I am
developing a series of short 360 documentaries, tentatively titled New Americans 360. The series will
explore the multifaceted stories of refugee communities who have recently
arrived in the United States. The project in its initial stage consists of three
360 documentaries exploring the lives and experiences of New Americans in the
Rust Belt. The overarching objective of the series is to generate a deeper
understanding of the global refugee crisis and its immediate effects on
American cities.
The project
will approach the refugee experience at a micro level, focusing on smaller
communities as opposed to refugees as a monolithic entity. Through this more
focused and character driven approach, the films will convey the uniqueness of
each story and reveal the complicated and pluralistic nature of the underlying
theme.
The first
documentary is tentatively titled Dinner
and A Movie. In this film, we will have dinner with four refugee families
in their homes. These families are Syrian, Afghani, Bhutanese and Congolese
refugees. The food, the language and even the way dinner is served will be
different based on each family’s ethnic origin. Throughout the meal we will
discuss their experiences. The camera will be placed in the center of the
table. The audience will feel as though they are part of the dinner party. Even
if the food might be different, we believe the conversations will reveal the
ultimate commonalities between the host family and the viewer.
Last
week, I was invited to an Iftar dinner by a Syrian refugee family in their
home. I recorded the entire dinner and post-dinner conversation on my Nikon Key
Mission. I had not received the Samsung Gear 360, yet. It will be interesting
to compare footage from both devices in the next few weeks. This test shoot was
helpful in many ways. Here is what I learned:
1- The 360 video format worked well in
capturing the dinner party atmosphere. Ultimately this is an empathy piece, and
I was happy to see the synergy between the story and the format.
2- I really have to think about audio in a
different way. I “hid” a Zoom H4N on the dinner table. The recording alone is
not going to be sufficient to convey the story. It is too easy to find yourself
in a cacophony of voices and multiple conversations. I should mention that there
were more than a dozen people at the table. This “cacophony of voices” approach
could work for an installation in art gallery setting, but for this documentary
I need the story to be clear and to move forward efficiently. Of course, there
is room for complexity and interpretation, but there is no room for confusion.
3- Since I was invited as a guest to this rather
large dinner, I didn’t do much directing. I was mostly there as an observer. I
have to think about my approach as the director. I will post on that more in a
later post.
4- Things to do this week:
a. I will edit a short segment from this
dinner scene, and evaluate my plans accordingly.
b. I will research audio options for the
future. For now, you may be entertained by my hidden H4N, a-la-Singin’ in the
Rain.
