Story by Marlin Almonte, Photographer, Ghetto Talks II
On Saturday, June 5 the Ghetto Talks crew spent the day at the NYC Festival of Young Artists & Leaders sponsored by Downtown Art. First we had brunch at Yaffa Café in the East Village and then we headed over to the festival to screen our film. We walked around for a little while and then it was show time. Ghetto Talks was presented in the Millennium Theater.
This was a screening like no other because this time we also premiered a response piece that was inspired by the original film. The piece, called Ghetto Talks II by the middle school girls who created it, was a kind of urban dictionary in which students from the Urban Assembly School for Criminal Justice reflected on the word ghetto and other slang words like it. Their message was that ghetto is just a word; each person gives the word its meaning by the way he or she chooses to use it. The response piece was unbelievably adorable. Those middle schoolers sure do know how to get a smile on people’s faces!
Then it was time for the Q&A. Cinematographers Omar Cyrille and Robert Matos went up on stage to lead the discussion. The Q&A went on for about twenty minutes, with audience members wanting to know what schools we came from and why we created Ghetto Talks. Most important, the audience seemed surprised that we as young people created a documentary that could change people’s perspectives on language.
The Ghetto Talks crew headed back outside to enjoy the festival after the Q&A. We came across a high school troupe performing a dance number to a song about the ghetto. I hope their dancing and our film will push people to think about the words they use.
The Ghetto Talks crew couldn’t have asked for a better day. This was one of the best screenings we’ve ever had!
Story by Craig Wallace, Editor, Ghetto Talks II
Photo by Daniel Familia
Name: Omar Cyrille
Age: 16
School: Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School
Role: Interviewing, lighting and sound
Background: Haitian
Favorite color: Red
Favorite sport: Basketball
Favorite activity: Writing poetry
Three words you would use to describe yourself: Optimistic, upbeat and knowledgeable
What aspect of Ghetto Talks are you most proud of?: I am most proud of all the hard work we put in to the production.
What career are you considering at this time?: I would like to go into the film and marketing business.
How will the knowledge you gained from the production of Ghetto Talks benefit your profession later in life?: It will help my resume and show diversity.
Story by Omar Cyrille, Cinematographer, Ghetto Talks II
Early Sunday morning, May 23rd, the Ghetto Talks crew had a b-roll shoot at my home in East New York, Brooklyn. This was a follow-up shoot to our interview with my mother, Carmel Sanon. The two-part parent piece we’re working on also includes Anthony Davis, the father of Ghetto Talks II Producer Joshua Davis. The parent piece is important to the Ghetto Talks Response Project because each person’s family life creates a blueprint for the person he or she will become, in many ways shaping the person’s beliefs and logic. Surroundings are influential, and one of the goals of this piece is to show how a family operates in an area some people would consider “the ghetto.”
I went to sleep early the night before because I wanted to focus: this shoot was a working experience for me. It was my first time operating the camera by myself, and I wanted to learn more in-depth how it works. In the morning, my mom and I did a little cleaning before Teaching Artist Elizabeth Rodd arrived at the train station. We had originally planned for it to be just my mom and me, but my brother and his son were also present. The whole family was in one place at one time.
When Elizabeth arrived, I walked her to my home about three blocks away. She met and greeted everyone and gave us an overview of how a b-roll shoot works and what we wanted to capture. I set up the equipment and played with it a little to get a good feel. I was really excited about a shot I set up in which my mom was holding the baby with my brother watching closely. It was really touching, and I’m sure any parent can relate to how it feels at that moment.
After about an hour in the house, we went out into the neighborhood. The day was cloudy and foggy with a calm feeling outside, which was something I didn’t expect. We came across a memorial of someone who had been killed in the area and decided to capture it. We also shot around the train station to show the amount of people who come in and out every day. It was pretty packed for a Sunday. We shot police officers and graffiti as well as gardens and families.
This shoot was important to my growth as a cinematographer. Now I’m less nervous behind the camera, and I’ve learned a lot from watching others use it, too. I’m at a point now where I’ve grasped the basic skills and can add my own ideas to my work. I hope I can use my skills in the future to become an inspiring filmmaker.
Story by Joshua Davis, Producer, Ghetto Talks II
Photograph by Daniel Familia
Name: Regina Bonsu
Grade: Sophomore
School: Mott Haven Preparatory School
Role: Producer, Interviewer
What are you planning to do with the knowledge gained from working on this project? I plan to get more people involved on important issues like language use and to enlighten them on how to become activists.
Why did you choose to be in the Media Lab program? I wanted to gain more knowledge and experience within the film industry.
What did you like most about working on the project? I got to meet new people and learn a technical skill set.
Story by Craig Wallace, Editor, and Joshua Davis, Producer, Ghetto Talks II
Last month, Anthony Davis, the father of Ghetto Talks II producer Joshua Davis, sat down with the Media Lab crew for an interview. Mr. Davis shared his insight about the word ghetto as well as his reaction to our original film. Our crew consisted of Nick Mendez as director, Joshua Davis as interviewer, and former Media Lab student Brittany Clough as guest producer.
Mr. Davis talked about his life growing up in the Park Slope area of Brooklyn and the role of gentrification in that section of the borough. For example, he told us that his grandmother’s house is now worth several times the price at which she purchased it.
Mr. Davis also talked about growing up and watching Good Times and The Cosby Show, programs that portrayed the average African-American family in a positive light. He feels that these days African-American families are portrayed in a more negative light on television.
Mr. Davis also argued that his son’s generation is changing how language is used. The new generation flips words that were once used to oppress people; words such as the N word are now used without any reservation to simply mean “hello” or “what’s up?”
Although there were many distractions and cuts during the filming, it was eye-opening to hear a parent’s perspective on the word.
More to come on how this interview will be integrated with Carmel Sanon's interview for our parent response piece.
