Reading the studio pitches earlier this year, I instantly felt that the description for Real To Reel resonated with my current aspirations and goals for my media work. Over the last couple of years, I’ve found a growing interest in non-fiction filmmaking. I think this can be attributed to a few things (in no particular order):
- the non-fiction assignments I did the Media 1 course (short video portrait on a local singer/songwriter, 10-minute audio piece about a YouTube community that was a big part of my early teens, etc.)
- a growing personal interest in YouTube channels and online media outlets creating non-fiction/documentary content, e.g: Jubilee Media (short videos centred around connecting people, fun fact, I almost interned with them last year), Kristen Dirksen (mini-documentaries on eco friendly architecture and design), 99% Invisible (podcast sharing incredible and often unnoticed design stories), The Nerdwriter (video essays on almost any topic), Everything Is Alive (very creative fiction/non-fiction fusion podcast)
- the recent increase of global interest in the “post-truth era” (especially since the 2016 US Elections), and the importance of independent non-fiction media, that I feel, comes with that
Over this semester I would like to:
- work on my interviewing skills (getting better at finding deeply interesting questions for interviewees, planning interviews with a story / final product in mind, etc)
- practice my technical skills, especially in regard to editing interview content to create a compelling narrative
- create a non-fiction short film which I can include in my portfolio, as well as be proud of
- find ways to use my filmmaking skills to make a meaningful impact on others
- inspire my curiosity regularly
- get better at reaching word counts on 300 word written pieces
If the first two classes are anything to go by, I think I’m going to learn a lot over this semester. Very excited for what is to come!