Story and Photograph by Daniel Familia
Name: Fatima Rainey
Age: 17
School: The Facing History School
Role: Editor
Favorite Color: Green
One word to describe yourself: Awesome
One word the Media Lab crew would use to describe you: Outlandish
Most memorable moment of the Ghetto Talks production: I enjoyed interviewing members of our crew to see how they felt about the word ghetto.
Plans for next year: I plan to attend Hampshire College and to major in Neuroscience.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?: Starting medical school
How has being a filmmaker inspired you?: Being a filmmaker has inspired me to use other outlets to help people.
Favorite quotation: Just do it!
Story by Fatima Rainey
Photograph by Daniel Familia
Name: Robert Matos
Age: 15
School: Food and Finance High School
Role: Interviewer, Cinematographer
Favorite Color: Blue
One word you would use to describe yourself: Extreme
One word the Media Lab crew would use to describe you: Survivalist
Most memorable moment working on the Ghetto Talks production: Watching our finished film for the first time
Plans for next year: I plan to become lead editor.
Where do you see yourself in five years?: I see myself pursuing a career as a documentarian.
How has being a filmmaker inspired you?: It has inspired me to send a message. I want to inspire my community through film.
Favorite Quotation: “The strongest man on Earth is the man that stands most alone.”
Story by Sotonye Douglas, Co-director, Ghetto Talks II
On Tuesday, April 27, the Media Lab crew attended the 2010 Our City, My Story film festival hosted by the Tribeca Film Institute. Ghetto Talks was one of thirteen films chosen to be in this year’s festival. It was an astonishing night—from the red carpet to the big screen! New York 1 and other major media outlets were there to cover the event. We felt like superstars walking down the red carpet with all the photographers taking our picture.
Some of the films at the Tribeca screening took a lot of personal conviction to complete. Others were funny but proved a clear and concise point. I was surprised by how much you can achieve when you put your mind to a cause and devote your heart.
Cinematographer Shamrod Lockwood and I represented Ghetto Talks during the Question and Answer period after the screening. At first I was nervous to go in front of the auditorium full of people. My nerves took over and I felt overwhelmed, but I proudly stood and expressed my feelings. I was happy to represent the Media Lab crew.
One audience member asked the filmmakers to discuss how much assistance program supervisors provided in the production of our films. Sham and I answered that the Urban Arts Partnership teachers basically put the camera in our hands and told us we had six weeks to complete our project. The concept was completely derived from our own choices, and filming and editing were completely run by us. Though we did receive some assistance with networking—our supervisors reached out to actor Anthony Mackie, writer Cora Daniels, and recording artist Pharoahe Monch—, student producers organized the rest.
After the screenings the Media Lab crew walked around and mingled with other filmmakers. We discussed the filmmaking process, congratulated each other and exchanged contact information.
It was an incredible night! You can check out a video about our experience here: http://www.urbanarts.org/news/view/27.
Story by Cristina Guerra, Producer, Ghetto Talks II
Photograph by Daniel Familia
Name: Craig Wallace
Age: 16
School: Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School
Role: Grip
Favorite Color: Red
One word you would use to describe yourself: Weird
One word the Media Lab crew would use to describe you: Intellectual
What was your favorite part of the Ghetto Talks production?: My favorite part was seeing the final product come together.
What are you most proud?: Personally, I’m proud that I’m still in school and doing well. As for our crew, I’m proud that we’re back together for the Ghetto Talks Response Project.
Where do you see yourself in five years?: Five years from now I see myself in college majoring in a media-related field.
How do you think being part of Media Lab and the Ghetto Talks production will help you in your future plans?: It will help my resume and show diversity.
Who is one person you would like to meet?: Megan Foxx!
Story by Nicholas Mendez, Producer, Ghetto Talks II
The Media Lab team arrived on the set of New York 1 News in Chelsea at about 8:30 this morning. We were all tired but amazed by the studio and the fact that we were getting to interview a media representative, someone who is part of the process of defining the word ghetto.
News anchor Kristen Shaughnessy has been with New York 1 since 1995. She grew up in upstate New York in a home with no television because her parents wanted her to form her own educated opinions without being influenced by the media.
Today Kristen brings the news into people’s homes every day. “Being a news reporter requires you to be cautious,” she said. She explained that you can’t report the news until it has been confirmed by at least three sources.
Kristen spoke about how she never uses the word ghetto and cautioned others not to use it. She also offered insightful advice on what people that face hardship need to do to get somewhere in life. She held countless jobs bartending and waitressing before becoming a journalist, for example. “It doesn’t matter where you start, it’s where you end up that matters,” she said.
After interviewing her for a couple of minutes, we followed Kristen on a tour of the studio. We got to see the different pieces that go into making a newscast. From the set to the control and make up rooms, we saw how the anchors and other reporters ready themselves for their shoots. We experienced first-hand the steps that go into making a television broadcast. We also got to toy around with being on set: we sat in the very chairs that the anchors sit in to do the news!
After the tour, we shot some extra b-roll and called it a day. It was an extremely early start, but we got some insightful responses from Kristen. Being in New York 1 Studios provided a fun experience that we won’t soon forget!
