CCR

Our documentary tackles the social issue of urban design and community well-being, specifically focusing on how a city's walkability affects the social groups living within it. We represented the contrast between two distinct social environments:

- the dense, close-knit, highly walkable Brickell community 

and

- the more spread-out, car-dependent suburban Weston

To illustrate how physical layout fundamentally shapes social interactions and community feeling. We engaged our audience by taking inspiration from productions like "Exit Through the Gift Shop" in our creative choices. Our footage employed quick cuts and raw, authentic shots of everyday life in these contrasting areas (our B-roll) to immerse the viewer, making the typically boring topic of urban planning feel energetic and relatable. The research we did on walkability and its importance in urban development became the foundation of our voiceover script allowing us to challenge the convention of a purely observational or talking head documentary; instead, we presented a serious academic concept, using the contrast between the two communities to depict the effect on the walkability of a city on its community.

Documentary - Post Production

Editing the documentary I assume was a challenge, I spent most of the post-production process focused on the script. After the intense filming days, we finally got to see all our hard work come together. Sorting through all the B-roll from Brickell and Town Center was a little discouraging as the footage wasn't exactly what we thought it was. We had a lot of footage that felt a bit out of place, or off topic, so finding good footage was a hassle. We used the script for the voiceover as our guiding blueprint, ensuring that the visuals supported our central argument about walkability and its impact on community life. We experimented with different cuts and transitions, trying to go for a creative version of an otherwise boring documentary. We made sure the difference between the close-knit, bustling Brickell footage and the more spread-out, suburban Weston footage was visually clear, letting the audience to grasp the difference.

Documentary - Production

Production day felt like it was a non-stop, intense effort from dawn until dusk. Our main focus was Brickell, as the traffic gets super bad on the way there and back. From the moment we got out of the car, we could feel the electric energy of the city, talking about how much better all of it is to our city. Our goal was simple but challenging: try to capture the constant movement of the city.

We spent the majority of the day walking across Brickell, walking through public spaces like the metro and the mall. We gathered a huge amount of footage for our documentary, focused on capturing the details. The heart of our film focused on the idea of how the walkability of a city affects its community. To grab a bit more perspective on this, we each spent time talking to people we knew that lived in these close quarters. By the time the sun began to set, we were exhausted, our legs sore from the miles we had covered, but the successful day proved to be successful, as we gathered all the needed footage for the documentary.

Documentary - Planning

Planning for the documentary project itself was a really good time, we were given general creative freedom, so brainstorming was a good time. I wasn't present during the day the project was introduced so Nina and Joaquin filled me in on the topic they chose, and I helped develop it further with them.

Alot of my part in this was researching and location scouting, Nina left me a list of shots we needed to include in the documentary, so I used that to guide my search. I ventured out with Nina and Joaquin to both Brickell city center and Weston town center to record some B-roll and footage for the documentary. 

We ended up getting some really good footage, as the city center was super busy. We were able to capture the differences in social interactions throughout different communities, like the open suburban Weston compared to the close-knit community of Brickell

After we gathered enough footage, me and Joaquin focused on completing the script for the voice over, it was really important to us that we emphasized the importance of how much lack of walkability affects the community of different cities.

Documentary - Research

The documentary lesson of Ms. Stoklosa's class proved to be much more interesting and deeper than I ever expected. Through the various different productions, we viewed in class, as well as the lessons depicting the different techniques and conventions of a documentary. I was able to grasp a completely new understanding.

Prior to this lesson, I was under the impression that documentaries were BORING, mundane portrayals of a topic I most likely knew nothing about. The concept of a documentary was not appealing to me whatsoever, I felt like they were too academic to be consumed as a form of entertainment. This idea completely changed after seeing "Exit Through the Gift Shop" a street art documentary directed by Banksy himself.

"Exit Through the Gift Shop" gave me a new perspective on what a documentary can be if given the proper resources to do so. The film challenges the traditional view of documentary filmmaking by using unconventional production techniques and blurring the lines between fiction and reality. Unlike a purely academic or informational documentary, "Exit Through the Gift Shop" uses a highly engaging visual style typical of street art culture, using quick cuts, raw footage and an energetic soundtrack. The initial footage, captured by the amateur documentarian Thierry Guetta, has an unpolished, hand-held camera aesthetic, lending an immediate sense of authenticity and immersion into the underground art world. This aesthetic contrasts sharply with the later, more polished segments, which reflects not only Thierry's own transition into MBW but also the shift in direction of the film once Banksy took over. "Exit Through the Gift Shop" is the perfect example of how even documentaries can exceed creative expectations.

The other production we viewed, American Promise, was definitely closer to my understanding of what a documentary is, although it was really enjoyable to go through since we would stop and discuss as a class frequently. The depiction of the 2 subjects' lives was extremely representative and ecologically valid, as not only were certain ethical issues no longer applicable, the environment in which the subjects were placed was reflective of modern societies view on young African Americans.

Portfolio Project - Week 8 Update 4 (Last one)

Finally!!!

Film Opening

CCR Questions 1 and 2

CCR Questions 3 and 4

Portfolio Project - Week 8 Update 3

 Final Reflection

I'm finally done, this project has been a total energy drainer and despite how much fun I had, I'm excited to get some free time in my life again. I loved this project, as it allowed me to explore my newfound love for camera work and directing. As well as helped me grow closer to the people in my group. Starting the year out, I never would've expected that I'd know as much as I do now and I'm honestly extremely proud of myself for how far I've made it.