Media Lab: Week 2

22 Jul 2011, 5:08 PM by frank

My name is Eduardo, I am a rising Junior at Gregorio Luperon High School in Washington Heights. I arrived from the Dominican Republic two years ago when I was 15-years-old. This is my second year in Media Lab – it has been a good experience for me because I am improving my skills in video production. I have taken on the roles of cinematographer (the camera operator) and editor. For Undocumented and Unafraid, I have been the main cinematographer for “Camera A”, which captures the principle photography and some B-roll. During the past week, we have been working hard on production for Undocumented and Unafraid.

In the beginning of the week, we visited Melissa at Lehman College, where she is a sophomore in Psychology and Sociology. Our interview focused on her experience as an undocumented student. She shared with us the importance of education (especially for undocumented youth) and the importance of the government passing the DREAM Act. Later in the week, we started capturing lyrical shots for the film – this is footage that very poetic and experimental and will be intercut with the more traditional footage of the interviews. 

On Wednesday, we wrote and recorded voiceover – this is audio recording of soundbytes that will be edited in the beginning of Undocumented and Unafraid. Each student from the class participated and read different statements about being undocumented. In addition, we went to Jackson Heights (in 100 degree weather!!) Here, we met Melissa in Little Columbia, where she took us to her favorite Columbian restaurant and ate arepas and yucas fritas. She spoke about the importance of food in Columbian culture and how the food and restaurants in her community take her back to her roots. We then shot b-roll of the neighborhood, capturing the diversity of people in the street and the diversity of the shops and restaurants along the sidewalks. 

We have one more week to finish the production for Undocumented and Unafraid and I am excited to continue to challenge myself and improve my skills as a cinematographer.