Day 2 Bella Bella!
Off and RUNNING! Literally.
Today was non-stop from 9am-5pm!
This group is DEDICATED to tell their stories!
Feeling super cool driving the big black Youth Center pickup… us mentors (Reed, Sebnem and me, Lisa g) , set up stations and equipment for the crew.
Danny arrived a little after 9 and got right to work on his storyboard! There was a clear plan here and like last time Danny brought an enthusiasm, work ethic and joy to storytelling. Danny quickly finished his storyboard (thanks Lori for extra pages that needed printing!) and jumped into the actual animation using Dragonframe and a white board. (Thanks Reg for not only finding the white board but also helping with lighting !) Danny worked solidly ALL DAY. We encouraged snacking and drinking water! ;)
Sanique arrived around 9:30 and watched a music video to perhaps inspire her vision. Sanique has an incredible voice and songwriting skills and has an interest to pursue singing as a career so it is fun to consider how best to support this dream. Reed introduced garage band to add sounds to the vocal track that was recorded yesterday.
Norman arrived and watched a video that combines documentary interviews with animation but also shared some amazing dance footage from the Big House on their phone. Norman is a dancer! It is so fun to learn about everyones’ skills and interests! Norman moved some of these videos to a laptop that could be used in the cultural video being made with Tehya. Norman is also making a list of folks to interview and questions to ask! WOW! Lots to think about and consider.
Eryn takes a bit of time to hang out and get back into her project. It is so important to learn how everyone likes to work. Every artist has a rhythm and for best results and the most fun we encourage everyone to listen to what their bodies are saying. eat? rest? experiment? see what other folks are up to?
There are so many ways to tell a story so at any one time during a project there are many different things a person can do. In this example, Eryn, once ready, went back to her edit and added titles and sorted through footage choosing video clips and deciding order. This piece will be so cool for the youth centre and the youth to be able to look back on a remember some of the activities of 2023!
When TJ arrived. Sebnem gave TJ and Sanique a camera and sound lesson…there was a plan in place to interview TJ’s mom for their cultural film. The interview with mom turned into an interview where TJ’s mom also interviewed TJ! TJ and Sanique took cameras outside to capture imagery and video. Sanique also experimented with capturing video of her singing in a controlled environment with an interesting background good sound. It seems these two might have more of a production HOUSE…they may be working on two videos at the same time…supporting each others’ unique vision. Cool.
Elle and Yaya visited on the break from Heiltsuk language class and worked on their questions and concept. Yaya came back in the afternoon as well and continued to plan for their interviews. It is fun to see these two seasoned filmmakers know the filmmaking process and fit it into their already very busy schedule.
Tehya arrived with a sewing machine and projector and set up a creation station to work on her regalia. She competed a beautiful cedar and copper necklace and worked on a design for her blanket. Norman captured footage of this as well. They also both learned how to interview, Norman will do sound and Tehya will do camera.
Tehya, Norman and Eryn (with Lori and Lisa) drove around as the sun was starting to set collecting video and photos for their projects. it was COLD but also very clear and pretty. We went to both ends of the community: the river and out by the airport as well as the dock by the band store.
Lunch was a DELICIOUS Turkey soup that even had the stuffing in it! Fresh buns and as always snacks galore. Claudette shared self-care tips (take a nap with a roll of paper towels!) and Reg made some incredible wontons as well. Big thanks to Claudette, Reg and Lori, we FEEL SO LUCKY to be here. (Oh yeah! Eryn learned how to make the cheese sauce for Classic Mac and Cheese using a roux!)
