CCR Critical Reflection

The documentary The First Cut deeply engages audiences by offering an intimate and emotional exploration of the often-overwhelming college audition process for a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre. Through the lens of Martina Rodriguez, a young aspiring performer, the film invites viewers to step into the emotional and psychological challenges of auditioning for competitive programs. By focusing on her journey, the documentary draws audiences into the heart of what it means to pursue a dream with intensity and vulnerability.

The First Cut engages viewers by making them feel the highs and lows of the process alongside Martina and her supportive mother.  It doesn't attempt to shy away from the truth, and it's not reluctant to showcasing some of the more vulnerable parts of the process from the behind the scenes perspective. For example, as Martina is filming her dance prescreen she is overcome by physical pain and tiredness.  This moment demonstrates just how tedious the process can become and can connect with various audiences by revealing such a human response to a stressful situation. In Martina’s world, things aren’t always perfect, and that is precisely what makes her story so powerful. Her transparency reminds the audience that following your passion is a journey filled with struggles and setbacks, and by showing that, Martina helps viewers feel seen and understood in their own struggles.  By shedding light on these issues, the documentary fosters an environment of understanding and compassion, encouraging viewers to engage in conversations about mental health, especially in high-pressure environments like education and performance.

The inclusion of raw, behind-the-scenes footage; such as moments of exhaustion or self-doubt, offers audiences a more profound understanding of the intense emotional toll the process takes on performers. This depiction of Martina’s experience resonates with anyone who has faced setbacks or struggles in their pursuit of a goal, be it in the arts, academia, or any other field. This universal experience of overcoming obstacles, managing stress, and dealing with failure creates a bridge of empathy between Martina and her viewers, engaging them on a deeply human level.  Moreover, the inclusion of this style of b-roll allows the audience to uncover a different facet of emotions from Martina, which allows for a  better understanding of how intense the process is.  

Anyone who has applied to college, is currently applying, or will soon face that process can relate to the pressures Martina encounters. While the pre-screen audition process is unique, the emotional rollercoaster of striving for something big; dealing with the stress, uncertainty, and the fear of failure; is something anyone pursuing a dream can understand. By honing in on this universal experience, the documentary keeps viewers emotionally invested throughout Martina’s journey.  This product can also connect further with parents of aspiring artists, as they learn how to guide their children through a difficult, competitive career. There are several moments in the film that display Martina and her mother's connection, a bond that could resonate with several families that are enduring a similar process such as this. They share a moment of reflection as mom is on the couch on the verge of tears pointing out how "[the process] was a lot."  The evolving relationship provides an additional point of connection for audiences, highlighting the power of familial bonds during significant life moments. This moment of vulnerability adds an important layer to the film, showing that the journey isn’t just about the individual, but about the impact on those who love and support them. For many parents, seeing their children go through the stress of such a competitive process is deeply relatable, and this emotional connection strengthens the bond between the film and its audience. The portrayal of a mother’s concern for her child’s well-being adds depth to the narrative, reminding viewers of the sacrifices made by families when pursuing a dream.  Audiences are drawn into this emotional rollercoaster, which mirrors the universal experience of striving toward something meaningful in the face of uncertainty.

Research undeniably played a pivotal role in shaping the direction of my project, broadening both my knowledge and my perspective in every conceivable way. From the very beginning of our exploration into documentary filmmaking, we were introduced to a diverse array of documentary styles; The American Promise and Exit Through The Gift Shop showed how documenting a process that was recorded over a lengthy period of time can offer a more nuanced perspective of the story as a whole, while others such as the Op Docs experimented creatively with the storytelling. Each style offered a unique approach to storytelling, yet all were united by the powerful connection to our shared humanity. The depth of emotion and the ways in which these films cultivated empathy and understanding among viewers were admirable, and these elements became foundational in the way I approached my own work.

As I immersed myself in these various documentary styles, I found myself deeply inspired by the structure, pacing, and intimacy of several films I encountered. These works became a baseline for how I sought to convey Martina’s story in The First Cut. One key example of a documentary convention was the decision to include an indirect interview between Martina and her mother. This creative choice was designed to heighten the sense of intimacy and authenticity in the film. Instead of presenting a typical back-and-forth interview that might introduce a “second side” to the story, I aimed to focus on the nuances of their relationship. The absence of a formulated interview question allowed the emotional weight of their unspoken connection to emerge more naturally, lending a more raw and vulnerable quality to their interactions.

In sum, my research into other documentaries not only influenced the technical aspects of The First Cut, but also pushed me to think more deeply about how to capture human experiences in a way that feels both intimate and universal. Through this process, I was able to expand my understanding of what a documentary could achieve; connecting the audience to its subjects on a deeply emotional level while also challenging conventional methods of storytelling.

Production Process; EDITING.

Intro to Documentary

Thankfully, we knew what our beginning would be, as we discussed that it would be cool to start it off with the slates that are typically inserted into the first section of an audition. Since it's the first impression that casting directors usually get of performers, we thought it would be ideal to start it off the same for audiences viewing the documentary for the first time. 

I also wanted to include a clip of me reacting to a prescreen callback, without showing the screen to leave some ambiguity and reinforce the message that it's more about the inner fulfillment and knowing that I did the best I possibly could on the process, and now it's out of my hands.

Footage/B-roll

 Much of our footage was already filmed and it was only a matter of editing it together in the premiere pro timeline. At the start, we didn't believe that we were going to make it into a full fledged mini doc, but the footage was actually easy to integrate together. I had several folders in my hardrive that I could look into that were had already organized the footage into three components: dance, song, monologue.

Editing

The editing process is where I was really able to see this project evolve rather quickly, and where I got to experiment with structure although it was something that we attempted to previously establish, I trust in the creative process to lead the piece wherever it needs to go. Furthermore, I will be open to new ideas and a different formatting in order to make the messaging of the story more clear.

Production Process (embracing my inner Thierry)

The Idea

 When we first started a draft of the process, we knew we wanted to gear more towards the bts process of auditioning, a topic that is especially personal to Isabel and I.  While there was no clear idea on how we were going to execute this, nonetheless we carried out with the idea and planned certain shots that we thought might be appropriate.  

In terms of Interviewee's, we had a few potential candidates, however none that we were actually able to follow through with due to several factors; b-roll, time, and vulnerability. In order for this story to come out as fruitful and as authentic as we wanted it to, all of these factors had to be taken into consideration and due to the time constraints that we were faced with, it was favorable to look towards the most viable option which was having me as the subject of the documentary.

Little did we know, I had all of the material I needed to create a short documentary of a process that was so grueling but so pertinent to me, something that had become a huge part of my every day for the past 6 months. There were a lot of different emotions felt throughout the prescreen process, and it's not something commonly captured or discussed for a documentary.

I was so inspired by the Opinion Docs we viewed from the NY times; I believe they emulate the heart and core of what makes a documentary so resonant to people.  They don't need any statistics or factual evidence, it's in the emotion and authenticity of the subject being captured, in the story that is being told. Of course there is always a bias but when I watch those documentaries, I end them with a feeling, a thought, or a lesson that I took from it, that makes the viewing feel that much more fulfilling. 

Again, for this shot in particular, I was so inspired by the Op Doc I mentioned previously called "The Final Chapter" where the main subject is having a conversation with her friend and it's a much more informal interview. In order to film this video, I had two cameras, one capturing my mom and another to capture myself, and I was proud of the moment it created; it added a touch of authenticity to the piece which was exactly what I was looking for. Reflecting on a process so difficult as this requires a full evaluation of what are the most important parts to convey in a film, and I think the relationship between my mom and I throughout was important to address.

Research

When we realized we wanted to do a documentary on the prescreen process, a lot of the research came from experience. Since the process was something that Isabel and I have endured for the past 5-6 months, a lot of it was just about knowing what to include and what to exclude, to ensure the story was told authentically while keeping the parts that are most important to communicating the message. However in order to effectively tell the story, keeping in mind that it's very personal and very vulnerable, there had to be research involved on how to navigate the storytelling.

The American Promise is a documentary we viewed in Stoklosa's class, and it made me reflect a lot on the prescreen process; prescreens held that same type of intensity and emotion, although the moral of both stories are completely unrelated. I admired how The American Promise strived to tell the story authentically, although the directors weren't exactly outside of the situation, and were subjects actively a part of the story themselves.

 To understand how to achieve this effectively, I watched a few documentaries and I also looked up videos and articles for tips. That's when I found Mark Bone's channel, and he brought up some really great points about storytelling. 

                                          

The main thing that got me was the primary question: "Is your film based on a topic or a story?"

If it's based on a story, it should have conflict, the main character of the film wants something; how does it resolve? That has pretty much been the anchor point of what birthed the structure of our documentary. We chose the story route; our documentary was treated as an introspective film; much more reflective of the process than "telling" of the process. 

Usually when it comes to filmmaking or creating, these kind of choices just felt right to me, even if I couldn't explain why.  After choosing "story",  I dug deeper into some research and I found an article that made me feel extra great about our decision to treat the documentary as a story. 

What Makes a Good Documentary

Finding this and the various tips it imparts on its readers was nice because it gave me a lot to consider while I was in the process of creating the documentary, so it was nice to have input to consider from various sources.

Research/ Docs viewed in class

 Truth is, I was pretty green going into the documentary process.

I had such a set expectation of what the structure had to be and what the conventions are, that I didn't realize there were many facets of a documentary that I was completely disregarding. 

Before our lessons, I believed that a good documentary should always provide statistics and good old empirical evidence.  However, the more we watched documentaries, the more they became about sharpening perspectives and shedding light on human experiences, and less reliant on regurgitating statistics that won't really suffice in making people feel drawn to the piece or connected to the story.

As part of our curriculum, we were required to view Opinion Docs from the New York Times. I viewed The Final Chapter and it opened my mind to all of the different types of stories and creative liberty that comes from the documentary process. It's much more fluid and emotion driven that I grew so inspired.

These Op Docs redefined my view of documentaries and showed me how the simplest of stories can truly make an impact; they showed me that not everything had to speak on topics of such a large scale. 

Op-Doc; The Final Chapter 

This Op Doc is so beautiful and such a great example of how the simplest stories in life can be so meaningful for a documentary.

 I learned quickly that more than being informational, it's about exposing audiences to a slice of life.   Every documentary has a bias, tone, and story to tell. I'm really grateful that I was able to expand my knowledge on this topic and open my mind up to a plethora of ways in which a story can be told; it redefined in my mind that there are so many more heartwarming, simple stories worth telling. 

This documentary was such a beautiful example of how a random selection of videos displaying the acts of graffiti can be strewn together to tell a consistent story of the life of an art form that is often misunderstood, and frowned upon. It's evident that Exit Through the Gift Shop did the best it could to tell the story of graffiti authentically, and it's one of my all time favorite documentary viewings we've had in our AICE Media class.

AL Shift; the life update

 Monday, December 2nd. 

Welcome back!! 

Goals:

This year I want to really push the envelope for what I'm capable of, and strive to create media that is not only visually appealing but potent in its message as well. I hope to tell stories that are true to me and that draw from my personal life experiences.  I also hope to gauge a greater understanding of film techniques, and messaging.

Join me as I explore my style, try new things, and continue to discover the kind of artist I want to be!