hey lauren! i am really excited to see how you project is going to turn out, ive had my experiences serving people as well and I know about all the things you talk about in your paper. I think your project will do servers some justice and get people to think more about the people who serve them. What format do you plan on using? where do you want to interview the servers?
page 1: I really like the Title. I like this project because it is such a unique piece. I like all of the things you want to explore with this project, especially the treatment of servers. page 2: the points made in the second paragraph are all very interesting. Do you plan on focusing on servers in different restaurants or the same one? page 3: Courtney seems like an interesting person to interview. She can provide the struggling student view. The consequences she must deal with everyday and how much work she puts into one table then only gets a dollar tip. Good Choice. page 6: I like that you got a bartender's point of view in Ashley. Page 7: It's good how Lindsey has so much experience in this area. She seems to have a good personality, which is great for an interview. I like all the questions you are going to ask her on page 8. Another question you could ask her is how all of her jobs were similar. What could the managers have done to make her job easier. Because she's had so much experience at different places is an advantage for you. Page 9: I was wondering if you were gonna have a male server in this. lol. You mentioned that Joseph's good looks help him with better tips; that is a great topic to explore. All in all, this looks to be a very cool project. All of the people you plan to interview seem to be interesting. All of their personalities are fun and unique.
I think this definitely has potential to be a very good documentary. You go over a lot of points that I think are very relevant. It sounds like you have a few good people in line to interview, but personally I'd like to see a little more diversity. I think it would be cool if you interviewed some people that aren't in the 20-25 age range. Maybe some older people that have been serving most of the adult lives. They would probably have a different perspective. But so far I think you have some good people that you're going to interview.
Also, how do you plan on showing the interaction between servers and customers? Are you allowed to film customers in a restaurant? I know there may be some issues there but it would be great to be able to show some examples.
I'm excited to hear more about what you plan to do with the documentary.
I really liked your treatment, I could totally visualize the way the documentary was going to play out. I think your idea is very interesting and the topic is definitely one that warrants a documentary and I think you could do a lot with this.
How long do you think the documentary will be and how much footage do you think you are going to need to effectively tell the story?
This should make for a really great final project. I'd like to see where you go with it.
This sounds like an interesting documentary. My sister, my mother, and my grandmother have all been servers at some point in their life and I think they can all appreciate the topics you are covering here. I agree about interviewing people outside of the 20-25 age range. It would be interesting to see how different a "server" can be depending on the restaurant. In Europe, no server is under the age of 35, because there it is an actual profession, where as in the US people think of a server as a young person who can't do anything else. I've also thought it was interesting how male servers are preferred as servers for dinner or upscale restaurants and females preferred for breakfast or lunch times. I like that you have a bartenders point of view. What about even a busser or hostess who is trying to become a server? I think you have a great start and I am looking forward to seeing more
This project has the potential the be great! Most people have dined out many of times throughout there lives and by you going into the lives of waiters, I believe people will achieve a greater respect for servers. I agree with Sandra that you should definitely find servers that are higher in age to give you a nice selection of interviews. I'm sure Dom can help you find servers that are older. That will definitely make your piece stronger.
Hey Lauren, I couldn't open whatever your file (I am assuming your journal) was that was .docx cause I have Office for Mac 2004. Sorry!
I read your treatment. You sure seem to know what you want out of this project, for both you and your final product. Eating out is a daily staple in most peoples lives... but most people don't really think about who is cooking and serving for them. I just keep thinking about that film WAITING (which you reference) and how gross some of the shit those people did was. I know you said that kind of stuff doesn't typically happen, so maybe you could reference that in your film... so your audience loses their stereotype of bad service (although, personally... I am never rude to a server no matter how bad they are!).
I think the most exciting thing you could do with this film, and something that most of the people above posted, was to cover this business from all different sides. Male/ Female, Race, Age, and maybe even difference kinds of restaurants... to show how far and wide this thing can go.
This doc has a setting that is very familiar to many people, so it should hopefully connect quickly with the audience as many people have been servers/restaurant workers or something similar (I've done my time at Starbucks. Not exactly serving, but I know how it is to deal with "those" customers at times).
Now for the same reason someone might connect to your doc, I wonder if it could lead to them losing interest soon after. What I mean is that since so many people have been in this position, watching a documentary on it may not be the most compelling idea to them. I think one way you could combat this is to make sure you have that "something" in your doc that makes it unique. What's going to make the viewer want to keep watching a documentary about serving of all things? Unfortunately, many people already get turned off at the idea of a documentary, regardless of its topic. You have some good interviewees lined up it seems, but the only one who, at this point, I wanted to learn more about was Joseph. He has a very interesting background that you connected well to his current position as a server (how different people treat him).
Now, me only being interested in Joseph and none of the other cast is for sure in a way subjective, so take it with a grain of salt. I hope with further info on your doc, I'll learn more about the people you'll be choosing to include and will be able to learn more about them.
Lauren, this is very broad. I think you need to focus on one or a few main points about serving and work with that, otherwise you'll be taking on too much for a short doc and it will end up being a scattered mess that's not really about anything - it won't draw an audience.
However, if you make this more of a character piece, then you can be very general, but you would need to focus on only a few individuals and follow them constantly (which may be more difficult to fit into a schedule of school and work and whatnot).
That being said, if it is going to be a character piece I don't think the ones you've chosen are the best. First off, it's a movie about servers, the bartender shouldn't be included in that. Second, the dude - what it sounds like you're doing with that is going for a 'how do customers treat him differently because he's gay' angle...however, that's the same thing as 'how do PEOPLE treat him differently because he's gay' - with this you're just getting into a movie about homosexuality - you need to stick with a single premise - servers. Pretty early on in your treatment, too, you discuss questioning how stereotyping plays a role in a server's typical day - with this too, I find it might be counterproductive to do so and may just promote stereotyping instead of clear anything up. And once again, this isn't a movie about stereotyping, it's about servers, stick with that.
Lauren- This can be a very interesting idea! I really like the idea that these people are working as servers but have other dreams. It's something we don't really think about when going to a restaurant. They are people too with dreams and goals. I know many people have already mentioned this, but an older point of view would be interesting. Maybe someone who had dreams and goals but became stuck as a waiter/waitress.
My favorite character is Joseph. I feel like the point of the piece is not just to focus on the job of being a waiter, but to focus on the people working in that field. To go deeper into the lives of these people so we can understand them better as a person and as a server. In that sense I think going into how people react (in a restaurant setting) to his homosexuality would be an important part of this piece.
hey lauren!
ReplyDeletei am really excited to see how you project is going to turn out, ive had my experiences serving people as well and I know about all the things you talk about in your paper. I think your project will do servers some justice and get people to think more about the people who serve them. What format do you plan on using? where do you want to interview the servers?
Hey Lauren,
ReplyDeletepage 1: I really like the Title. I like this project because it is such a unique piece. I like all of the things you want to explore with this project, especially the treatment of servers.
page 2: the points made in the second paragraph are all very interesting. Do you plan on focusing on servers in different restaurants or the same one?
page 3: Courtney seems like an interesting person to interview. She can provide the struggling student view. The consequences she must deal with everyday and how much work she puts into one table then only gets a dollar tip. Good Choice.
page 6: I like that you got a bartender's point of view in Ashley.
Page 7: It's good how Lindsey has so much experience in this area. She seems to have a good personality, which is great for an interview. I like all the questions you are going to ask her on page 8. Another question you could ask her is how all of her jobs were similar. What could the managers have done to make her job easier. Because she's had so much experience at different places is an advantage for you.
Page 9: I was wondering if you were gonna have a male server in this. lol. You mentioned that Joseph's good looks help him with better tips; that is a great topic to explore.
All in all, this looks to be a very cool project. All of the people you plan to interview seem to be interesting. All of their personalities are fun and unique.
Looking forward to more!
I think this definitely has potential to be a very good documentary. You go over a lot of points that I think are very relevant. It sounds like you have a few good people in line to interview, but personally I'd like to see a little more diversity. I think it would be cool if you interviewed some people that aren't in the 20-25 age range. Maybe some older people that have been serving most of the adult lives. They would probably have a different perspective. But so far I think you have some good people that you're going to interview.
ReplyDeleteAlso, how do you plan on showing the interaction between servers and customers? Are you allowed to film customers in a restaurant? I know there may be some issues there but it would be great to be able to show some examples.
I'm excited to hear more about what you plan to do with the documentary.
I really liked your treatment, I could totally visualize the way the documentary was going to play out. I think your idea is very interesting and the topic is definitely one that warrants a documentary and I think you could do a lot with this.
ReplyDeleteHow long do you think the documentary will be and how much footage do you think you are going to need to effectively tell the story?
This should make for a really great final project. I'd like to see where you go with it.
This sounds like an interesting documentary. My sister, my mother, and my grandmother have all been servers at some point in their life and I think they can all appreciate the topics you are covering here.
ReplyDeleteI agree about interviewing people outside of the 20-25 age range. It would be interesting to see how different a "server" can be depending on the restaurant. In Europe, no server is under the age of 35, because there it is an actual profession, where as in the US people think of a server as a young person who can't do anything else. I've also thought it was interesting how male servers are preferred as servers for dinner or upscale restaurants and females preferred for breakfast or lunch times.
I like that you have a bartenders point of view. What about even a busser or hostess who is trying to become a server?
I think you have a great start and I am looking forward to seeing more
This project has the potential the be great! Most people have dined out many of times throughout there lives and by you going into the lives of waiters, I believe people will achieve a greater respect for servers. I agree with Sandra that you should definitely find servers that are higher in age to give you a nice selection of interviews. I'm sure Dom can help you find servers that are older. That will definitely make your piece stronger.
ReplyDeleteHey Lauren,
ReplyDeleteI couldn't open whatever your file (I am assuming your journal) was that was .docx cause I have Office for Mac 2004. Sorry!
I read your treatment. You sure seem to know what you want out of this project, for both you and your final product. Eating out is a daily staple in most peoples lives... but most people don't really think about who is cooking and serving for them. I just keep thinking about that film WAITING (which you reference) and how gross some of the shit those people did was. I know you said that kind of stuff doesn't typically happen, so maybe you could reference that in your film... so your audience loses their stereotype of bad service (although, personally... I am never rude to a server no matter how bad they are!).
I think the most exciting thing you could do with this film, and something that most of the people above posted, was to cover this business from all different sides. Male/ Female, Race, Age, and maybe even difference kinds of restaurants... to show how far and wide this thing can go.
Looking forward to see what comes next!
This doc has a setting that is very familiar to many people, so it should hopefully connect quickly with the audience as many people have been servers/restaurant workers or something similar (I've done my time at Starbucks. Not exactly serving, but I know how it is to deal with "those" customers at times).
ReplyDeleteNow for the same reason someone might connect to your doc, I wonder if it could lead to them losing interest soon after. What I mean is that since so many people have been in this position, watching a documentary on it may not be the most compelling idea to them. I think one way you could combat this is to make sure you have that "something" in your doc that makes it unique. What's going to make the viewer want to keep watching a documentary about serving of all things? Unfortunately, many people already get turned off at the idea of a documentary, regardless of its topic. You have some good interviewees lined up it seems, but the only one who, at this point, I wanted to learn more about was Joseph. He has a very interesting background that you connected well to his current position as a server (how different people treat him).
Now, me only being interested in Joseph and none of the other cast is for sure in a way subjective, so take it with a grain of salt. I hope with further info on your doc, I'll learn more about the people you'll be choosing to include and will be able to learn more about them.
Lauren, this is very broad. I think you need to focus on one or a few main points about serving and work with that, otherwise you'll be taking on too much for a short doc and it will end up being a scattered mess that's not really about anything - it won't draw an audience.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if you make this more of a character piece, then you can be very general, but you would need to focus on only a few individuals and follow them constantly (which may be more difficult to fit into a schedule of school and work and whatnot).
That being said, if it is going to be a character piece I don't think the ones you've chosen are the best. First off, it's a movie about servers, the bartender shouldn't be included in that. Second, the dude - what it sounds like you're doing with that is going for a 'how do customers treat him differently because he's gay' angle...however, that's the same thing as 'how do PEOPLE treat him differently because he's gay' - with this you're just getting into a movie about homosexuality - you need to stick with a single premise - servers. Pretty early on in your treatment, too, you discuss questioning how stereotyping plays a role in a server's typical day - with this too, I find it might be counterproductive to do so and may just promote stereotyping instead of clear anything up. And once again, this isn't a movie about stereotyping, it's about servers, stick with that.
Lauren-
ReplyDeleteThis can be a very interesting idea! I really like the idea that these people are working as servers but have other dreams. It's something we don't really think about when going to a restaurant. They are people too with dreams and goals. I know many people have already mentioned this, but an older point of view would be interesting. Maybe someone who had dreams and goals but became stuck as a waiter/waitress.
My favorite character is Joseph. I feel like the point of the piece is not just to focus on the job of being a waiter, but to focus on the people working in that field. To go deeper into the lives of these people so we can understand them better as a person and as a server. In that sense I think going into how people react (in a restaurant setting) to his homosexuality would be an important part of this piece.
Hope this helps!
Excellent work here. Great questions and great visual prep. Great stories too. We'll review in class.
ReplyDeleteaku gak mengerti bahasa kalian
ReplyDelete