Art of the Real - Pre Production
Topic: The Influence of the AACRC (African-American Cultural & Resource Center) on students
Some things to consider...
Authorship:
I think my role in this documentary will be both behind the camera and in front of the camera. I want to be undetectable when I'm interviewing people but I see myself being in front of the camera when I prop it up to record the overall space (I work there).
I want to capture what it naturally feels like to be in the AACRC without me interfering, which is why I want to stay behind the camera. This isn't a history lesson on how the AACRC came to be, but rather a peek into how the AACRC affects students at this current time. But since I also work there, I may have to appear on camera as the student worker who uses the space for work, study time, and hang out time. I want the project to be more focused on how the students interact with the space and how they interact each other in the space.
Content/Interview Questions:
Some interview questions would be:
- How often do you come to the AACRC?
- What do you do when come here? Study, relax, network, etc?
- What type of vibe do you feel when you come to the AACRC?
- Do you bring friends to the AACRC?
- How has coming to the AACRC affected your daily life/schedule?
- What are some of your best memories at the AACRC?
- What are some of your worst memories at the AACRC?
- Why do you think the AACRC is important for students here on campus?
Shots:
Some shots that I need are:
- students interacting with each other in the AACRC
- students studying
- student and staff interaction
- The number of people that come and go
- Tons of B-roll of the different spaces in the AACRC
- B-roll of the exterior of the AACRC
Some shots that I want are:
- Meetings at the AACRC
- Dance rehearsals
- Programs/events that take place in the space
- Staff interacting with each other
- Interview the interviewees in the environment I found them; don't move them to a different space, just interview them right there in the moment
Anxieties/Obstacles: An anxiety I see myself having is being too nervous to ask someone to be interviewed. I also find it difficult to record people being their natural self when they see a camera pointing at them.
I see myself first approaching people that I know to interview to get in a groove and help me work up the courage to interview people that I don't know. Hopefully when people see me interview one person, they'll want to be interviewed as well. I can also go up to people and ask them is it okay if I get footage of them for my project and to tell them to act like I'm not even here.
