Want To Make a Documentary Film? Here is Some Insight For You!

By Brittany Carragher

Photo: Tess McBride/google images – CC

The idea of making a documentary film fascinates me. Making my own documentary is one of my many goals in life. I write potential movie concepts in my journal. It is starting the actual film that might just be the hardest part. There are many things to consider while making your very first documentary and I don’t want to produce anything that I am not proud of.

First time film maker, Katherine Fairfax Wright, recently premiered her movie “Call Me Kuchu.” “Kuchu,” is set in Uganda’s LGBT community. The film focuses on David Kato, a veteran activist.

Wright participated in an interview to help others gain insight into the film making field. Here is what she said:

 “Once we were in Uganda, it was just madness. We were shooting from seven in the morning until like 8pm everyday. So that first trip, it was more about content and not so much about style. I think that dynamic was very important for us, too. Once we did have another person working with us and it totally changed the dynamic. I didn’t like it at all. Although it was easier, I think there was something about the intimacy of it being the two of us day in and day out made all the difference.”

Many things need to be figured out before you start filming. Wright’s personal experience has encouraged me to consider all of the factors of film making, things like style, crew dynamic, and financial grants.

There needs to be filming equipment, sound equipment, and hard-drives. Of course these accessaries all cost money, so funding is something major to consider.

The style of the film is important as well. How will the movie be shot? What is the driving message behind the film?

Also, who will help with the filming? A large crew would make things easier, but a team of two would provide intimate footage. I know I would want my film to be a small collaboration with one or two other people at most.

Good luck on the journey to film making!

Documentary ‘Bully’ should be shown in classrooms across America

By Brittany Carragher

Photo: Rotten Tomatoes/cc

It disappoints me that most teenagers would waste their money on movies like, ‘The Hunger Games’ or ‘The Lucky One,‘ rather than watch an inspirational documentary. The Coolidge Corner Theatre is screening the documentary, ‘Bully,’ a film with an impressionable anti bullying message. The emotionally driven film was directed by Lee Hirsch.

The storyline of ‘Bully’ is provided by IMDb:

“This year, over 13 million American kids will be bullied at school, making it the most common form of violence young people in this country experience. Following five kids and families over the course of a school year, the film confronts bulling’s most tragic outcomes, including the stories of two families who’ve lost children to suicide. ‘Bully’ is the first feature documentary film to show how we’ve all been affected by bullying, whether we’ve been victims, perpetrators or stood silent witness.” 

Within the first five minutes of ‘Bully’ I was in tears. I continued to cry throughout the intimate footage of Alex Libby, a withdrawn 12-year-old in Iowa, getting stabbed and choked on his school bus. The anti bullying message is a positive one to render these days, as more young people committee suicide after being victimized.

I believe that many people would benefit from watching the film, specifically, middle school aged students, teachers, and parents. The documentary ‘Bully’ should be shown in classrooms across America.

The film portrays a focused outrage towards the teachers, parents, and principles that did not take action against bullying. Hirsch brings awareness to the issue and the destruction, it can cause  i.e., suicide. The message is clear, bullying would be better dealt with if the authoritative figures in the schools would admit to it and do something about it.

I was disappointed with the school officials that dealt with the problem with minimum effort or did nothing at all. The kids went to trusting adults in authoritative positions in search of help, and for them to handle the problem with denial upsets me. I understand that bullying can be a he said/ she said issue but, it is a serious offense and should be dealt with as such.

Why Nobody Goes to the Movies Anymore

Photo: lejoe/ Flickr CC

By Brittany Carragher

People do not like going to the movies anymore. The movie industry blames the people for pirating movies. The people blame the movie industry for high ticket and concession prices, but who is really to blame?

It is effortless and free to download movies. So why pay the high prices when you can watch a movie in the comfort of you’re own home.

Movie historian and TCM Film Festival host, Robert Osborne, would argue that the experience of being at the theatre is worth the price.

Eric Kohn from Indiewire interviews Osborne:

“No matter how big the screen is in your basement or your living room, you don’t get that communal experience. It’s missing from a lot of people’s lives now, particularly now that we’re sitting a lot in front of a computer screens by ourselves.”

Osborne is right, movie theaters must compete with computers, ipads, smart phones, and other devices but, it is more accessible for people to watch movies on their own.

However, I think the movie industry should offer more incentivies to their customers and lower the ridiculous prices. I don’t care if my movie is in 3-D or in an IMAX theater, I refuse to pay $15.00.

The LA Times Entertainment Industry writes about the problem:

“The average movie-ticket price in the U.S. climbed to an annual record of $7.93 in 2011, up from $7.89 the year before. Total box office revenue last year slumped 4% from the year before to an estimated $10.2 billion, while cinema attendance dropped 5% the National Assn. of Theatre Owners said.”

I enjoy the expereince of watching a movie in a theatre, but this is the age of downloading. College kids, including me, don’t have money to spend on a movie that we can just as easily download. I blame the movie industry for making the experience so expensive! If they really wanted more customers they would lower ticket and concession prices, in till then, keep downloading!