I'm really excited for this documentary. I love pit bulls and I hate the bad reputation they have. And I am especially looking forward to the interview with Stephanie. I like a lot of the point you bring up about dogs not getting proper training. I think that is useful information for all dog owners. And I can't believe Carol (is that your grandmother?) has likes Cocker Spaniels, yet hates Pit Bulls! Haha.
So what do you plan on showing other than interviews? Will you be able to go to shelters and actually be with the dogs and stuff? I'm just trying to get the full picture in my head. I'm really excited for your film!
Page 1: Great title. Great topic. I'm personally intrigued by this project because I don't know anything about pitbulls or the animal welfare system. All the people you plan to interview seem to be interesting. I would like to see more on the shelter system though. That part caught my eye. Page 3: Stephanie seems like a great interviewee because of her behind the scenes view on the topic. Does her bf not want her to adopt any dog or just pit bulls? I love how you threw in stats. page 4: Just to clarify, Carol Carpenter is your grandma? I like that you have an interviewee that thinks the complete opposite of what you do. That alone makes for a great interviewee. I also like that fact that she travels the world and seeks out the dangerous animals of the environment. You mentioned the stories Carol saw on the TV about pit bulls, it could be great if you could get the footage on those stories. Page 6: John will definitely be able to stir up people's emotions. Page 7: Lori is an awesome person to interview because she knows the communication of dogs. She can tell the signs of how a dog is feeling and whatnot.
By reading your deliverable, it's clear you obviously know what you want to say with this doc, so that's good. You also seem to already have a good lineup of interesting people to talk to, although I'm not entirely sure I understand the involvement of John. I do understand how he can possibly stir up people's emotions given his background, but if his only purpose is to do just that, things could either get muddled or messy and not in a good way. Basically, I don't see the value of his interview if he is the one interviewee that, based off what you wrote, would have no opinion or care about your subject. Of course I don't know him and you do, so I could be totally off here. At the least, if he's as religious as you wrote, just watch out for too much religious talk if that were to happen because that could distract the audience from where you are going to try and lead them with your doc.
Based off the deliverable, I would assume at this point the meat of your documentary is going to involve that cast of interviewees. That's of course necessary, but I hope that you will also be attempting to capture a lot of footage on the inside so we can actually show the audience how bad the situation really is instead of just telling them.
If you get that, along with great interviews from your cast, I think it's all just going to be a matter of structuring your doc in a way that not only keeps things interesting but also emotionally driving and before you know it you could have a really intriguing doc.
hey guys! thanks so much for your responses! i have permission from the maricopa animal care and control shelter to film inside the shelter and to film all the dogs; so i plan on having a lot of my footage on "the inside"! but i need to be careful not to make an attack on that specific shelter, because they are doing what they can to help the animals. I need to stay on topic, and nick, i totally agree with what you are saying about john, i dont want him to be too distracting.. I will have to think about what i need from him, if i even need him at all.. when i do the pre interviews, this will help a lot in determining how important each interviewee will be to my doc. there will be more people i will be interviewing; just wanted to talk about some of the main people. Stephanie especially will be a huge part of this. I got lucky with all the permission that has been granted to me.
I really like this idea. As a dog owner, I think that this is a very interesting topic and I want to see where you go with it. My room mate owns a pit bull and it's a really great dog, yet they have a serious reputation for being violent. Being that this is a documentary, how long are you looking to make this?
I like the two sections of John and Lori in particular. I think John should be an interesting segment and I'd like to see how you handle that scene. Lori is a good addition because interviewing a medical professional only adds credibility to your project.
think this is very interesting topic because there are so many different views on pit bulls. I myself have heard many things good and bad and would like to know more facts about them. Now all I think is that they’re vicious because in so many countries you’re not allowed to bring them in. So I think this will be extremely interesting to go into. I think also that this will be interesting because I want to know why there are all these negative perceptions about pit bulls.
I definitely think the people you chose are good views. I’m glad its not all good views on pit bulls so we can see why people have negative views as well. You have a lot of age ranges so it won’t seem like a typical student film that’s made with just they’re friends. I think you have a really good idea that can get a lot of sympathy and understanding to people who know nothing about dogs or pit bulls. ☺
I really like the idea you have here. My cousin has two pit bulls and they are the nicest dogs ever! You should try to get Caesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer. He has a lot of Pit Bulls in his "pack" and he would be another credible source to add to your collection so far. You have a pretty good collection of interviewers. I am very interesting in reading how you will lay the film out.
Courtney I love where this project is headed! I myself love animals and I know you have strong feelings for animals as well with you being a falconer and all. The myth of the pitbull seems like it has been going on forever. People need to realize that they are not born killers, its certain people that train them on purpose to be that way! Its great to hear that you have gotten access cleared to shot inside these locations! As far as your interviewees go I think you have a strong backbone to get information out of these candidates. This may be hard to find but it may make your piece stronger. I am suggesting finding someone that has actually been attacked by a dog or to narrow it down a pit bull and to get there feelings on the matter. If your trying to prove the myth is not true it would be golden if you could find someone who was attacked by a pit bull but doesn't put any blame on the dog. If you could find someone of that nature I believe that would make your piece stronger.
As I said earlier being a animal lover I'm excited for this project. Let me know if you need any help shooting it!
I love it! The only thing I am worried is how you will be able to get the truth. I feel that the shelters might try to cover up certain facts to avoid controversy etc. You definitely have a lot of interviewees, but hopefully they will give you the truth etc.
Otherwise I really think this documentary needs to be done. Not enough people know about the horrors of animal treatment!!
courtney i can tell you've really thought about who your interviewees will be, your choices seem very smart, the point that john will draw in an audience simply because he could piss people off in a preview of the film - that's awesome, seriously i think this is going to be a very smart and effective doc and i'm truly excited to see it
Hey Courtney, 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 just finished reading your treatment and am quite interested in seeing where this goes. I love dogs... but I must admit that I have somewhat of a negative opinion regarding Pit Bulls. I think that they are rather "rough" looking dogs to begin with, but once you factor the whole bloodthirsty/ dog-fights/ ghetto owned into their reputation, then they become this so call "evil dog myth".
Its interesting that both you and Lauren are doing documentaries. I myself am a fan of these kinds of films but would never attempt to try and make one (I did one once... failed miserably without having a script). Are these the kinds of films you want to make professionally? Also, have you ever tried making one before? If not... you should talk to Crystal/ Dominic Best about them... He did a great one during our FMP 300 semester.
You seem to focus more on the people who have negative opinions of the dogs (your grandpa, John, the ER nurse, etc.). You should find some Pitbull breeders/ enthusiasts who would tell you the good things about them. Maybe you could find the opposites of the people you already have, such as your grandma who hates them and then another elderly woman who loves them, etc.
Looking forward to seeing how this turns out! You make a lot of good points in defending dogs who are judged so harshly given the situation.
I'm a little worried about the significance of interviewing John just because while he's an objective viewpoint, I don't know if we want to hear an opinion from someone who doesn't care either way. Though you chose the other interviewees who seem to be able to play a big part in your documentary, so I'm sure you've thought your choice through with him as well.
First of all, I love the idea. I know the documentary is centered around pit bulls but it is so important for people to understand what is going on in these shelters and the reality of how many innocent dogs are euthanized daily.
That being said, I think the people you are interviewing are great and cover most of your bases. Someone mentioned adding someone who is afraid of pit bulls and that may not be a bad idea. That way you can use info from another interview to disprove the validity of these fears that so many people have of this breed.
Also, I really like the idea of John being interviewed. The fact that we are hearing both sides of the argument could be interesting. I think his significance wouldnt be in the area of 'fear of pit bulls' but in the morality of euthanizing so many pit bulls in one day.
Again, I love the idea and as someone who volunteers fostering animals it definitely strikes a chord for me and I would like to help you out with this as much as possible. If you need any addition help with this project let me know!
I'm really excited for this documentary. I love pit bulls and I hate the bad reputation they have. And I am especially looking forward to the interview with Stephanie. I like a lot of the point you bring up about dogs not getting proper training. I think that is useful information for all dog owners. And I can't believe Carol (is that your grandmother?) has likes Cocker Spaniels, yet hates Pit Bulls! Haha.
ReplyDeleteSo what do you plan on showing other than interviews? Will you be able to go to shelters and actually be with the dogs and stuff? I'm just trying to get the full picture in my head. I'm really excited for your film!
Courtney!
ReplyDeletePage 1: Great title. Great topic. I'm personally intrigued by this project because I don't know anything about pitbulls or the animal welfare system. All the people you plan to interview seem to be interesting. I would like to see more on the shelter system though. That part caught my eye.
Page 3: Stephanie seems like a great interviewee because of her behind the scenes view on the topic. Does her bf not want her to adopt any dog or just pit bulls? I love how you threw in stats.
page 4: Just to clarify, Carol Carpenter is your grandma? I like that you have an interviewee that thinks the complete opposite of what you do. That alone makes for a great interviewee. I also like that fact that she travels the world and seeks out the dangerous animals of the environment. You mentioned the stories Carol saw on the TV about pit bulls, it could be great if you could get the footage on those stories.
Page 6: John will definitely be able to stir up people's emotions.
Page 7: Lori is an awesome person to interview because she knows the communication of dogs. She can tell the signs of how a dog is feeling and whatnot.
Good job so far. Can't wait for your d2.
By reading your deliverable, it's clear you obviously know what you want to say with this doc, so that's good. You also seem to already have a good lineup of interesting people to talk to, although I'm not entirely sure I understand the involvement of John. I do understand how he can possibly stir up people's emotions given his background, but if his only purpose is to do just that, things could either get muddled or messy and not in a good way. Basically, I don't see the value of his interview if he is the one interviewee that, based off what you wrote, would have no opinion or care about your subject. Of course I don't know him and you do, so I could be totally off here. At the least, if he's as religious as you wrote, just watch out for too much religious talk if that were to happen because that could distract the audience from where you are going to try and lead them with your doc.
ReplyDeleteBased off the deliverable, I would assume at this point the meat of your documentary is going to involve that cast of interviewees. That's of course necessary, but I hope that you will also be attempting to capture a lot of footage on the inside so we can actually show the audience how bad the situation really is instead of just telling them.
If you get that, along with great interviews from your cast, I think it's all just going to be a matter of structuring your doc in a way that not only keeps things interesting but also emotionally driving and before you know it you could have a really intriguing doc.
hey guys! thanks so much for your responses! i have permission from the maricopa animal care and control shelter to film inside the shelter and to film all the dogs; so i plan on having a lot of my footage on "the inside"! but i need to be careful not to make an attack on that specific shelter, because they are doing what they can to help the animals. I need to stay on topic, and nick, i totally agree with what you are saying about john, i dont want him to be too distracting.. I will have to think about what i need from him, if i even need him at all..
ReplyDeletewhen i do the pre interviews, this will help a lot in determining how important each interviewee will be to my doc. there will be more people i will be interviewing; just wanted to talk about some of the main people. Stephanie especially will be a huge part of this. I got lucky with all the permission that has been granted to me.
I really like this idea. As a dog owner, I think that this is a very interesting topic and I want to see where you go with it. My room mate owns a pit bull and it's a really great dog, yet they have a serious reputation for being violent. Being that this is a documentary, how long are you looking to make this?
ReplyDeleteI like the two sections of John and Lori in particular. I think John should be an interesting segment and I'd like to see how you handle that scene. Lori is a good addition because interviewing a medical professional only adds credibility to your project.
I'm excited to see how it turns out.
think this is very interesting topic because there are so many different views on pit bulls. I myself have heard many things good and bad and would like to know more facts about them. Now all I think is that they’re vicious because in so many countries you’re not allowed to bring them in. So I think this will be extremely interesting to go into. I think also that this will be interesting because I want to know why there are all these negative perceptions about pit bulls.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think the people you chose are good views. I’m glad its not all good views on pit bulls so we can see why people have negative views as well. You have a lot of age ranges so it won’t seem like a typical student film that’s made with just they’re friends. I think you have a really good idea that can get a lot of sympathy and understanding to people who know nothing about dogs or pit bulls. ☺
I really like the idea you have here. My cousin has two pit bulls and they are the nicest dogs ever!
ReplyDeleteYou should try to get Caesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer. He has a lot of Pit Bulls in his "pack" and he would be another credible source to add to your collection so far. You have a pretty good collection of interviewers.
I am very interesting in reading how you will lay the film out.
Courtney I love where this project is headed! I myself love animals and I know you have strong feelings for animals as well with you being a falconer and all. The myth of the pitbull seems like it has been going on forever. People need to realize that they are not born killers, its certain people that train them on purpose to be that way! Its great to hear that you have gotten access cleared to shot inside these locations! As far as your interviewees go I think you have a strong backbone to get information out of these candidates. This may be hard to find but it may make your piece stronger. I am suggesting finding someone that has actually been attacked by a dog or to narrow it down a pit bull and to get there feelings on the matter. If your trying to prove the myth is not true it would be golden if you could find someone who was attacked by a pit bull but doesn't put any blame on the dog. If you could find someone of that nature I believe that would make your piece stronger.
ReplyDeleteAs I said earlier being a animal lover I'm excited for this project. Let me know if you need any help shooting it!
I love it! The only thing I am worried is how you will be able to get the truth. I feel that the shelters might try to cover up certain facts to avoid controversy etc. You definitely have a lot of interviewees, but hopefully they will give you the truth etc.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise I really think this documentary needs to be done. Not enough people know about the horrors of animal treatment!!
courtney i can tell you've really thought about who your interviewees will be, your choices seem very smart, the point that john will draw in an audience simply because he could piss people off in a preview of the film - that's awesome, seriously i think this is going to be a very smart and effective doc and i'm truly excited to see it
ReplyDeleteHey Courtney,
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 just finished reading your treatment and am quite interested in seeing where this goes. I love dogs... but I must admit that I have somewhat of a negative opinion regarding Pit Bulls. I think that they are rather "rough" looking dogs to begin with, but once you factor the whole bloodthirsty/ dog-fights/ ghetto owned into their reputation, then they become this so call "evil dog myth".
Its interesting that both you and Lauren are doing documentaries. I myself am a fan of these kinds of films but would never attempt to try and make one (I did one once... failed miserably without having a script). Are these the kinds of films you want to make professionally? Also, have you ever tried making one before? If not... you should talk to Crystal/ Dominic Best about them... He did a great one during our FMP 300 semester.
You seem to focus more on the people who have negative opinions of the dogs (your grandpa, John, the ER nurse, etc.). You should find some Pitbull breeders/ enthusiasts who would tell you the good things about them. Maybe you could find the opposites of the people you already have, such as your grandma who hates them and then another elderly woman who loves them, etc.
Last, whats your interest in these dogs?
i wish i could get cesar millan for an interview.. in my dreams! haha i love that guy..
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing how this turns out! You make a lot of good points in defending dogs who are judged so harshly given the situation.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little worried about the significance of interviewing John just because while he's an objective viewpoint, I don't know if we want to hear an opinion from someone who doesn't care either way. Though you chose the other interviewees who seem to be able to play a big part in your documentary, so I'm sure you've thought your choice through with him as well.
Courtney,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I love the idea. I know the documentary is centered around pit bulls but it is so important for people to understand what is going on in these shelters and the reality of how many innocent dogs are euthanized daily.
That being said, I think the people you are interviewing are great and cover most of your bases. Someone mentioned adding someone who is afraid of pit bulls and that may not be a bad idea. That way you can use info from another interview to disprove the validity of these fears that so many people have of this breed.
Also, I really like the idea of John being interviewed. The fact that we are hearing both sides of the argument could be interesting. I think his significance wouldnt be in the area of 'fear of pit bulls' but in the morality of euthanizing so many pit bulls in one day.
Again, I love the idea and as someone who volunteers fostering animals it definitely strikes a chord for me and I would like to help you out with this as much as possible. If you need any addition help with this project let me know!