InterviewS
Interviewing and Editing (1)
Interviewing and editing an interview was an interesting and fun experience. I think I did okay too. I think I asked decent questions, and gained a lot of material to choose from and edit. Looking back, I wish I had Angie wait a second before answering my questions so I had more room to edit. Editing was... okay. Adding B role wasn't a huge issue, but I wish I had more time to work on it/ were faster at editing. I think the end product wasn't great, but not bad for my first interview either. I enjoyed interviewing Angie and think I got to know her better.
Being Interviewed (1)
Being interviewed wasn't a big deal. I had been interviewed by other cinema groups in the past about stage managing shows, so I kind of knew what to do. The questions were kind of random, but the video came out okay.
Working the camera (1)
Working the camera was actually really fun! This was only my third time using the camera, and with Mary's help, I think it went well. When we were talking about the rule of thirds, I didn't realize that grid was actually on the camera, so it made a lot more sense when we started filming. I think for my first time with the tripod and lights with the camera, it went well! I still have a lot to learn about the camera though!
Interviewing and Editing (2)
While I think my first interview went well, I think this one went a lot better. I had a lot of interesting film to choose from, due to a lot of great answers to questions. I think I asked good follow up questions, and Madison's passion for what she does became apparent. As for editing, I know I should've cut it down more than I did, but I really liked the content in it. I also wish I had more time to add more B-role, and more B-role personalized to the video. For example, by finding more pictures of art from the shop than random art off the internet. I'm learning I'm not great at editing, but that's okay. I'm happy with the story I told through this video.
Being Interviewed (2)
Similarly to my first time being interviewed in this class, it wasn't a big deal because I had interviewed for other classes before as a stage manager. I kind of knew what to do. Again, the questions were kind of random, but this time more good follow-up questions were asked.
Working the camera (1)
(I never received a link for this video)
While I don't know how the video came out, working the camera didn't take much. Since I had help, all I really had to do was watch it and make sure nothing changed/looked bad while it was recording. I definitely have a lot to learn about the camera though!
Documentary Review
Trailer
Synopsis
"People dedicated to rejecting the American ideal that things bring happiness are interviewed in this documentary showing the virtues of less is more." -Netflix
Specifics
I thought this documentary was filmed and edited well. Every time a person was being talked to/ interviewed, it followed the rules of thirds. You could also see there was always a light in someone's eyes to get that "glow", for lack of a better word. There was plenty of B-role, put together well to help show the story while someone was talking, and (though I don't know much about sound design) the background music (or lack of background music) really helped to tell what the mood was. There was one moment though where it seemed like the audio cut off just a tad early. This is something I probably wouldn't have noticed before taking this class, which is pretty cool.
Recommendation
Personally, I don't watch documentaries very often, so when I got this assignment, I wasn't sure what I wanted to watch. While scrolling through the many options Netflix has to offer, I decided on Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things because minimalism is something that has always interested me, but is something I don't think I could ever achieve. What I would later find is that minimalism doesn't have to mean throwing away/ donating 99.99% of your stuff, but can even be just avoiding the urge to buy something because you think you have to because it'll make you happy. Limiting yourself as a consumer can do so much from helping the environment to helping you feel happier. I was a little scared at first that I'd feel judged and attacked by this film by it telling me "you're a terrible hoarder if you don't throw everything out" but this was not the case.
The two main characters, Joshua Field Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, also known as "The Minimalists", go around the country (without bringing much) and give presentations about adding minimalists habits to your life to make you feel better overall. Their presentations started out with an attendance of about five, if they were lucky, but soon their popularity took off and they found themselves on the today show. Ever since then, they have had great turnouts, and answered people's question about how to make some changes. One of these changes includes asking yourself, "do I really need this?", or, "does this add value to my life?". Asking these questions let Ryan and Joshua travel around with only two (arguably small) bags each, which may have been the most mind-blowing thing to see out of this whole film.
One quote that really caught my ear was "There is something about not being prepared for every moment that actually helps you engage with your community". I wasn't really sure at first how minimalism can connect you to your community, but the example that followed this quote was how a pregnant lady had to go to a nice event but didn't have anything she could wear. She solved this problem by calling a few friends who had been pregnant, and did indeed find something she could wear to the event. She talked about how in the past she would've kept buying new clothes during her pregnancy as she grew, but she and her friends now call each other whenever they need something they don't own. I thought this was really cool.
This documentary did give some more "extreme examples" of minimalism such as living in a tiny home, or doing the 333 challenge where for three months you only wear 33 items of clothes, but it did acknowledge these options aren't for everyone.
The point to take away is to welcome things into your life with the intention of thinking about what you're doing instead of just consuming. I think this is something we all need a reminder of every now and then, which is why I would really recommend this documentary.