The Doc Fellows Pitch Their Ideas at Part2 Pictures

The large metal doors of the remodeled loft swing open to reveal the documentary house, Part2 Pictures.  Elissa and Emilie, who head the Development team, welcome the Reel Works Documentary Fellows and lead them to a space where they will be pitching their stories, and getting feedback from the seasoned professionals there.  There’s a mix of awe, excitement, and apprehension on the faces of the young story producers.  This is a new experience for them, but they are prepared.

The Documentary Fellows is a new program where students who’ve previously made documentaries come together in teams consisting of producers, editors, and cinematographers, to create something greater than the sum of its parts.  Nine students were accepted and three teams were formed.  Over the course of the program cinematography students learn lighting, and the ins and outs of how a documentary camera works, while editors learn to tell stories on the video timeline and cut together the story.  Story producers learn research, development, and interviewing skills. This pitch was the first step of many accomplishments to come.

After a short tour, and after devouring two cookies she was offered by the staff, Amya began her pitch.  Her documentary explores the history of workers’ rights and the ways in which Gen Z is radicalizing how we imagine work.  The strength of her argument was highlighted in Elissa’s feedback. “I’m curious to watch this.  It’s such a relevant topic, and there’s a lot of controversy surrounding it. The conflict is clear.  Being able to hear multiple viewpoints, along with historical perspectives will be important to this.” 

Yijin followed with a presentation on women in the medical field. Robert shared his vision as a cinematographer, and Chelsea outlined a celebration of Caribbean culture and its influence on American society. The team at Part2 Pictures were impressed at how well-prepared the pitches were, which brought a lot of relief to the early apprehension.  “Your stories come across clearly.  I like that you highlight the accomplishments just as strongly as the cultural elements, these are all great stories.  I can’t wait to see them.” 

On the way back to Reel Works, Chelsea, our youngest story producer said, “That was my first time presenting to an audience that wasn’t my classmates.”  Amya smiled, and replied, “didn’t look that way.”  As we watch the Documentary Fellows grow and create, we expect many more firsts on their way to careers in documentary filmmaking.  

Written by Charles Reynoso, Director of Education, Reel Works.