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The documentary "When Your Life Turns to Ashes" focuses on the aftermath of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting and the impact of grief on individuals and the community. This includes many different stages of grief and recovery that can affect a family or friend's ability to move on. Within this piece three individuals were featured who were each directly or indirectly affected or impacted by the shooting.
These past two years in Aice Media have truly taught me so much about planning when it comes to production, and I truly believe that that is something that helped me so much in this process. I'll be honest to say that the second I came up with this idea with my friend Orianna, I couldn't have this documentary be anything different. It was something that from the literal first blog I wrote, I was infatuated by the concept, and I needed to do this to the best of my ability.
I mean to be completely honest, I spent a ridiculous amount of time researching with about 25 different tabs open, all working to shape and form an understanding of concepts that would be discussed within the documentary. Research played a fundamental role when it comes to the documentary conventions in understanding grief, prolonged grief disorder, and survivor's guilt. This research also informed me of topics I should steer away from/towards for my interviewees. For example, Rylan was more comfortable talking about the day than the grief and recovery process, whereas Mitch breezed over the conversation of the day and was much more thorough in his conversation about grief. Before the beginning of these interviews though, I spent hours on end researching studies, articles, and personal accounts that discussed how individuals cope with this. That's not even discussing how much time and energy it took to contact and, to be completely honest with you, convince my three subjects to do this documentary. I mean to be completely curt, these three individuals were directly impacted by the MSD shooting one way or another, so for me to have an almost 2-hour conversation with most of them became difficult if they weren't entirely comfortable with the concept. Something that was really important to me was also just being extremely respectful and understanding of people. I paid really close attention to how other documentaries approach topics like this and even had conversations with Mrs. Stoklosa regarding how I should react and respond to my subjects if the interview were to get a little bit more emotional. During my interviews, I used open-ended questions, which, in my opinion, allowed the audience to connect with the interviewees at a deeper level.
In terms of conventions, "When Your Life Turns to Ashes" really is more of an observational piece. For me, I felt that I should be prioritizing the voice of the interviewees rather than my own voice, and to let their story be heard without my voice to carry it along. I think for me it was a matter of respect in that I didn't want to intervene or interrupt their personal narrative, and I felt the piece would be a lot more integral this way. However, I also made conscious choices to incorporate elements that reflect my own perspective and approach. This includes a strong emphasis on establishing a personal connection with the interviewees before filming, which comes through in the intimacy of the interviews.
The social media campaign was designed to extend the reach of the documentary so that it was not only explained there but also continued within the documentary, where you could read more about each of the families rather than just the ones mentioned within the documentary. The magazine article also offered a different mode of engagement, providing a deeper perspective of the interviewees. By describing their individual stories and incorporating key quotes from the interviews, the article invites readers to connect with their journeys on a personal level.
Something else that was really important to the reinforced identity of this portfolio was also the brand identity and cohesiveness. I would say the "brand" of "When Your Life Turns to Ashes" is centered around the basis of sensitivity, respect, and minimalist style. This is reflected in a lot of different ways, but I think a major one would be the color scheme of maroon and black, and the font family used on all platforms. Something that I felt was really important within the documentary was how the lower thirds, graphics, and social media all came together to form a cohesive brand. I think that while it may seem small, having the same collective design allows for an emphasis on the emotions felt. With such a sensitive subject, creating a brand identity could either go very right or very wrong in terms of being respectful to the family and loved ones of those lost. The overall goal was to make the brand feel authentic, compassionate, and dedicated to those affected by the tragedy, and I'm happy to say I think with my creation, I was able to do that.
This documentary is honestly really largely related to major social issues, specifically how harsh the effects of major school shootings can have on individuals and how they cope with grief. It represents how people's lives really crumble when they lose a loved one to a tragedy, and how many people can be affected by this loss. Aiming to portray their stories, the documentary addresses the topic with sensitivity and respect because I felt as though this piece would not appeal to anyone if it were not done correctly. I'll be honest to say when I first discussed my concept with my teacher or friends they all said the same thing, "Are you sure Emma?" and to that I responded I've never been so sure of something. This piece really addresses something that is so heavy to talk about, and there comes the issue: people don't talk about it. School shootings are something that unfortunately happens every day, but as Mitch says in his interview, without a support group, parents and loved ones feel so alone when this happens. In being able to represent these social groups and issues, the project strives to be the center for the voices that were affected and show them that they are not alone and that there are others with them. There is such a deep importance to support those who are grieving and advocate for honoring the lives lost and the healing of our community.
Creating "When Your Life Turns to Ashes" has been the most impactful experience of my life. It's corny to say, but I'm sitting here tearing up thinking about how much this project has changed me as a person. I know that sounds stupid, but honestly, I've said this to so many people over the past month or so, but this is the first thing I've created where I genuinely understand why I'm doing this. Journalism for me has always been a passion, but this documentary made me realize how much good this career can do for people. Getting to talk to my three interviewees and so many others at the MSD memorial made me realize how thrilled people are to just have someone supporting them and someone who cares. Something that Mitch Dworet said to m,e and it has stuck with me since the day I met him: "I don't want to talk about the day my son was taken from me, I want to talk about everything I've done since that day," and I've never understood something so deeply. These parents are exhausted of talking about school shooters and losing their kids; they work to grieve and cope, and they do that through all the incredible advocacy they've done for their community. Honestly, I wish I had more time to work on this project because if I did, this documentary would've been at least an hour long.
I've just never been so proud of something I have created before, and I am truly so excited for you to get to see the work I've been able to do. I feel as though I have gained such a deeper understanding of this topic and grown so much. My project will be posted in the next blog, but if you'd like to check out the full 10-minute documentary, please watch it here! :)
Until next time
- Emma <3
With everything now finalized, I've been allowing myself a little bit of time to just... reflect. It's been such a long and intense process, and I've poured so much of myself into this project. It's a bit surreal to think that it's all coming to a close.
Hey everyone,
So sad to say today's my last ever production blog post :( This has been such an incredible journey, and honestly, I'm so sad that it's over...
But nonetheless, the final stages of the project are now underway, and I need to begin my CCR essay. This essay serves as an opportunity to reflect on the entire process of creating "When Your Life Turns to Ashes."
The project has evolved from its initial documentary excerpt, social media component, and a magazine article into a journey for me to be honest, and has opened my eyes to the world around me. The CCR will involve an analysis of the decisions made throughout the development of these elements as well as my emotional journey through this all. To be honest like I never really thought about situations so thoroughly but through the hours of interviews I underwent I really started to reflect on not only how shitty our world can be but also how much we all take our lives for granted.
My focus for the essay is to include the research that informed the project, the audience engagement across different platforms, the ways in which production elements contributed to the overall branding, and the representation of relevant social issues.
Preparation for the CCR for me is going to be reviewing research materials, initial project plans, and previous blog entries to provide a comprehensive reflection on the creative and technical choices made.
With the final deadline approaching, the completion of the CCR will mark the conclusion of this project.
Until next time
- Emma <3
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It's over :( Hey... So this is my last blog ever, and it's a tad bit bittersweet. I'm so excited for you to finally get to see ...
