I can add this to my check-list

Regardless of how this film turns out, I can definitely say I’ve learned a lot in this class.

One thing I’ve learned is to always check the inputs on my camera.

On Saturday the CIW’s mobile museum was in Orlando. I was busy during the day, but I had just enough time to make it downtown and shoot before they started packing up. I thought the shoot went well – I got more info. about the CIW and I interviewed a farmworker. I went into the edit bay the same night to review what I’d gotten.

And realized I had no sound.

I’d been in such a rush to get downtown that I’d forgotten headphones, and I didn’t check the inputs. I was devastated. I’ve had some bad luck, and it seems like it’s always my best shoots that go wrong. I feel like the universe is trying to tell me something.

Anyway, when I realized what’d happened with the audio, I sat there in self-pity for a bit, and then checked the CIW schedule. They were in St. Pete on Tuesday so I decided to skip everything I had to do and make the trip. The ride was supposed to take two hours, but I got lost twice on the way there. Fortunately, my friend from high school drove up so I wasn’t alone.

I re-shot everything and, although it wasn’t perfect, I think it went OK. I’ve decided to focus part of the film on U.S. vs. Navarrete, one of the cases of modern-day slavery. For me, slavery is one of the most compelling issues farmworkers face so I think it’s an effective way to reach my audience.

Now I’ve just got to figure out what to do next. I have different things I want to include, and a lot of suggestions from members in my class, but I need to figure out how to string everything together. There are so many different issues that come into play, and it’s hard to fit everything I want in a 10 minute film.