iMovie

Today I have learned how to use iMovie today with Kwan, learning how to use the iMovie will help me for my documentary film with my NYC Wicked Kids team.

Home

This poem was written during the Power Writing session.  The program is highlighted in the film To Be Heard.  In that film, three teenagers from the South Bronx bond together over poems and the process of writing.  Their poems explore their lives, dreams, and the challenges their face.  The film inspired me to write a poem, entitled Home, about where I live.  Enjoy.

Born and raised in Manhattan
Loved by two parents
Live with three other kids
But no grandparents..
I don't call this home
But it's the closest thing to it
I try to make it alright
But some how there's nothing to it.
Home is being welcomed
sometimes I don't feel welcomed at all.
Home is being happy
but no one is happy at all.
All I hear is yelling, and I'm
tired of the fuse and fight.
Home is being loved with all their might..

To Be Heard A Documentary Film

Watching the movie To Be Heard, made me see a different point of view in any teenagers life.  The film follows three teenagers from the South Bronx and their participation in the writing program called Power Writes.  It's something I have seen before, but not as many teenagers would speak up and say what's going on in their lives because no one needs to know what's really going on in their life.  You speak when you feel like it's time to tell someone that you're being abused, being in a confused life, being in a family were you have no one to lean on, or to turn too.  Watching these three teenagers become best friends and relating to what's going on in each others life, can make a huge impact in other teenagers life and create a wonderful friendship.  The tone and the way the film was being made it was upsetting.  The setting of the film took place where they lived, the school they went to, and what was going on around them. Watching Karina getting abused at home while trying to take care of her other siblings, watching Pearl fear of not getting into a good college, and Anthony who's trying to get out the life he's in and his only escape is by writing poems, that's his only freedom.  They can and I believe that they will make a HUGE impact in any teenagers life, to see what they went through and have the same life as them will inspire to change their whole life around.  This documentary film had sad tone to it, and the images made me believe as if I was there with them. I like the idea that both teachers Roland and Amy help them try to make something better out of their life and go on to doing something so much better with their lives.

The Ninth Floor

In an apartment above Fifth Avenue, some thirty young people live in a vortex of drug addiction and despair. In The Ninth Floor, Jessica Dimmock enters this world, exploring, in human terms, what has been lost and what may be recovered. See the project at http://mediastorm.com/publication/the-ninth-floor

The Ninth Floor is a film about drug addiction from the design film Mediastorm.  It talks about drug addiction by showing the lives of different people in New York City who struggle with addiction.  Joe Smith was the owner of the apartment on the ninth floor by fifth ave. Then a couple more people started living there.  When no one was able to pay rent the owner Joe just asked them for drugs. The film starts with them as users and follows them trying to change and become sober.

Watching this film and viewing the life of a drug addiction was upsetting. It saddened me to see these people have so much to do in life yet they waste it by doing drugs that can kill you.  Watching the couple Dionn and Rachel do methadone together while she was pregnant was depressing for the fact that she could have killed the baby, but luckily the baby came out wonderful, healthy and great.  I believe that they will change the way they are since they brought a beautiful baby in the world.  They're still trying to stop and change the way they are for a better future for their child.   Another lady that was addicted to the drugs her name was Jessie.  She seemed like she wasn't able to stop for the simple fact she was trying to get the feeling she first had when she did it.  Watching her go in and out of the hospital wasn't what I've expected from her.  I thought she would be out of that for good so she can have something good in her life, make a change for once and motivate others to stop.  I hope that in the future she is working on getting her life back on track and make something of it.

I thought the film was shot in a different way.  Instead of moving images it used photos with people talking over the photos. It's not something I'm used to seeing.  The photos did something unique, I could see what they were going through while hearing their thoughts.  Also, the music in the background was depressing but it was the perfect setting and gave us the audience to watch and be more interested in the film.