Documentary

 

Story by Nicholas Mendez, Producer, Ghetto Talks II

This afternoon student filmmakers Cristina Guerra, Fatima Rainey and I attended the New York Youth Media Art Show hosted by Sony Wonder Technology Center.  As part of the Urban Arts Partnership Media Lab Team, we went in representation of our production Ghetto Talks.
 
Getting the film out into the world through screenings like this one is crucial to the development of the Ghetto Talks Response Project.  We also wanted to raise awareness about the use of the word ghetto.
 
The people at SONY brought together student films that address common issues in today’s society.  There were films about planet earth, a documentary about bullying, and a student-run public access show that depicted the hazards of American bombs dropped over a small island near Puerto Rico.  (I firmly believe that all students should look into public access television—what a great way to get your message out!  We were lucky . . . at the end of the day we got to try our hands at television by making a pretend newscast.) 
 
After the viewing of the documentaries, special guest New York 1 News anchor Kirsten Shaughnessy addressed the crowd of media hopefuls.  She spoke about her personal background and the hard work it took to become an anchor.  She also shared clips of some of her work with New York 1.  We were inspired – especially considering that Ms. Shaughnessy came from a home that did not have a television and she is now an anchor for a well-respected news company!  I got her autograph and shook her hand, inviting her to book an interview for the Ghetto Talks Response Project.
 
The festival showed us that student filmmakers are emerging in high schools all over the city, whether they choose to work with or without a team.  We also learned about a summer program at SUNY Oswego in which students work intensely to create a documentary of their choice on issues that matter to them.  Both Cristina Guerra and Fatima Rainey applied to this prestigious program.  Let’s wish them luck! 
 
The New York Youth Media Art Show was exciting, yet humbling.  We learned that it takes hard work to be recognized.  One thing we know for sure: we are not wrong for letting others hear our voices and for addressing issues that are important to us.
 
Keep checking back in for updates on the Ghetto Talks Response Project!

 

Meet the Filmmaker: Christina Guerra

08 Mar 2010, 12:55 AM by Elizabeth Rodd, Urban Arts MediaLab

  

Story by Nicholas Mendez, Producer, Ghetto Talks II
Photograph by Daniel Familia
Cristina Guerra, Student Filmmaker
Name: Christina Guerra
Age: 17
School: Facing History
Role: I had different roles in this production, but I mostly did editing.
Where did you grow up?: Washington Heights
How is living in the Heights?: It’s hard because I don’t relate to the people that live in our neighborhood. Most people see the people in that neighborhood as ghetto; they think they don’t do anything with their lives.
What is your experience with the word ghetto?: I’ve never really had an experience with the word ghetto, and I’ve never been called “ghetto.”
How did it feel to be a part of this film?: It was a humbling and bright experience for me. It felt good to bring awareness to teens who throw the word around, not even knowing its background.
What was the best part of making the film?: I liked learning how to edit and how to be a director.
Who is your idol?: I look up to myself!

 

Producer Daniel Familia checks in with the Ghetto Talks Production Team.  Edited by Fatima Rainey.

An Educator's Perspective on Ghetto Talks

03 Mar 2010, 7:09 PM by Elizabeth Rodd, Urban Arts MediaLab

 

By Joshua Davis, Co-Director, Ghetto Talks II
Behind the scenes of the Matt Brown interview.

 

Today the Urban Arts Partnership Media Lab Team interviewed Mr. Matt Brown, principal of the Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School in East Flatbush inside the Tilden Campus.  We booked the interview because we felt that speaking to a person who has traveled around the United States and the world to places that may experience the word ghetto differently was essential to our documentary.  We were curious about Mr. Brown’s experiences before coming to New York City and about why he chose to help found a new high school in Brooklyn.  The stories he shared with us about working in Africa, Los Angeles and for the Outward Bound program were interesting, especially the connections he made to our film Ghetto Talks.  

Mr. Brown stated that he had no real association with the word ghetto until he watched our film.  He said we pushed him to think more deeply about how the word was used in the past versus how it’s used today.  His call to action is to stress to his family, students and staff the importance of using the word in a positive sense instead of a negative one.

After we interviewed Mr. Brown we captured some b-roll of the school setting and everyday life at Kurt Hahn.  We’ll combine this footage with the b-roll we shot at our first in-school screening.

This was my first time directing an interview so I learned a lot about the director’s responsibilities on this shoot.  Basically, the director makes the final decisions and keeps the project running efficiently.  I think I did a great job.  In the words of Mr. Brown: “Ya’ll really are professionals.”

Thanks for reading the Ghetto Talks blog, and keep checking back.  We’d love to read your comments.

By Shamrod Lockwood, Cinematographer, Ghetto Talks II

 

Today the Ghetto Talks production crew interviewed Robert Dominguez, Entertainment Editor for the Daily News and a former member of the Ghetto Brothers, a gang founded in New York City's South Bronx in the late 1960s.  The group had a positive reputation in the community and tried to use the word ghetto in a positive way. 

 

 Media Lab Filmmakers with NY Daily News Entertainment Editor Robert Dominguez

 

As we made our way to the Daily News headquarters in the freezing cold we realized that we had been walking in the wrong direction for at least three blocks since getting off the subway.  We had been towing our camera, a tripod and lighting equipment from the Urban Arts offices on Canal Street, so this was no small mistake. 

 

When we finally arrived, we discovered that the interior of the Daily News building was like something out of a futuristic movie.  After the security guard let us pass through the gate, we took the elevator to Robert Dominguez’s office.  Our film crew split into two groups: the first group filmed b-roll footage of Robert watching our original documentary Ghetto Talks; the second group quickly prepared for Robert’s interview.  I was the lead cameraman so I was in Group 2.

 

In less than fifteen minutes Group 2 had to do a sound check and staging.  We quickly discovered that one of our sound inputs wasn’t working.  Viewers are more forgiving of bad visuals than bad audio, so we had to make it work fast or else.  It turned out that one of the sound inputs on our camera was completely shot, so we were stuck with using just a lavalier. 

 

Student filmmakers interview Robert Dominguez about life with the Ghetto Brothers.

 

When Robert came back from the b-roll shoot Group 2 asked him to have a seat in the chair and provided him with some water.  Robert’s views on his life growing up in the South Bronx and on being part of the Ghetto Brothers were different than what we expected them to be.  We learned that Robert wasn’t in the Ghetto Brothers just for protection – along the way he found a family.  He also gave us a fresh perspective on using the word ghetto: he said that people take and use words in whatever way they want – positive or negative – but in the case of growing up in the ghetto, the word should be “worn as a badge of pride.”

 

After the interview Robert took us on a tour of the Daily News office.  There was a hallway that had countless cover stories from the newspaper dating as far back as the1950’s.  Student Director SoSo Douglas had me shoot lots of establishing and b-roll shots in the newsroom and hallway.  My favorite shot was of Robert walking down the hallway in between two walls of archival cover stories.

 

This production was an amazing experience!  I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out in our film.

On Sat, Mar 06, 2010 at 3:00 PM, Billy wrote:
Shamrod! So glad you're doing the media lab. I can't wait to hear more about the work you all are doing.
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