Documentaries and New Americans

Hi Everyone,

First of all, I need to give (another) big thank you to my distribution and events managers/parents. Through their combined efforts, over one hundred copies of the film have gone out around the state, and a number of screenings have been set up for the winter. It is because of them that this film is going anywhere at all. So a big thank you to them.

On that note, if anyone still wants to request a copy of the DVD (or still hasn't recevied one) please send me your name and a mailing address. Also, if anyone would like to host a screening with me, I will be in town between Dec. 18th and January 17th. Just send me your contact information and proposed dates. I know a number of people have already shown the film, and it's exciting to hear that this is happening.

As we move into the winter, a number of exciting things are happening in the world of New Americans and documentaries in Manchester. Here are a few of the highlights for the next few months.

"Our Community" at SNOB

"Our Community" has officially been selected for the Somewhat North of Boston Film Festival, which will be held Nov. 19th-21st at Red River Theatres in Concord. "Our Community" will be screened on the Sunday along with "Working Blind," followed by a panel discussion (although I am not entirely sure what the panel will entail, I'm sure it will be great.) Learn more about the festival here.

"Uprooted: Heartache and Hope in New Hampshire"

The UNH Center for the Humanities has just released "Uprooted: Heartache and Hope in New Hampshire," a documentary featuring personal stories of resettled refugees in New Hampshire. Learn more about upcoming screenings here.

Thanks,

Brendan J. Gillett

That kid who made the documentary

brendangillett@gmail.com

"Our Community" goes to California

Yesterday, my class at Pitzer College watched "Our Community" as part of our unit on Agriculture, Culture and Place. This marks the first time that the film has been shown outside of the state, which is quite exciting. My parents also entered it into the Slightly North of Boston Film Festival in Concord, so we'll see how that turns out. Distribution continues, with almost two hundred copies in circulation. I look forward to returning to Manchester, getting the film online, and showing it to more people.

DVDs and Screenings

Greetings from California!

I've come to realize that "Our Community" is but a small piece of a larger puzzle made up of activists, New Americans, organizations, and community members all working to make Manchester a more welcoming place. In addition, I am but a small piece of the "Our Community" puzzle. Two of the other pieces - Bill and Kathy Gillett - have been working very hard to distribute copies of the DVD and set up screenings and events for the film. If you would like a copy of the DVD, please e-mail me at brendangillett@gmail.com with your name, a mailing address and the number of copies you want. They are, thanks to the hard work of my Dad, being distributed for free. If you would like to host a screening or event (with someone from the team present) you can also e-mail me at the same address. It's indescribably helpful to be so supported, not having to take care of every aspect of this project on my own. For ways to get involved helping refugees with the project of resettling here, see the previous post.

Brendan

Community Resources

Hey y'all,

Below is a short list of a few volunteer opportunities that I've found via the doc work. All are open to new volunteers, so feel free to contact them.

New Hampshire Alliance for Immigrants and Refugees

Eva Castillo

NH Immigrant project Organizer

ecastillo@miracoalition.org

(603) 661-2873

The International Institute would like interested community members to know that:

· Volunteers are vital to its programs.

· Material donations like kitchen supplies, and linens are always welcomed.

· Monetary donations from community members directly support their work in the community.

If interested in any of these options (or if you have other suggestions) you should contact Ms.Wei Ng at wng@iinh.org who will help you find the most fulfilling opportunity. They also encourage you to follow them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/IntInstitute and Twitter at https://twitter.com/IntInstitute.

BRING IT

BRING IT, the afterschool program featured in the film, will be at Hillside Middle School this year. It will begin October 5 and will run from 5:30-8:30 every Tuesday/Wednesday through May as long as there's school.

If anyone is interested in volunteering or would like more information, they can reach Jodi Harper via e-mail at jharper@snhs.org, or via phone at 603-296-0442

Premiere

Whoa, way late on this entry. "Our Community" will have it's official premiere this Thursday, August 19th at the Currier Gallery of Art at 5:00 pm. The showing is open to the public, and I'll be doing a Q&A afterwards. If you plan on attending, please use the Beech St. entrance. Though it is two days before I leave for college, I am excited to finally be getting the film out into the community. We'll see where this leads.

And the Screenings Begin

Today, "Our Community" was shown at two different venues. The first was a class at the English for New Americans program, which is featured in the film. The second was the Southern NH ESOL Teachers' Network meeting. Both audiences seemed to enjoy the film. With a few more edits, "Our Community" will be ready to hit the city. It's exciting to be moving into the screening phase of the project. For so long, I was that kid making the documentary. Soon, I'll be that kid who made a documentary.

Rough Cut

Yesterday marked the first time that "Our Community" (which I've officially titled it) was put to DVD. I premiered it to my family. The cut is still rough, but it's almost there. Still waiting on those historical photos and name confirmations. Then I have to do a technical viewing to fix up some sound and transition issues, cut out any excess, add more B-roll (I've come to loathe B-roll) and generally make it shine. I also have an hour or so of footage marked "good stuff" which I need to look through to make sure it doesn't belong in the finished piece somewhere. The current piece runs 48 minutes long, and I must say, I'm very happy with it. I am hoping to have an official premier close to June 17th.

Final Pieces

The film is almost done. I am finishing the credits and adding titles to people's interviews. I am still waiting on confirmation for a few titles, but that shouldn't take long. I'm also waiting on some historical pictures from the Historical Association. Once I have those pieces, the rough cut will be ready to go. I haven't watched the whole thing through yet, but I am happy with it when I watch it in bits and pieces. Some things- my b-roll, shot composition, camera settings, sound, etc.- still look like they were done by a 19 year-old. However, it is mostly the technical details that aren't always where I'd like them to be. I must say that I am rather happy with the way I've put the puzzle pieces together. This project was always about content over form, and I would say that the content comes across. There are some things about this experience and this topic that will not come through in the film, but I am OK with that. While it could be better, I think this film will do what it is intended to do.

Home Stretch (Really)

I am pleased to announce that I should have a rough cut done by the end of May. It may not include everything, but it will touch on most of the topics I set out to explore. I may not get very far with the religion piece, as the person I want to interview is out of town this week, but I'll see what I can create. I cut the final sequence yesterday, which needs just a bit of tweaking. I'm very happy with it as it is though. So here I go, 5 more days of serious editing.

June will mark the beginning of the screening period. I have a number of possibilities up in the air, but have avoided pursuing them strongly because I didn't know when I would be ready. I first want to hold a pre-screening with everyone involved in the project, then take it out into the community. I'll likely keep building it as the summer goes on, but it will be so good to have a rough cut circulating.

I'll keep this blog updated with screenings, just in case people are out there reading this (someone must be, right?) So far the most interesting proposal has been to show it the barber shop where I get my hair cut. If there's a screen and an audience, I'll show it anywhere.

Home Stretch (Hopefully)

Well, the May 1st rough cut never happened. I ran into a number of technical issues, and couldn't get the footage that I needed in time. However, there is no need to fear, as I have charted my course to finish this film by the middle of May. After evaluating what I have, looking at what I need, and cruelly giving the axe to certain things (sorry high schools) I've arrived at 10 segments, each of which should run about five minutes. The segments will be as follows: Opening> Resettlement > Webster Introduction > Culture > Stories > Post-Settlement > Religion > Webster Future > Closing > Credits and Thank Yous. I realize that A. The components of each sequence aren't explained here and B. These could change. But, I've drawn up a check list of all the footage I need to get, written down what each sequence seeks to address, and I am well on my way to the next stage: Screening, social action and further building.

Cut, Cut, Cut!

As I mentioned last post, this month will be a time of heavy editing. Long stretches of time spent in my room with the shades drawn working on the doc are starting to yield results. It's amazing what happens when you trim the fat. Today I successfully removed 10 minutes from a sequence, largely by cutting out clips of people saying "um..." The resulting sequence on culture is fairly tight, bouncing from Africans to Irish to food to language. Now that the interview clips are in order, I get to do the fun part: putting colorful b-roll on top to illustrate the points made.

May 1st

I've written on my giant calendar-which I plan my life on- that May 1st will be the day of the rough cut. This means that April is going to be a month of editing and picking up a few interviews/shots. Whatever comes out on May 1st will be a far cry from the final piece, but having a deadline is a good motivator. As I edit, I go from "how will this ever work" to "this stuff practically edits itself" and everything in between. I have a map in my brain of how to address everything with the footage that I have, and I need to make that come to life.

April

I've set a goal to have a first cut by the end of the month. I was invited to show the film at a Souther New Hampshire English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) meeting in June, which means I definitely need something by that time. This month will be some heavy editing and the collection of the final interviews. Hopefully, I will get more leads/interviews after the screenings start, and I can keep building this project all summer. Now I have to find a good place to show it...

Summer

It's about time for a new post.

I recently accepted a summer position with the Breakthrough Manchester Program (who you may remember from the promo video I made a few posts back) which will take up the better part of eight weeks this summer. I am also in the final stretch for the first big milestone in filming. I've identified all of the pieces that I need to have, and am taking steps to get them all on video. I am sure that I could continue to build this piece for years and years, and I may, but I need to show something soon. So I need to put my nose to the grindstone and churn this thing out!

Ali Museum

You meet interesting characters through video work. I walked in to an automotive dealership today to get an interview for the Blarney Breakfast video (see previous post.) As I waited in the lobby, a stone Torah caught my eye. It bore a plaque commemorating the hard work of the man I was to interview. I noticed other awards hanging on the wall. I wondered why this guy was working at a car dealership. Then he came out.

He was dressed in a blue button-down, cowboy jeans, a studded belt and blue shoes bearing images of wolves. His curly salt-and-pepper hair was slicked back, but the lower ringlets bounced just above his shoulders. It was a striking image, and it gets better.

We went to the inner sanctum of the dealership, where I started to notice Mohammed Ali memorabilia. There were gloves, pictures, tickets, metal fists, all bearing signatures. The crown jewel was a life-sized Ali sculpture, standing in an 8'x8' ring surrounded by other sculptures which I was too overwhelmed to take note of. This was a full on museum. And that was just the hallway. His office, complete with a mini-chandelier, had more framed items, books, and a copy of that movie "Ali" on VHS. The entire office and surrounding area had been consumed by one man's obsession with Ali. He sat down, did the interview, and I left. What a morning.

Projects

Last week, New Hampshire was rocked by Mother Nature's winds, leaving us without internet until today.

I've picked up a few new side projects recently. One is a short video, using mostly pre-taped footage, for the Blarney Breakfast, an annual charity event. I'm fairly sure that the video will involve refugees in some way, but I have to see the footage.

I am also assisting the Somali Bantu Community Association of New Hampshire with a short video on their agricultural program. In addition to more experience, it was agreed that I could ask my own questions of the subjects. Refugees and interpreters can be hard to track down, so it is very fortunate that this project came along.

In other news, The Refugee Rap is almost done. This is a song about two kids' experiences as African Refugees in Manchester. It was a lot of fun to record, and now it's time to edit. I'm starting to wonder when this whole thing will be done. I hope to have something in the next month or two, but this could continue beyond that. I have to trust in the work.

Tet!

Tet, for those of you who don't know, is the Vietnamese new year celebration. For those of you who have yet to experience one, it is a night of dragon dances, music, lucky money, food, and community. I was invited to the Tet celebration held by the Manchester Vietnamese community. It was held in the St. Anne Parish center, which used to house an Irish Catholic school. The gym was full of Vietnamese, but also a few familiar faces from the police department and St. Augustin Church. The next day the festivities continued at the local Buddhist temple on Auburn St. I experienced my first Tet.

Little did I know that a week later, I would be watching a Vietnamese drag queen sing "What is Love" in front of a massive audience at a Tet in New Orleans. I came down to visit a friend, and take a break from the documentary work. Knowing that I have an interest in other cultures, he suggested we go to the Tet. It didn't occur to me that other cities had these refugee populations, despite being told (and telling people) that refugees are resettled in ever state. The New Orleans Tet was, predictably, much larger. There were booths with food, a big stage, things for sale, and tons of people of all backgrounds. I was struck by the togetherness, the desire to share in each other's culture. We could all use more of that.

We could also use more Vietnamese drag queens.

Filming

Filming is fun. I have about 8 hours of recorded material, everything from interviews to an ecumenical prayer council on immigration reform. I'm learning that most people are receptive to someone showing up with a camera and filming what they are doing. So far simple explanations have sufficed. It's daunting to think of all of the events, programs, and everyday scenes I will have to film, not to mention the interviews. Then comes editing it.

It's been a relatively easy few months. Now this thing has taken off. I still don't know where I'll show it, but the time to think about that is coming up. There does seem to be interest though, which is encouraging.

Roll of the Blog/Music

I am wrestling with the roll of this blog. As it is at the bottom of my business card, it seems that it should be purely informative, letting people learn a bit about the project. Yet it began as a way for people to track my movements as a filmmaker, and I think it will serve this function even after the Manchester Project is done.

That being said, I've just finished my first piece of freelance video work. You can see it here.

The other thing about this blog is that I don't want to give away too many surprises about the film. With only two followers, however, I don't think the risk is too great. That being said, I have been working with two young Burundi boys on "The Refugee Rap," which deal with escaping the war and coming to America, the challenges both here and back home, and the good things that have happened as a result of them coming to Manchester. I was also introduced to a 19 year-old who has made a few songs on the same topic, and he wants me to make a video for him. I agreed, asking in return that I be able to use his music. I wasn't sure where the music would come from a few weeks ago, but now I think that I have some great stuff.

Active Participation

I don't know if there are recognised methods or models for documentary film making, but I am definitely running the "Active Participation" model. I've put in many hours in classrooms and after-school programs, and this past weekend I went to a service and community time at the Buddhist temple. I was thrilled by the warm welcome I received from all, as they invited my brother and I to eat their food and listen to their music, and invited us back for meditation on Sundays. It was quite the experience, and it's impossible to simply sit back and film.

Perspective

This Times article has me thinking about the angle taken by most documentary film makers. Documentaries, while normally presented as balanced, tend to lean far to the left. Maybe I think this because I watch what interests me, and so am more likely to watch the more liberal interpretations. But righties should be out there presenting their views through this medium. The documentary as propoganda, however, a technique used by all parties, is risky. It seems to me that people don't think as hard while watching documentaries as they should. A documentary should open your eyes, challenge you, and prompt further research. Most topic can't be covered in ninety minutes or fewer. Mine definitely won't be the entire picture, nor will it have "the answers." It is up to the viewer to understand what they are watching, and to understand the issue from multiple angles.

The Power of Asking

Today, people from two stores and one temple have agreed to meet with me or be interviewed for the film. This was quite accidental, as I set out to get an interview and some B-roll. The interview was moved, and it's too cold to be walking around, so I decided to go to the temple and ask if I could include it in the film. I was invited to the service on Sunday, where there will be a bunch of people to talk with. This prompted me to finally go into the African Market and ask the owner of the European store if I could include their businesses. I received positive responses from both. Things are moving.

Shooting

Long time no blog.

With January upon us, shooting has officially started. So far one subject has been interviewed on film, and an entire tape's worth of B-Roll was shot in an Elementary English language Learners Classroom. Without giving too much away, the tape includes some very powerful memories from the Bhutanese. I am still getting a feel for the camera, lighting, audio, etc., which I expect to improve as I go. With this project, content comes first, and so far the content is good. A few new interviews, both taped and non-taped, have been lined up. January promises to be an exciting month.