Critical EYE

After 15 weeks of Specialized Reporting with Professor Kenneth Jones, I can no longer watch movies the same. I can't even watch my favorite TV series without studying the style or critiquing the production! It's a blessing and a curse. I have learned that it's best for me to watch movies with my classmates because they are the only people who understand why I talk throughout the movie. I recently went to see Tyler Perry's "Why did I get Married Too?" with my classmates. We found ourselves highlighting the money shots and the way the editor sweetened the sound. I never realized how much of a difference music made in a film until I was assigned this documentary.

My obsession with producing and editing is kind of unattractive. I find myself watching movies over and over whether they were good or not. I study them and I use some of the things I learn from watching movies and TV shows. One of the best things about Tyler Perry's last movie was the beautiful music sweetening. It was beautiful but unfortunately, my friends don't understand my obsession. I also found the song choice in the film interesting. Perry used several songs in the film but he only used one throughout the entire film. He made it work for him. One of the problems I have run into with the documentary is making sure I had enough songs in the documentary. I learned from his film that it is not necessary to have an entire soundtrack. Sometimes one song will do just fine!

The importance of release...

There are a number of things that could go wrong after the final product of this documentary is complete. One thing that could ruin it all is not having releases from all of the characters in our documentary. The purpose of the release is to protect the university against law suits and other disputes. The best thing to do is to have all characters sign a release before we conduct the interviews. We didn't go that route. We had to go back and cover our trail!

Acquiring signatures was a week filled with miscommunication, gallons of gas, and dozens of text messages. Luckily, none of our characters decided to renege on their interviews. We endangered the integrity of our documentary by having to go back ad get signatures. If someone had decided they no longer wanted to take part in our documentary we would have had to drop them from the film. It was scary but we did everything we could to get signatures from everyone, even the people we were not certain on using. It's always better to play it safe than to end up sorry we didn't follow through. We got lucky and we're still on our way!

For the people...

Since I posted the trailer we have received an overwhelming response to our project. I honestly didn't think so many people cared about the topic. When people began tweeting our trailer and sharing with their friends, I knew the message had penetrated hearts. I have been getting random Facebook messages and emails for over a month. Some people just write to say they appreciate our efforts and others want to know when they will be able to view the finished product. I appreciate all the support but it definitely adds pressure.

There have been times I have wanted to give up but then I just think about all of the people I interviewed. Everyone from the 11-year-old girl to the 84-year-old woman deserves to have their story told. I do not want all of our work to be in vain. My greatest desire is for this documentary to change lives. I want people to think differently as a result of hearing these stories. Hearing the 84-year-old tell stories about how she never felt that her cousin loved her the way that she loved her cousin touched me. Her cousin was dark-skinned and she is light-skinned. She explained that she loved her cousin like a sister but her cousin left complexion taint their relationship. It pains me to know that something as minor as complexion could tear a family apart.

Paper Bag Test Trailer

Producing the trailer for the "Paper Bag Test" was a challenging task. I knew I wanted to try something new with editing but I also needed to tell the story without giving away the entire documentary. It was important for me to show the different hues and features of black people in the beginning to set the tone. The first SOT from a young black mother captured the essence of why this documentary is important. Our characters are all unique with different stories about how their complexion has affected their experiences in life.

The song I chose for the trailer is "the blacker the berry" by Field Mob. There are so many songs I could have chosen for this trailer but this track illustrated the struggles of a dark skinned person growing up. I like how the artist was open and honest about his experience. I found it difficult to allow the audience to hear what the characters are saying and hear hear the lyrics as well. I looked for an instrumental but I think it would have taken away from the purpose of the song in the trailer. Also, having to work around the lyrics gave me a glimpse of what I will have to know when editing the full documentary.

SHOOT OUT!

I've been anxiously waiting for this moment since I watched the first student documentary in 2007. I finally got my camera! Whenever I hold that Sony DV Cam in my hand I feel empowered because I know I am in control! It is my job to capture the images I see with my eyes through the lens. This is my gift and I plan to use it!

Every since I checked out my camera my finger has been glued to the red button just below the zoom options and to the right of the lithium battery. RECORD! Like a woman on a shopping spree, I have grabbed every thing that I wanted the world to see! I have filled nine 60-minute DVC tapes with compelling interviews and images but it's still not enough! I feel like there are many more images I could capture that will help me tell this story. So far, my interviews have been enlightening. Our characters have definitely helped me to understand how much of an issue colorism is in the African-American community.

To me this documentary is already a success because has helped me grow as person by exposing me to the various testimonies of the people victimized by the house-negro, field-negro mentality. I now recognized the ways that I discriminate based on skin tone. We all do it. We call it preference.

Back in five...

SO NOW WHAT?

It has been almost a month sense my sentencing but I am stuck with this assignment so I must live with it. Every time someone asks about the status of my documentary I find myself scrambling to find a politically correct and accurate answers. My first response is always, "Ugh," a deep sigh of frustration.

Fortunately, I find peace with my assignment at least once a week when I'm brainstorming or I find a potential character for my doc. At the root of my lamentations is the topic itself, "black is beautiful." Whenever I tell someone the someone the topic they most always respond with a "so what?" In my head I'm thinking the same thing..."SO WHAT?" But after talking to different people about my assignment I have found that it is going to take powerful testimonies from those affected by intra-prejudice to really move the audience. Many of my older sources believe that this is an old topic that stems back from "house negro" and "field negro." Historically the "house negro" was a light-skinned, almost white slave while the "field negro" was a crispy, dark-skinned negro.

I am starting to think that the angle of the doc is going more in the direction of "where are we now?" My psychology of racism and prejudice professor asked "who taught you (black people) to hate yourselves," which made me think that this issue of colorism is more of a mental stronghold than I thought.

So now what?

Where do I go from here?

Drum Roll Please...

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After 7 semesters of anticipation, I received my documentary assignment today! My greatest concern was who was going to be my partner. I even considered the possibilities of working alone. I called everyone and pitched my ideas for my first documentary and everyone loved each one just as much as I did!

Unfortunately, I wasn't assigned any of the documentary treatments I pitched last week. Initially, I was devastated but then I learned that I had to fall in love with the topic just as my partner did. She was passionate about this topic. This was her baby, not mine! Now what?

The issue didn't really concern me and I can't say that it was something that I would have watched. Now I am challenge to tell a story that has been told for years through fresh eyes. I’ve seen all the movies and heard all the slave stories. It was clear that this issue was definitely apart of black history and the evolution of the culture. I have heard others talk about me but it didn't concern me. I have always been comfortable in my own skin but now I have to tell all of you why "Black is Beautiful!"

Stay tuned! I'll be right back...