Is there a particular documentary film or filmmaker that had a major influence on your career?
Inconvenient Truth
What motivated you to make your impact video?
The fact that girls in the country of Tanzania are considered to not be smart enough to use a computer, yet this organization is helping young girls to learn how to code web pages that make a difference in their communities. It was just an amazing story.
Please tell us what camera(s) you shot with primarily – and any other special equipment that you used and why you used it.
Canon C100 and T5i
Please tell us about any special styles or techniques that you used during the production of your film to help tell your story.
As a director, my aesthetic is to conduct interviews with two cameras, one that is a standard wide shot and the other an extreme closeup. I think this allows us as an audience to really feel some of the more passionate tones of an interview.
How did your story evolve from day one, to the very last day in post? Is your story what you thought it would be?
We worked as a student group working with an organization that had pre vetted our subject. We met these wonderful individuals and constructed our story around the good work Apps & Girls did for young girls in the community.
Please describe the most rewarding experience you had while making this film.
Meeting all the amazing girls that just wanted to make a difference in their community was very rewarding. Many of us on our team kept on saying, “wow, I know that I wasn’t doing that kind of work when I was your age.”
What advice can you give to other impact filmmakers?
I think that by immersing our group into the country for a couple of weeks before we began working with Apps & Girls really helped to influence our story and how we wanted to tell it.
What’s your favorite part about the filmmaking process and why?
Walking around the neighborhoods in Tanzania and having random people say, “Mambo,” which translates to “Hello” in Swahili. Every day, every time, total strangers. That doesn’t happen in the United States.
What’s the one item you always take with you when working out in the field and why?
How amazingly blessed we are yet we are so negative.
Please provide a brief description of the work or organization featured in your video:
Apps & Girls is an organization that provides computer training to girls in primary and secondary school with the intention of helping the girls to create websites that have some sort of impact on their community.
What have you learned about the value and impact of the project?
Anyone anywhere can make a difference.
Please share a personal story about your experience making this impact video.
This was the first time that I had spent more than a week in a different country and it was quite the eye opening experience. Even though I grew up in a very low income household, the little that I had far exceeded the things that most of the people in Tanzania have. Yet, the people we met every day were so happy and would give you the food off of their plate. It was quite humbling.
What do you want audiences to take away from this video?
That even though you might not have a lot, make the most of it and do something for your community to make it and you better.
Please list key points that should be covered in a post-screening discussion:
The role of women in your community. How women can bring about positive changes to a society. How have you impacted your community for the better? What sort of things can you do to be more involved?
What opportunities are available for those interested in getting further involved?
Apps & Girls are always looking for people to partner with, especially in regards to equipment the students can learn on.
Please provide any additional resources (websites, links to additional videos, forms, articles, etc.) relevant to the context of the issue discussed in your video:
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