We.App Studios Anti-Bullying Film Project
About half way through the quarter, I received an e-mail from the English Department informing me about a screenwriting opportunity for this organization called We.App that was looking to produce an anti-bullying short film with a group of students at Mount View Elementary School. We.App Studios is an organization founded by Toyia Taylor that is "dedicated to teaching individuals public speaking using performing arts and the authentic method" (for more detailed information, visit: http://www.theweappstudio.com/). This sounded like the perfect opportunity for me: I'm always looking for more experience working with kids, and of course I leap at anything involving film-making.
After submitting an application, I was called in for an interview with Toyia. This shouldn't have come as a surprise, but Toyia really embodies the mission of her organization. Her verbal fortitude is pretty intimidating, and even though I'm someone who is pretty comfortable during interviews and public speaking, she had me feeling a little foolish. She had had me brainstorm some ideas for the video before coming to the interview, and as I was explaining it I couldn't gauge whether or not she was warming to my ideas, so I ended up apologizing if I wasn't being clear. In response, she said "Don't be afraid to assert yourself". I smiled sheepishly. She is so earnest in all that she does, but she's also very warm and kind. From what I could tell, she cared immensely about the group of kids she taught, and wanted to make sure that the video was perfect. She must have liked my ideas (even though I couldn't tell) because she called me later that day and asked that I create a draft. This rough story outline you'll find below.
After submitting an application, I was called in for an interview with Toyia. This shouldn't have come as a surprise, but Toyia really embodies the mission of her organization. Her verbal fortitude is pretty intimidating, and even though I'm someone who is pretty comfortable during interviews and public speaking, she had me feeling a little foolish. She had had me brainstorm some ideas for the video before coming to the interview, and as I was explaining it I couldn't gauge whether or not she was warming to my ideas, so I ended up apologizing if I wasn't being clear. In response, she said "Don't be afraid to assert yourself". I smiled sheepishly. She is so earnest in all that she does, but she's also very warm and kind. From what I could tell, she cared immensely about the group of kids she taught, and wanted to make sure that the video was perfect. She must have liked my ideas (even though I couldn't tell) because she called me later that day and asked that I create a draft. This rough story outline you'll find below.
Things began to move pretty fast from there. Toyia had explained in the interview that we had a very short time frame, so I had to be willing to commit. Over the course of one weekend, Toyia and I shot e-mails back and forth as we collaborated on the script and fleshed it out. We also met up with the videographer, Bre Jones, and I explained to her what my vision for the film was. Bre and I clicked right away, she seemed to understand exactly what I was envisioning in terms of shots and angles and framing. It was pretty cool getting to work with a professional film-maker like Bre on this project. In all the films that I've produced in the past, I've been responsible for almost everything: acting, directing, and instructing people exactly how to shoot the scene. That latter element is always the most time consuming, because I have to walk whoever I'm working with through the camera motions and show them how to frame the shots. This entire process was collaborative, and the novelty of that was not unwelcome on my part. It really reduced the amount of stress I felt, and allowed me to just let my ideas blossom. In no time at all, we had the final pieces of pre-production ready and were prepared to shoot the film.
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The filming process was, to be honest, really frustrating. I've always prided myself on being able to get along with kids, but these guys just didn't seem to like me at all. It might be because I was a complete stranger and they only knew me for a couple of days, but they didn't really respect me at all and were at times kind of nasty. Obviously this wasn't the case with all of them. Many of them were really cool and friendly, others were really sweet. But because overall they were kind of cold towards me, it became difficult during rehearsals to engage and direct them. They just didn't really care about what I had to say. Part of it was my fault too. Because I felt at odds with them, I wasn't able to assert myself. I was too passive with them. They would run off and I would just kind of let them. I wasn't exactly sure whether I could assert myself, to be honest. I was a guest in their school, not a teacher like Toyia, so I didn't feel comfortable taking that kind of a role. I wish that Toyia or Bre had been around as a supervisor for the children to facilitate. When Bre did pop in, the kids immediately got on task. And the thing is, when they were on task, they were amazing! I was constantly impressed by their acting. I mean, this wasn't a silly video by any means. It was kind of serious, and the kids really tuned themselves into that and did it justice.
There was also some miscommunication with Toyia. I guess she didn't fully understand the concept or the script. Bre was definitely on the same page as me, but for some reason Toyia always had doubts about the project. This was unfortunate because she had started rehearsing with the kids a certain way, and then we had to go back and relearn it. Another issue during the production process was that Toyia - despite being this champion of having a strong voice - was a little passive aggressive. I could tell that she had concerns with the script, and sometimes she would say things like "Who knows how this is going to turn out?" or "We'll see...". That made me feel kind of guilty, even when I shouldn't have felt that way. It felt like I had forced her to produce this film, but I wasn't. All I wanted was for Toyia to be completely open with me. I told her on multiple occasions that if something wasn't working, we could definitely change it. It seemed like Toyia thought that I was unwilling to change my work, which wasn't the case at all. I had no ego going into this, I just wanted to do right by the kids and by the organization. I think adding to this issue was the fact that we were on such a tight time frame, which I think made Toyia hesitant to make any radical changes, or maybe she thought we were in too deep and that it was too late to turn back.
Given these issues, we all breathed a sigh of relief when we wrapped up filming. Bre was responsible for editing the film, and the result you'll find below.
There was also some miscommunication with Toyia. I guess she didn't fully understand the concept or the script. Bre was definitely on the same page as me, but for some reason Toyia always had doubts about the project. This was unfortunate because she had started rehearsing with the kids a certain way, and then we had to go back and relearn it. Another issue during the production process was that Toyia - despite being this champion of having a strong voice - was a little passive aggressive. I could tell that she had concerns with the script, and sometimes she would say things like "Who knows how this is going to turn out?" or "We'll see...". That made me feel kind of guilty, even when I shouldn't have felt that way. It felt like I had forced her to produce this film, but I wasn't. All I wanted was for Toyia to be completely open with me. I told her on multiple occasions that if something wasn't working, we could definitely change it. It seemed like Toyia thought that I was unwilling to change my work, which wasn't the case at all. I had no ego going into this, I just wanted to do right by the kids and by the organization. I think adding to this issue was the fact that we were on such a tight time frame, which I think made Toyia hesitant to make any radical changes, or maybe she thought we were in too deep and that it was too late to turn back.
Given these issues, we all breathed a sigh of relief when we wrapped up filming. Bre was responsible for editing the film, and the result you'll find below.
In all honesty, I was kind of disappointed with the way the film turned out. It's technically a realization of the script that I wrote, but this isn't what I envisioned. It's not as cinematic as I had hoped it would be, and it really seems unpolished. I wasn't the only one, as it turns out. Toyia called me after we had presented it to the kids and she asked me what I had thought about it. Initially, I told her that it was good and that we had done a good job. I didn't want to say I didn't like it in case she was happy with it. But then she expressed her own disappointment, calling it a "rough draft". She said it was a good start, but that it could be much better. I agreed wholeheartedly. I think on a conceptual level, the script and the poem, it was solid. I think the real issue was the production process. Also, I wish that I'd been more involved in the post-production process. I've always edited my own films, so it was weird not being involved in it. As a director, I think the editing suite is where you actually figure out what your film is, and I think if I had been allowed to oversee the editing process, the final product would have matched my original concept much better.
Toyia thanked me for my hard work and said that I would definitely be called upon for the next class's film. However, I never heard back and I was so busy Spring Quarter that I didn't bother reaching out to her. This experience, despite not turning out as fantastically as I'd hoped, was still one that allowed me to learn a lot. When working collaboratively, it's really important to make sure that everything is crystal clear. For so long, I've been the one solely responsible for making sure everything comes together, and I think because I came in with that mentality, I may not have communicated as effectively as I should have. I don't hold myself wholly accountable for what went wrong during the process, but I know that I could have asserted myself and stated boldly "Okay guys, tell me what's on your mind. No ones feelings are going to get hurt, we're all friends here trying to make the best possible product. Let's remember that. This isn't about us, it's about what we're creating."
I hope that I get another chance to work with We.App Studios and Toyia Taylor. It's a really fantastic organization and I think now that I've established my bearing, I'd be an effective addition to their team. If not, then I'll still count this as an invaluable experience, one that I'm grateful I had the chance to participate in.
Toyia thanked me for my hard work and said that I would definitely be called upon for the next class's film. However, I never heard back and I was so busy Spring Quarter that I didn't bother reaching out to her. This experience, despite not turning out as fantastically as I'd hoped, was still one that allowed me to learn a lot. When working collaboratively, it's really important to make sure that everything is crystal clear. For so long, I've been the one solely responsible for making sure everything comes together, and I think because I came in with that mentality, I may not have communicated as effectively as I should have. I don't hold myself wholly accountable for what went wrong during the process, but I know that I could have asserted myself and stated boldly "Okay guys, tell me what's on your mind. No ones feelings are going to get hurt, we're all friends here trying to make the best possible product. Let's remember that. This isn't about us, it's about what we're creating."
I hope that I get another chance to work with We.App Studios and Toyia Taylor. It's a really fantastic organization and I think now that I've established my bearing, I'd be an effective addition to their team. If not, then I'll still count this as an invaluable experience, one that I'm grateful I had the chance to participate in.