I’ve finally figured out what this blog is going to be about.
I will use it to document my journey from regular degular ad agency producer into media activist.
Back in March I had the opportunity work with a lawyer at the Legal Aid Society – Nicole. My friend Dan, also a Legal Aid attorney informed me that there was a new trend of utilizing video in pre-sentencing statements. Instead of a written document crafted to convince a judge or DA to reduce sentencing outcomes, video was being used as a way of bridging the empathy gap between those being sentenced and those handing down the sentencing.
I was fascinated.
Nicole, based on no information about me (I didn’t have a reel), trusted me enough to help her craft a story with her client – a young man charged with assault in a road-rage incident.
Holy shit is making a movie is hard!
I read half a dozen books on documentary, scoured the internet for best of documentary lists, ordered them through the library. I watched dozens Lynda.com courses on film making. Even with all this prep and practicing soooooo many mistakes were made.
There are so many small details that go into capturing interview and so many points of failure to account for especially when you’re just learning your gear, that shooting can at times was overwhelming.
Suffice to say, that I wasn’t thrilled with the outcome of the project. While it served its purpose. I cringe thinking about the # of people who have seen it, and judged me based on this first ever attempt at creating a short doc.
Lucking the process was immensely rewarding and sparked in me the drive to continue down this path. I was able to flex my creativity in ways that I had not in years and actually felt like I was making a difference for someone.
So yeah. This is what this blog is about. Becoming a media activist, whatever that is.