This page is for compiling and considering technical and conceptual aspects of our documentary project.

Technical

Format

• DV (720 x 480)
• 1080i (widescreen 16:9)

We have filmed mostly in DV format - should we limit future shoots?

There is no reason we couldn't use both formats - but keeping in mind the visible differences between them. In fact, if we were to use both we would only be using 1080i, since we'd have to scale the DV to fit. I think that since we do have enough time to re-schedule and re-shoot, we shouldn't be wedded to the footage we have, but that we should try to make a choice about this soon.

Who-What-Where We've Shot Already 

• People
  • Anne Palmer, CLF
  • Roni Neff, CLF
  • Joyce Smith, SoWeBo SNAP
  • John Shields?
• Places
  • Lexington Market
  • Maryland Food Center Authority
  • Food Bank?

Possibilities for Shooting/Re-Shooting

• Maryland Food Center Authority - Interviews + Structured Shots
• (Lexington) Market - more sustained shots, Interviews with workers... Who runs the market? Check out their website... other markets as well (Trinacria?) -we might want to see if we can schedule some time or get permission to shoot here, remember we got told off the last time.
• Supermarkets: Giant - Whole Foods
• Farmers Markets: Baltimore, Waverly, College Station
• Corner Stores
• Restaurants/Fast Food locations
• Urban Farming Projects - may be better in Spring - Real Food, Participation Park

Conceptual

Audience

who is our audience? A lot of these coices will depend on who we are talking to. we may want to ask the CLF for a better idea of who they plan on showing the documentary, but i think for us to think about this as well will be a good aid to focus our creative process.

Mission Statement

Is there an underlying focus - human rights, empathy, call to action - that we want to embrace in order to focus the project a bit more? What are the possibilities for this focus?

Formal/Casual

Our approach to filmmaking - is there an authority in the presentation (authority being a narrator, or recurring compositional framing device)

How much of ourselves to we allow to show in the project - how do we present ourselves as a group? As individuals?

Presentation

This is a long time from now, but it's never too early to start thinking about how we are going to present the physical item, should the documentary take a physical manifestation. How will it be distributed?  Through what channels? How will the CLF take control once we've done our part and finished the documentary? Talking about showings, and the possibility of a package. I (graham) was thinking it would be great to pair the video with a booklet of sorts.

Examples of Documentaries

& What We Can Learn from them

• King Corn
  • Use of Consistent Thread - Stop motion animation (plastic figurines of farm)
• The Future of Food
  • Narration woven through entire documentary
• The Gleaners
• Water
• Super-size Me