Shot Composition

Here is a well-framed photo of yours truly. In this shot I am looking to the right so I am given "lead room" to look forward (there is some space to my right). I am also given a perfect amount of "head room". My head is not cut off but there is not very much space between it and the top of the frame. The framing in this shot should be your goal.


Here is the same photo but with too much "head room". In other words there is too much space above my head.


Here is the same photo but without enough "head room".


Lastly here is the same photo but without any "lead room".


Go ahead and start watching TV shows and movies with shot composition in mind. It will really give you a feel for what a well-framed shot should look like. I hope my demonstration helps a little as well. Thank you!

World Premiere!

So today is my birthday and I thought it was only fitting to have my film be born on the same day. This has been marinating in my creative juices for months and it is finally time to present to you: Outsourcing Greenville. Enjoy.

Getting Close to The End!

So the film has gone through 2 rough edits and now the final edit is upon us. Ahmed is working on the final edit this week as I did the first two rough edits to get it started. I think it is looking good. As a matter of confession I feel like it would have been great to get a few more interviews but on our limited resources and travel time I'm proud of what we have. Last week filmmaker Alan Rosenthal (winner of the prestigious Peabody Award for journalism for his film Out of the Ashes) screened the film and gave me some feedback. It was great to get to rub elbows with him a bit and get his advice. Afterall he's made more than 60 documentaries! Anyway, with his advice and pointers I think we are on our way to a very good film. I will try to get a trailer for the film up on here in the next week. Stay tuned!
-Kevin

Two New Interviews

Ahmed and I went to Greenville today and were able to talk to a lot of people. Most of them were very opinionated and unfortunately very camera-shy but two former Electrolux workers were willing to talk to us on camera. They did a great job and we got some excellent footage. Thank you to Kevin Ledin and Charles Eldridge for their willingness to be interviewed! It was very helpful for us in telling this story. It's looking like this film is coming along quite nicely. We have three great interviews in the can along with news footage of the plant closing and good footage of Greenville itself. Thanks to everyone who has helped us who may be reading this. We appreciate it greatly. Next step is to start editing and try to lock down a few more events and interviews. There is a giant food give-away at the union hall next month that we hope to be at. It will show how the Electrolux workers are being aided and helped during this very difficult time. I have a class during the time-slot (3:00PM-5:00PM) but we will find someone to get this event as it will be great footage to help tell this story. Again, thank you to everyone who has helped us. We are very thankful.
Until next time,
-Kevin

Succesful Day

So I had some success in Greenville yesterday! I ate at Margo's and met a nice waitress who said I had just missed some former Electrolux workers. I was too late. She mentioned however that if I come on Friday morning there should be a lot of former Electrolux workers there for breakfast. From there I went to the plant itself and noticed a giant sign I hadn't seen before that proclaimed, "Guests Welcome!" Great, I thought, now I'd have my chance to go inside and take a look around the factory and maybe talk to someone who would be willing to go on camera for an interview. After walking into the secretary's office I talked to a security guard for a few minutes. He informed me that guests are not really welcome anymore. They simply haven't changed the sign. It was a sentiment for groups to come see the factory that boasted largest refrigerator plant in the world. But of course this was no longer the case. I asked him who I could talk to (such as a spokesperson or P.R. person) at the factory and he called his boss who then declined my request for any interviews and gave me the name of their spokesperson in Georgia. Not much help there. Upon leaving the factory I was a bit discouraged until I drove past the union hall and noticed that they had a meeting in session. I pulled in and talked with a woman in the offices about who I could talk to about the plant closing. She informed me to talk to Jim Hoisington (President of the Local 137 Union) when their meeting was over. Twenty minutes later I talked with Jim and asked if we could set up an interview sometime and he said, "Well, now's a good time." Success! I was so excited to have such a huge breakthrough after a somewhat discouraging morning! The interview went great and I got a lot of good information and content from it. Jim was more than friendly and helpful. So I have that interview in the can. It looks like things are starting to happen and that is very encouraging.


A shot from my interview with Jim:



Again, if you or anyone you know might be willing to share their story about the plant closing and how it's effected them please call me. I'm looking to tell the stories of the individuals this closing is effecting. My contact information is:
616-402-7251
or e-mail me at:
kevin.stinehart@gmail.com
Thanks again.

-Kevin

Putting Myself Out There

I got a couple of good leads on where to go to meet people in Greenville from the mLive message boards. Thanks to those who've helped! Following their advice I am going back to Greenville today to eat and chat at Huck's Restaurant and Margo's Restaurant. Supposedly that is where I'll have the best success. So I'm currently gathering up all my equipment and heading an hour and 8 minutes east to the lovely city of Greenville. Hopefully I'll meet some good people and be able to chat with them a bit. I'm not sure if I'll actually do any shooting today but I'm bringing my gear along just in case. My main plan is just to talk to people and get to know them and their stories though. So we'll see what happens!
-Kevin

Closing Day

This blog was created to get the word out about a documentary I'm making about the Greenville, Michigan Electrolux factory. For the last month a colleague and I have been researching and visiting Greenville in hopes to get a feel for the area and the situation they're in. That situation is that on March 3rd (today) Greenville's Electrolux factory closed its doors for the first time in over 100 years. This factory employed 1/4th of the people of Greenville and although Electrolux is doing very well as a company they've uprooted out of Greenville in order to pay workers in Juarez, Mexico $1.25 an hour to do the same jobs these Greenville residents have done faithfully for over 100 years. It appears that corporate greed has gotten the best of this company and it has forgotten its most loyal customers, its workers. My primary need right now is to get in contact with few Electrolux factory workers who are willing to tell their story. I'm from Grand Haven (over an hour away) and don't have any contacts in Greenville, so I'm looking for some people to interview and talk with. This is obviously a painful time in the former Electrolux workers lives and anyone willing to speak with me has my utmost respect. So, if you or anyone you know of worked for Electrolux and would be willing to talk with me I promise to get the truth out about the individuals this closing is affecting. Thank you for your time in reading this and getting the word out. Feel free to give me a call with any information or if you or someone you know would be willing to talk with me at:
616-402-7251
or e-mail me at:
kevin.stinehart@gmail.com
Thanks again for helping me tell these individuals' story.
Sincerely,
-Kevin