Art of the Real – Pre-Production Journal

Topic: Profile video of Nina Paley; filmmaker, cartoonist, animator. Interview her about her film Sita Sings the Blues, her views on copyright, and making a living as a creative artist.

Characters: Only interview will be with Nina Paley.

Location: I will be shooting at her studio in downtown Urbana.

B-Roll: Footage from her films and other videos that she has done. Visuals from her studio.

Take Away: The audience will be introduce to Nina, her films and the copyleft movement. They will also get some alternative ideas about making money as a creative artist.

Summarize: This will be a basic profile of the filmmaker Nina Paley. It will feature information about the process that went into making her film, Sita Sings the Blues. The profile will also look into the problems that she had getting the rights to use the songs in the film, and how that process influenced her views on copyright. In addition, we will look at how her choice to distribute her film for free, allowed her to find other sources of revenue to support her work.

Plan of Action: Already contacted her. Shoot is planned for Friday afternoon (March 7) at her studio. I’ll continue to review her videos and download any footage that I might need. I’ll upload the footage over the weekend (March 8-9). Get rough structure of video by class time on Monday (March 10). Rough draft (March 12). Finished edit for class presentation on March 17th.

Equipment Needed – Canon 5DmkII, 24-105 f4L Lens, 85 f1.8 Lens, 50 f1.4 Lens, iPhone, 2x tripods, 1x Lowell Rifa Softbox light, 1x Video Pro Light, 2x light stands, Lav Mic, XLR to Mini Cable, Shotgun Mic, iPhone audio adapter, Olympus Audio Recorder, Headphones, Ground lifters, Gels, C47s, Gloves, Small Reflector, Camera Batteries, Compact Flash Cards, 9v Batteries, AA Batteries, Lens Cleaning Kit,