Second week blog post
Hello! On an unrelated note, here is a picture of some sushi I made with my brother for my family. This is the second time we made it and it turned out delicious.
Photo: the books I have been going through
Photo: Ernie’s book!
This week was a continuation of the work I did last week. I worked through reading more zines and I read a book of poetry by one of the senior citizens from the nursing home. The book (pictured below) is written by Ernest (Ernie) Noyes Brookings. I have learned that he will be a recurring character in the film because of his significance in David’s life and work.
I learned more about the life of an artist: both Beth and David self-describe themselves as artists. Beth described to me how, especially nowadays, artists can be incredibly critically successful but not that financially successful.
From working with Beth, I have drawn parallels between documentary filmmaking and scientific research. In both fields, people frequently spend years working on large projects. While working on the film or research project, the leaders do not know how their work will be received. After the project is complete, some/many people are uninterested in the content of the film or research. Finally, it can be difficult for new filmmakers and researchers to receive recognition for their work because they don’t have the type of track record as other more established people (ex. Ken Burns for filmmaking).
Additionally, I learned about some parallels between documentary filmmaking and journalism. Journalism is now becoming increasingly freelance work. For example, during the protests during this summer, much of OPB’s photo journalism came from independent photo journalists. From what I’ve read, these people went to the protests, decided on their own what they wanted to take photos of, then quickly sent the photos to OPB for financial compensation. Just as journalism has become more freelance-based, documentary filmmaking has as well. Since feature films are more profitable than documentary films, large streaming services like Netflix and Amazon now primarily fund features. This leaves many documentary filmmakers working independently. They set their own schedules, have to pay their own healthcare and dental care, and are responsible for spreading out their income for the months or years during which they are working on a film.
Here are some questions I have:
Why did David begin The Duplex Planet?
How did Beth choose to become a filmmaker? I know she studied communication at Villanova but I am unsure of her path after college.
Reflecting on my progress towards my goals from week 1, I have made strides in learning more about the life of a filmmaker and I have made significant progress on the archival work for the documentary.
I am very impressed by that sushi!
ReplyDeleteI'm so interested in this idea of what it takes in the current economy to be an artist or even a journalist. I wonder about the long-term implications when we so severely limit who gets to tell our stories. When we aren't paying journalists to gather all sides of an issue, are they motivated to get the most incendiary images for the sake of a higher payday? Similarly with documentary filmmakers, who gets funding or support to make films? It seems that only the lucky few who are able to finance themselves are able to be truly independent.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Benji - really enjoyed reading your post.
And that sushi looks amazing!