Week 14 Reflection

We met up to work on the final edit for this project multiple times this week so that all of the elements would be ready for the final student screening. We worked on rearranging items and centering it more around our new interview, which was much stronger than the first one. We worked on weeding out which vox pops were most important and which could be left out.

We also added titles and lower-thirds. In order to make our project longer, we added some sections with music and b-roll to give breaks between topics and make it so it wasn't wall-to-wall interview and talking. In our new interview, he mentions advertisements and, even though he was the only one to mention it, we thought it was important and interesting to our story so we added old advertisements from archive.org that meshed well with what he was explaining. I'm happy with how that turned out and I think it added an interesting element to our project as a whole.

Week 13 Reflection

Since we had all of this new footage from the previous week, we worked on incorporating this footage into our rough cut. Pretty immediately we realized that it should be more centered around our new interview and have Gary's interview be supplemental information.

We didn't have enough time to create the exact story we wanted and are still thinking about how we can structure this project to be more focused on thew new interview. We also want to look into adding music and creating a title card to pull things more together. All in all, the b-roll we got looks really nice and the interview, at least in my opinion, adds a whole other layer to our story and has pushed it in the direction we originally intended.

Week 12 Reflection

This week we lucked out quite a bit. We had planned to go to Cumberland and interview a younger tobacco farmer, he cancelled but we got someone else almost immediately who works in distributing tobacco and worked on a tobacco farm when he was younger. He had a lot of really old trinkets of cigarettes, tobacco, ads, etc. that he collects that turned out to be really interesting B-roll to add to our project.

This interview was the complete opposite of Gary Matthews in that we only asked a few questions and he talked forever about that one question. It was not difficult at all to get personal stories out of him and I'm really pleased with all of the footage we got and think it will add immensely to our project.

VISIONS Response

I was generally pleased with how Visions turned out. There were a few minor bumps here and there, and I tend to exaggerate those in my head, but overall I’m very pleased with the final outcome. I am not the best public speaker and somehow I ended up signing up for three things to moderate but it kept me busy and I’m happy that I was actually able to do it well. In the first block there were a few hitches, such as Sightseers skipping and having to be replayed, which in my head was the end of the world but it turned out alright in the end. I think my main fear was offending a filmmaker or scholar who came all this way and did all this work. I didn’t want Noah to feel like his film wasn’t being appreciated and that was something I tried to avoid for all filmmakers and scholars during the Q+A. I wanted each person to feel like their work was being appreciated and I hope that I accomplished that.

My personality is not well-suited to the Video Race, I was a nervous wreck when I had to do it last year, but this year was a lot of fun and Hillary was incredible to work with. I don’t do well with second-hand embarrassment but since I knew everybody on the staff and all the teams, it was much more fun to participate (or maybe I’ve just grown up a little who knows). Overall I felt like Visions was pretty professional and honestly just a fun experience for everyone involved. There’s not much I would change about how things wrapped up other than mingling a little bit more (something I’ve never been good at and will have to continue to work on for the rest of my life). There was that one time that I told everyone to come to a private dinner but we won’t mention that again I’ve already thought about it every second of my life since then.

Probably my favorite part was Felix's Keynote Speech. I was extremely moved and inspired by everything he had to say. I also loved the way the Second Film Block concluded the day. It’s mostly just weird to have something that you’ve spent a year working on be over and done with in a single day; however, I’m proud of all the work I put in.

Week 11 Reflection

Alex and I were busy with Visions this week so this was kind of blank week for us; however, we did schedule an interview for this weekend to get back on track. I emailed Harris Teeter to see if we could get some general B-Roll of the cigarette aisles but I have yet to hear back and it doesn't seem likely that will go through since they're positioned behind the counter.

We did, however, work on adding our new B-roll into our rough cut and moving around the interviews and the vox pops to make a little bit more sense and add some empty space with just b-roll.

Week 10 Reflection

We had planned on interview Gary Matthews again; however, once we had already driven out to Cumberland County we realized that we were given an empty battery case for the camera. Luckily Jordan had her DSLR with her so we used that to take B-Roll but we were hesitant to conduct the interview because we weren't sure how different the footage would look on a different camera.

Since we are still working on finding that extra interview, we decided to work with the footage we have and try to make a cohesive film just with the footage and interview we already have. Like I said previously, the questions we asked during the vox pops did not exactly match up with the interview with Gary so we had a little trouble meshing the two together into an actual storyline. We also don't have any b-roll of the campus so it was a bit difficult transitioning between the two sections. We basically just took note of the general topics in Gary's interview and tried to connect what he said to some of the vox pops, which didn't always work out.

Week 9 Reflection

We are on the lookout for other tobacco farmers that might be more willing to be interviewed than Gary Matthews, since he did not seem as interested in redoing the interview and he was extremely uncomfortable in front of the camera. So far we have had a few dead-ends or rescheduling issues, but we think that an interview is what we really need to push our project in the correct direction that we originally intended for it.

We do still have an interview planned for this weekend with Gary Matthews again so hopefully we can expand upon our first interview and go more in-depth. We also want to get more B-Roll of the tobacco farm farther down in the growing process that way we can have some breathing room in our cut of just b-roll instead of wall-to-wall speaking.

Week 8 Reflection

For this week we had intended to get a lot done since Spring Break we were unable to find a time to meet up. We also had a fair amount of technical difficulties. Most of our footage got corrupted so we only have our exported cut, not the original files. We also had mishap with missing an equipment pickup and were unable to to checkout for a week (we did apologize quite a bit to Aaron).

The interview we did have scheduled got cancelled the day that we were set to drive to Cumberland County so we quickly switched gears into doing vox pops on campus, because those were a possibility in the very early stages of our pre-production. We were a bit rushed and, looking back on it, I wish the questions had been more cohesive with Gary's interview but there are a few good answers in there. Whether they will stay in the final cut is up in the air, I'm hoping that we get another interview that can replace them.

Week 7 Reflection

This week we were all pretty booked with some of us going out of town and we were unable to find a time to get together or schedule an interview. In addition, we had issues finding a time to pickup and return equipment. We did get some new b-roll though and met up to do a cut with all of the footage we do have so far.

Since most of the people we wish to interview live in Alex's hometown, over spring break he will be getting in touch with all of them that way we can spend one weekend after spring break getting multiple interviews from those contacts while we are in Cumberland County. We also have plans to set up vox pops because we think it could add an interesting element to our film depending on what kinds of answers we get.

Week 6 Reflection

For the past few weeks we have all had separate people we were attempting to contact to get a second interview with but were unable to set one up in time for this week. Instead, after editing together the footage from our first tobacco farmer's interview, we decided to start looking into youtube and archive.org for old cigarette ads that could be used as extra B-Roll for our doc.

Alex set up a youtube playlist that we could all add to and I looked through archive.org and downloaded ones I liked and added them to the google drive. In the meantime, we are still trying to contact various people that were on our original list for possible interviewees and maybe our schedules will align easier in the coming weeks.

Week 5 Reflection

This week we did the first interview for our project, which we thought would be the main voice of our documentary. We went back to Cumberland County to the original tobacco farm that we filmed the majority of our B-Roll from last week to talk to the owner of the farm, Gary Matthews. However, the interview was pretty short and he didn't have much to say and, in typical interviewee fashion, had more to say when the camera was off. He was uncomfortable saying things that he wasn't completely positive were true and wanted to be fact checked before he said anything on film.

He did, however, give us the name of another tobacco farmer to contact that might be a better interview and we contacted him and hope to get that before class next week for the second interview. We still need to get additional B-Roll, which will be of the next interview setting depending on who we get. I also contacted a "healthcare professional" on campus to see if anyone was willing to be interviewed because I think that would be an important section of our documentary as well. We have interviewees set up in Raleigh but I was hoping to keep it closer if at all possible since we are already traveling so much for this documentary as it is.

Week 4 Reflection

This week we already had a time setup and a list of B-Roll shots we wanted and, due to the pre-production presentation, we were well-prepared with our Equipment Request. On Sunday, we drove out to Cumberland County and had free range of the tobacco farm owned by Gary Matthews (one of our main interviewees). We spent a few hours setting up shots and getting the feel of our doc established. We also got location permit forms taken care of while we were there and set up another time to come back next week for an interview. In addition, we got a second equipment request sent in for the interview taking place next weekend.

While driving there, we discussed other pressing interviews we want to get done and decided that in addition to the tobacco farmer, a healthcare professional would be the next interview we need to get done. We have some lined up that I have contacts with in Raleigh but I'm spending time contacting closer professionals in Wilmington that might be interested. We then met up at our regularly scheduled time on Monday to edit the B-Roll, color correct and sound mix it.

Week 3 Reflection

This week we did all of the pre-production work for the presentation. I've made exactly one budget before; however, I feel like I've learned a lot from that experience and was able to go more in-depth and cover more ground on this budget. Luckily, Jordan did a lot of research on the type of equipment we would need so she sent me a list of possible equipment that I was then able to research and add into the budget. I think it's a bit terrifying to see the amount of money we would have had to spend had it not been all from UNCW. From the budget, it was obvious that we wouldn't need any additional fundraising because the only thing that would be coming out of pocket was gas money for the few trips we take to Cumberland County and that's easily split amongst the crew.

The other portion of the producer's work was making a schedule, which we've been building since week one. We have each crew member's class and work schedule (color-coded) as well as all the due dates for the class. The only issue is we have large amounts of time blocked off for each portion of the project because our schedules are changing so rapidly that we can't come up with a specific time this far in advance. However, we are really good at communicating with each other and getting things done on time so as long as we plan out each week as it comes along, we should be set.

The schedule was extremely beneficial to make because it reminded me that we have B-roll due next week so I was able to put in that we have to request equipment well in advance in order to pick it up on Friday (and we already submitted that request so we're right on track). Probably the biggest struggle is figuring out stylistic components for sound (because I'm also acting as sound on this project). I have about zero experience with sound and will have to do a lot of research regarding how I want it to sound because it's not overtly obvious to me at this point.

Interview Subjects

Tobacco Control Coordinator - Kate Uslan

Kate Uslan is the Tobacco Control Coordinator for the Mecklenberg County Health Department, working to enhance the health of its citizens. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina,  Uslan is a regular writer for “The Alliance for a Healthier Generation” and proud mother of two young boys.

1. What is your role as tobacco control coordinator?
2. What are your personal opinions on tobacco use?
3. What has tobacco control accomplished in recent years?
4. What are your personal ties to tobacco control?
5. Why do you feel passionate about tobacco control?
6. What are your end goals as tobacco control coordinator?
7. What do you feel the public’s opinion is on smoking today?
8. Do you feel like the overall opinion on tobacco has changed drastically?
9. Why do you think people continue to smoke despite widespread accessible information about health concerns related to tobacco?
10. How have you taught your own kids about tobacco use?

Healthcare Professional - Marilyn Graham

Marilyn Graham is the Director of Nursing at Tammy Lynn Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, which provides education, community and support services for children and adults with developmental disabilities.

1. What is your job title?
2. Why did you decide to become a healthcare professional?
3. What impact has the decrease in smokers had on the health of the public in the last few decades?
4. What do you think is the public's perception of smoking, and do you think it’s changed in recent years?  
5. Why do you think people continue to smoke despite widespread public knowledge of tobacco health risks?
6. How did your opinion on tobacco evolve after becoming a health professional?
7. What impact do you think you have on your loved ones because you are a healthcare professional?
8. As a North Carolinian how do you feel about how prevalent the tobacco industry is here?
9. How do you think tobacco farming has affected the the thoughts of people in this state?
10. Have you ever smoked?
1. If so,
1. Do you still smoke? Why or why not?
2. Did becoming a health professional guide you in any of these decisions?
2. If not,
1. Do you think this was guided by your interest in the health profession even before you were a part of it?

Concept Research

I started off looking through past documentaries that have been made centered around tobacco. The majority of them covered negative health effects of cigarettes such as "The Tobacco Conspiracy" and "Passion for Cigarettes". "Addicted to Pleasure: Tobacco" looked at the addictive qualities of tobacco, historically in the British empire and specifically how they are being made more and more addictive. I found two documentaries that were closer to where we were aiming to go, so I feel like it would be beneficial to watch those and make sure we don't cover the same kind of information. "Farming in the Black Patch" looks at why farmers have stayed loyal to tobacco despite the public's increasingly negative opinions toward smoking and "Bright Leaves" deals with tobacco farms in North Carolina and the workers dealing with society's changed attitudes toward smoking. "We Love Cigarettes" looks more through cross-cultural tobacco beliefs, which is probably where I'm more interested, and covers smoking bans in the US and Europe that made it so 1/3 of the world's cigarettes are smoked in China and globally the tobacco industry is still growing strong as a result of this outsourcing.

As I said in class, when I studied abroad in Wales the most jarring aspect was the attitudes toward smoking. I hardly ever see people smoking in the U.S., but in the UK it's extremely prevalent. You have to walk through a cloud of smoke before entering any building and despite the mandatory "smoking kills" warning on their bags of tobacco, it never seems deter anyone from actually smoking. Looking into cross-cultural tobacco beliefs, I found that currently Bhutan is the only country where tobacco is actually illegal. However, even before the ban, only about 1% of its population actually smoked. Tobacco is not grown in Bhutan and it costs a lot to import goods, so prior to the ban interest in cigarettes was already dwindling. In English-speaking countries, smoking prevalence declined after the implementation of tobacco control but has hardly changed since the 1990's. Tobacco control is a priority area under the World Health Organization (WHO), which addresses the health effects of tobacco.

For the next portion I kind of did just free word association and made a list of things that I thought about when I thought about tobacco. Neither of my parents smoke but my mom remembers when she was younger and they stopped allowing ads for cigarettes on the television and they had one night where they just played a bunch of cigarette ads back to back as a final hurrah. My dad often talks about a Kurt Vonnegut quote, "Here's the news: I am going to sue the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company, manufacturers of Pall Mall cigarettes, for a billion bucks. Starting when I was only twelve years old, I have never chain-smoked anything but unfiltered Pall Malls. And for many years now, right on the package, Brown & Williamson have promised to kill me. But I am eighty-two. Thanks a lot, you dirty rats." Other than that I mostly just think of movies and television series. Like Mad Men dealing with Lucky Strike and "The Insider" during my Al Pacino phase. Recently I watched "Thank You For Smoking" which brought up how cigarettes are kind of marketed to people, which was also incredibly interesting to me.

I then started looking at tobacco in popular culture. Hollywood used to glamorize smoking such as "A Streetcar Named Desire," "Rebel Without A Cause" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's". Cigarettes used to pay to be a part of movies (product placement) until the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement in 1998, although smoking is still prevalent in films, whether obvious or not. There have since been changing attitudes toward smoking and movies seem to be mirroring this trend. For example, "Stranger than Fiction" shows a character smoking but also makes it a point to have them coughing and hacking, reducing the glamorous association with smoking and tobacco.

I then looked into specifically North Carolina tobacco farming and negative effects that this changing public opinion has had on farmers and the industry as a whole. North Carolina has been and continues to be the largest producer of tobacco in the country but China is the number one grower of tobacco in the world (with the largest amount of consumers). Since the Great Depression there have been government imposed production limits on tobacco farms and as a result a lot of the industry has been taken over by foreign growers. There has also been a significant drop in number of tobacco farmers for the last decade, partly due to e-cigs and the challenges they impose upon the tobacco industry. Although since that article, it seems that vaping has surpassed the challenge that e-cig's created for the industry.

References

• http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/how_they_do_it/2005/01/the_first_nonsmoking_nation.html 

• http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.sdg.3-a-viz?lang=en 

• https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/07/the-glitz-the-glamour-the-smoke.html
• http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/tobacco-conspiracy/ 
• http://www.documentarytube.com/videos/addicted-to-pleasure-tobacco
• https://www.ket.org/series/KFBLA/
• http://www.pbs.org/pov/brightleaves/film-description/
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/horizon/broadband/tx/smoking/
•  http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/09/02/thousands-farmers-stopped-growing-tobacco-after-deregulation-payouts/32115163/
• http://publicradioeast.org/post/growing-tobacco-north-carolina