passengers of the last recorded slave boat brought into the country, Mobile celebrates its Mardi Gras every year twice: once for the blacks, and once for the whites. Following the King and Queen of both communities, Margaret's muckraking film reveals some of the hidden (and often visible) racism and classism in the town. The film is often very funny, and at other times disturbing and heartbreaking. Some who see this film may be quick to point out that the editing style, which focuses on the richest of rich in the white community and the poor, downtrodden members of the black community could be forcing the race material too much. I think that any documentary, especially a social commentary doc, will have some amount of necessary manipulation to it, but one needs only looks as far the gilded mansions, centuries-old secret societies, and creepy ceremonies of the white elders to realize that there is some definite class disparity in Mobile, Alabama.

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE !

CURRENT TV

Hey All,

Here is the link for Current TV and how you can get involved:

http://current.com/producerResources.htm

Sound and Fury - The Debate Over Cochlear Implants

Recently, in my class on deafness we watched the documentary called Sound and Fury. It follows two related Deaf families as they decide whether or not cochlear implants is a good idea for their children. Peter and Nita Artinian are a married Deaf couple who happily gave birth to deaf children. At some point, their oldest child, Heather, comes to them and says (at only 4 years of age) that she would like to have a cochlear implant. The film follows the Artinian family as they look into the operation and visit several families of children with cochlear implants. Deaf individuals are very proud to have Deaf children so this is not an easy decision for Peter and Nita. In fact, they are afraid that Heather will become capable of speech through the implants and lose out on her Deaf culture. There is a scene where Nita takes Heather to a Deaf school based on the oral method with nearly all the children having had cochlear implant surgery. Heather feels very left out and hearing individuals feel a sense of sorrow at her isolation from the other school children. However, Nita later explains that she felt bad for the children because they didn't know how to sign. One can see how there are two very different ways of thinking between the hearing and Deaf worlds. A hearing person might ask the question what does it matter if Heather loses her deaf idenity, wouldn't it be better if she could hear and speak. A Deaf person would say that cochlear implants turn Deaf children into robots and disguises them from who they really are - to not know one's deafness is almost shameful.

The documentary also follows Chris and Mari Artinian as they choose cochlear implant surgery for their baby. Chris is Peter's brother and both Chris and Mari were born hearing although Mari had two deaf parents. Hearing children born to Deaf parents sometimes rebel later on in life, as did Mari. It is difficult for them as children because they must constantly be their parents' gateway between the hearing and Deaf world. They have two identities in a sense and having Deaf parents can often make them feel different from other children who have hearing parents. Much the same, Deaf children of hearing parents often feel isolated because they are part of a different culture which is unknown to the hearing parents. This is one of the reasons why hearing parents often do not accept their children's deafness and immediately desire options such as cochlear implants. For the hearing world, deafness is a handicap and needs a "cure." Deaf individuals are often very proud of their deafness and truthfully might prefer having Deaf children over hearing children. In class, we read about a Deaf couple who opted to have an abortion when they found out that their child would be born hearing. Of course, this is an extreme case but just the same I think many people do not realize how strong Deaf culture is for deaf individuals.

Although, I do not think that cochlear implants are always the answer to the birth of a Deaf child. It should be noted that some children will not react well to the implants and may never develop strong oral skills. It is actually discouraging to me that parents often opt for oralism over American Sign Languare (ASL) for the education of their children. But there lies the biggest problem with choosing cochlear implants for a child at such a young age because when children are given cochlear implants the course that follows is generally the oral method which means that children are not allowed to sign. That is not to say that a family couldn't initially opt for cochlear implants and then later decide that ASL would be a better option but there is a fear that once children begin signing they will never want to speak. The reason for this: ASL is the natural language of the Deaf. Many public school systems fail to recognize this, in all honesty they will not accept that a Deaf child is deaf. Which is why oralism has been put above ASL for so long. The problem with this is that some Deaf children never take to oralism and by being denied ASL they suffer both mentally and psychologically. Hearing parents often stifle their child's mental growth by pushing the oral method and disallowing the use of sign because if a child does not take well to oralism then they simply have no other means of communicating or expressing their thoughts.

In Heather's case, she is an incredibly intelligent 4 year old and shows promise of oral skills without any hearing assistant. Therefore, Heather's grandmother was extremely persistant in trying to push Peter to opt for the cochlear implant surgery for Heather. The documentary made me really think differently about cochlear implants because I definitely agree that Heather has the chance to really flourish with their use and could probably became a very oral individual. I think the fact that Heather has deaf parents and was surrounded by ASL was incredibly beneficial to her learning abilities and with cochlear implants at the age of 4 there is a good chance she could function keenly in the hearing world. I could almost feel angry at the fact that her parents chose to keep her exclusively to the Deaf world. By the end, they had not only chosen not to give Heather cochlear implant (therefore perhaps denying her ability to ever really hear or learn speech) but decided to move to an almost all Deaf community in Maine where Heather would be isolated from the hearing world. It seem that she could have easily been bicultural and bilingual in both the hearing and Deaf world. Why would the Artinian's limit her to only the one side when deafness can be limited in it's own right.

This documentary really made me see things in a different light because before I would have been very much against the idea of cochlear implants on children because I feared for how it might deprive them of learning since as I mentioned children are often restricted to oralism when implants are decided by hearing parents. Deaf parents on the other hand may never look into the idea of implant to begins with. But after seeing this I understood that cochlear implants should be based more on the situation and the particular child. Chris and Mari decided to implant their 11 month old baby son and it is difficult at that age to really say what is best for a Deaf child. In the end, there is never a clear line and each parent must make their own decision on what they think is best regardless of what their family members and friends might think. Issues like oralism v. ASL and whether or not to have a child implanted with cochlear implants are left for continued debate but there is no doubt that parents with Deaf children have the best intentions but whether or not they do in fact make the most fruitful decision can only remain to be seen in the future as the child grows into adulthood. Interestingly enough, the director of this documentary made a follow-up called Sound and Fury: 6 Years Later but for some reason it is a bit obscure and hasn't really been made readily available to the general market.

Sound and Fury Trailer



Sound and Fury Clip. Really amazing scene where Peter and his mother argue over the decision not to get cochlear implants for Heather.