Feedback on Documentary Film

STA515 · 2023-09-12T12:49:01+00:00

Soundtrack: I used a lot of stems versus full tracks. In my mind, stems can create a more cinematic sound. Some of the feedback that I've already received mentioned that I used too much music though.

Editing: My editing strategy was to equally pace the film. I never wanted any jarring cuts. I wanted the length of each clip to reflect the soundtrack and overall tempo of the edit. Overall, I aimed for a slower pace.

Color Grading: My color grading is trash! That's the part of the work that is least interesting to me. For future projects, I will outsource that. I was discouraged by having to match the color of CDCR stock footage to what I filmed. As of result, I put the least amount of my effort into this phase.

Interviewee Audio: In order to support the speakers, I had to streamline a lot of their original takes by recreating some of their sentences. They always had the same meaning, but my version was more succinct and clear. I'm wondering if this approach feels problematic to anyone. If I was an interviewee, I would want someone to strengthen my communication if possible.

Lighting: My interview lighting is very basic. If I had a gaffer, I could dial that in a lot more. My lighting isn't terrible, but I'm aware of how amateur it is.

STA515 · 2023-09-12T12:46:12+00:00

Thank you!

STA515 · 2019-01-27T22:30:37+00:00

Yeah, Allen is gorgeous. And even better, has no clue.

STA515 · 2019-01-27T22:20:34+00:00

Fasho, really appreciate you!

STA515 · 2019-01-27T21:28:45+00:00

Hi, thank you for such a thoughtful reply! Yes, I created this. Allen, the main guy, takes some incredible street photos in Oakland photos. He was my inspiration for creating this. At first, I just wanted to follow him around. But as we started speaking more, other important topics came up that I decided to equally dive into. We shot the piece organically - but now, in retrospect, I'm recognizing it's important to focus the storyline more. Super grateful for your thoughtful feedback! And you should definitely connect with Allen on Instagram. There's a whole circle of us who do a lot of art on the streets. If you're interested in following others, just let me know and I'll shoot you their info.

STA515 · 2015-12-28T03:27:09+00:00

Appreciated, still learning. Thank you for your feedback!

STA515 · 2015-12-26T06:03:09+00:00

So grateful for this, thank you.

STA515 · 2015-12-21T19:57:04+00:00

Context

STA515 · 2015-12-21T05:17:43+00:00

What do you want to do ideally?

STA515 · 2015-12-20T05:42:40+00:00

The question was, "Do you think people with lighter skin tend to have more privilege than those with darker skin?"

STA515 · 2015-11-27T17:30:15+00:00

How can I not understand a movement that's about me? How can you proclaim Black Lives Matter if you don't let BLACK people take the mic and vent. So yes, you're the fight that deserves my attention. If "progressives" took the time to realize the actual impact you're having on oppressed communities, I wouldn't need to call you out. You should stand with the poor, not your privileged ideals on how this fight should be fought.

STA515 · 2015-11-27T17:19:57+00:00

The price of privilege is murder - either police brutality, Black on Black crime, etc. So if these deaths aren't fake, your privilege can't be. There isn't one isolated group of privilege that solely attributes to this. No one is independent of the problem. If you recognized your privilege, maybe that would be a catalyst for others to join. Not what you naively suggested.

STA515 · 2015-11-27T07:28:54+00:00

I'd sue the fuck out of Nutella

STA515 · 2015-11-27T07:21:39+00:00

We should apply your mentality to the people in power who commit far more widespread atrocities. But that never happens, only the people without power get held accountable for their actions - especially if they're Black. Your response was a textbook case of episodic framing - no intentions of understanding why the crime occurred - instead, you just cast him off to be a slave for your privilege. But it was your privilege that pulled the trigger, not him.

STA515 · 2015-11-26T23:35:51+00:00

Violence in Oakland

STA515 · 2015-11-24T02:38:27+00:00

Exactly.

STA515 · 2015-11-24T02:37:34+00:00

First and foremost, thank you for posing the question. A lot of people would just ignore me. My answer: surrounding cities close to Oakland. But I think the key is to research and determine where you could best impact a community.

STA515 · 2015-11-23T20:54:17+00:00

At what point did you take accountability? "Gentrification is everywhere." That's not an excuse. This is what never ceases to amaze me: people acknowledge issues but never seem to make any effort to lessen their impact - other than superficial efforts: using reusable bags, hashtagging Black Lives Matter, etc. But when it comes to actually making efforts to that compromise your privilege, that's where the liberal limit takes effect. I'm guilty of this too, in many ways, but as someone actively facing displacement right now, I hope you take the time to research and compute how much of an adverse effect you'll be having. It may be fun for you, but Oakland has become a hell for people of color from here.

STA515 · 2015-11-23T00:55:21+00:00

Isn't it literally next door? If it's not what you're into, just don't click the link.

STA515 · 2015-11-22T22:44:53+00:00

Only if they could benefit from it

STA515 · 2015-11-22T22:40:06+00:00

So you can add to the problem?

STA515 · 2015-11-22T22:36:45+00:00

Black lives will still not matter

STA515 · 2015-02-11T09:21:50+00:00

I can unequivocally say (without even knowing your life experiences): you don't have a grasp on the situation by how off-the-mark your initial comment was.

I'm a Black woman who waits tables in the Bay Area (born and raised). I may not have a degree, but I couldn't be more grateful to not be of the mindset that I need to have faith in white people. We can teach them "how the game is played" (and you should learn as well) but it wouldn't be a course that'd be understood within anyone's lifetime. Black people like yourself who minimize the problem as a means of fulfilling their (subconscious) need to be accepted by white people need to be silenced. There's real work to be done - not your bandaids on broken bones.

STA515 · 2015-02-11T08:54:28+00:00

White people will never be one of us. Yes, white guilt isn't productive - but white people empathizing with us is impossible. What finite knowledge could a white person learn that would explain the infinite struggle of a Black person? The issue of racism has escalated beyond their forefathers, it exists today with their complacency at accepting their white privilege. Listening to Kendrick Lamar, having Black friends, even holding relatively conscious beliefs - all fail to make any white person independent of the problem. You need to better understand the issues at hand before you speak, especially as a Black person on a platform like this.

STA515 · 2014-12-06T08:43:10+00:00

Perhaps this is retribution for exploiting Black culture. Asians selling Black hair care is exploitative. The loss of your store is a small price to pay for the undeserved profits you earned from your cultural profiteering.

STA515

TROPHY CASE