Introduction and Reflection
During this documentary unit, we were tasked with creatively representing the real life story of an individual, group, or idea. Throughout this unit, we interviewed several people, and did research to further support the point we were trying to make. We provided perspectives on the experience of the subject, and created a documentary film and article to showcase our efforts.
In my documentary project, I conducted interviews of David Miller, a man living with polio, his father, and his friends. Each person provided unique insight on the experience of living with his disability, and how he navigates the world. My goal in this documentary was to educate on the relatively uncommon polio, and explain why David Miller serves as an important example to people.
Throughout this unit, I valued being able to work on multiple parts of film. I was able to utilize/expand on my abilities of cinematography, sound design, and interviewing. I also valued being able to collaborate with people and work with them to create the best version of our film.
In our English class, we also wrote a profile article about the subject of our documentary. Using the content from the interviews, and other research, I wrote an article about David Miller: about his condition, and his attitude towards life. I utilized storytelling techniques learned in previous units and incorporated information from all of my sources.
Film Documentary
Before beginning production on our actual documentary, we first created a mockumentary to figure out the skills necessary for the actual documentary. My group created a short mockumentary mocking the height of the gas prices in recent times. We learned how to use a lavalier microphone, and how to frame the subject correctly in a documentary.
The actual documentary film itself involved conducting recorded interviews of multiple subjects. We also filmed B-roll of David Miller at work, and had family photos of his childhood. We filmed in several locations, and tried to be on top of all our equipment and shots we needed. At first, we were faced with the challenge of not knowing camera placement, and framing for multiple shots in one interview, but soon fixed it and figured it out for future interviews. We produced transcripts of the interviews(with the help of premiere pro) as well. We learned how to sync audio from an external microphone with a video.
Interviewee Bios
David Miller is a resilient 29 year old man with polio, whom we interviewed about his adoption from Russia and experience as a disabled man.
Michael Miller is the father of David Miller, who adopted him from Russia at the age of 6. His family is quite large, with 8 children of varying ages and abilities.
Blanca Quiterio is the store manager at TAP Plastics in San Jose, and the boss of David Miller. She has worked with him for several years.