Slight Problem

        There has been a slight mishap with scheduling, I just realized today that Thursday night I can't attend anything and the woman from Yoko called me back and requested if I could come in the early evening. After coordinating with my partner, we had decided that either she could go or I could ask to move the dates. I called the worker and asked if we could reschedule and she said it was actually more convenient if we did which ended up being perfect. 

Landed an Interview

 

        After speaking on the phone for a solid hour trying to make arrangements, I have finally landed an interview with Yoko Matcha. I'm really excited because this is a huge step for both me and my partner in regards to the creation of the documentary and I've been really hopeful in manifesting this interview. The arrangement has been made for next week on Thursday but the woman I spoke with was unsure what time she would be available so she said she would notify me what time she could speak with me and allow me to film. Hopefully, she is okay with showing her face since I forgot to ask whether that would be okay or not since I was so ecstatic about my success. 

        If she decides that she doesn't want her face to be shown, I'm thinking I can replace the shots I would have normally used with B Roll footage, along with the finalizing steps to the creation process. This however would limit the amount of time I would have to shoot in response to the dialogue she gives me so I could match what she's saying. As for now, all I can do is wait until she calls me and hope for the best. 

South Korean Footage Update

         After speaking with my teacher, I have discovered a way to incorporate the footage I will acquire from my friend within my documentary. In a loophole-like way, she suggested I incorporate the footage within the first or last 30 seconds of my project because this would allow my 5 minutes to be my footage but still let me use the other film I have from my Korean friend. After speaking with him today, he said he would go on Saturday or Sunday to shoot the footage and would send it to me.

         Besides the fact that the creation process footage is partially depending on him (speaking in terms of the agricultural aspect), I'm not too worried because I have a lot of other footage that I can shoot and even make at home just with ingredients I can buy. I am planning to buy some tea myself so that I can shoot footage of myself making it without problems and also show the process. I feel that if I rely on the footage I'm getting from the Wynwood tea restaurant, I'll limit my options too much and end up stressing myself out. 

B Roll Footage Shot

     After a long day of filming, I have finally shot all of the B roll footage on my high-quality camera. I went to the matcha shop in Wynwood. The owner wasn't there so I just shot short videos of my friend drinking the matcha. Another scene I frequently shot was scenes of the tea steaming and being stirred around. These types of shots were close-up shots that were in clear focus while blurring the background. and I feel like these types of shots would enhance not only the quality of the product but also the dialogue of the documentary. 

    Some more B Roll footage that I shot was at a shop called Kung Fu Tea. At this shop, they sell boba tea that has matcha infused into it. This will be part of the mainstream segment of the document where we delve into the popularity increase of the drink within the youth. At the time I shot this footage, the sun was setting so I decided to prop my phone up and create a timelapse I could use. I was envisioning that I could use this footage while transitioning in between different sections of the documentary. Some other footages I obtained were shots of the boba tea and matcha being mixed and some panning shots. 

Acquisition for Footage

 In the last blog post, I discussed how I spoke to one of my close friends that lives in South Korea asking him if he could find any way to get footage for the documentary I’m producing. After asking around, he stumbled upon a shop that revealed that they get their tea in a farm that is accessible by train. As a result, he texted me and agreed that he would most likely be able to shoot the footage and send it to me. The only negative aspect is that it seems like a bit of a far train ride but he said he’d be more than happy to go since he’s an explorer.

All that is left is that I discuss this with my partner tomorrow during class and come to a conclusion about whether the footage is imperative for the documentary’s success or not. If we can obtain footage via another way, I would much rather do this so my friend doesn’t have to travel far for me. 

Desired Shots

Throughout the duration of the documentary, I would like the shots to all share a similar theme: stillness and peace. For this, I need to acquire a tripod from a friend which should be no problem so that I can maximize the quality of the shots I will be producing and using. For these shots, I’m envisioning the creation process, people drinking and bonding with the tea, and hopefully... some footage from one of the farms in Japan. If we could get some of this footage, this would be a huge win for our team and help enhance the footage to a professional level. 

Another idea that is a possibility is if my friend in South Korea could go to a matcha farm and film around there. I have already spoken to him about it and he said he’s going to ask around if anyone knows of a place like that. This would be similar to getting footage in Japan but not quite the same so I pray that we will be able to acquire what we need without any major complications.

A large component of the film will be the creation process so I would like to compose a list of essential shots:

- Overhead close up whisking shot.

- Close up shot facing pan as water is boiling.

- Close up shot of water being poured into glass with powder in it. 

- Panning close up shot of steaming milk being poured into matcha mixture. 

- Extreme close up shot of the milk being stirred around the tea.

- Medium to close up zooming shot of subject smiling/holding drink after making the tea.

Matcha as Functional Medicine?

 

Throughout the history of the world, teas have been used as remedies for multiple sicknesses and even to boost immune systems. One of the most famous types of tea that are known for their medicinal qualities is green tea, specifically Matcha. This tea is used by countless doctors that practice functional medicine and is commonly suggested for its beneficial properties.

One of the most significant properties that scientists have observed matcha to have is its mammoth amounts of EGCG. This plant-based compound is known as catechin which boasts tons of medicinal benefits. EGCG is a potent antioxidant that researchers have discovered to protect against the effects free radicals can cause (ex. cellular damage). Along with this, the antioxidant reduces inflammation and can prevent chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart diseases, and various forms of cancer.

Another medicinal benefit that the tea contains is its high amounts of chlorophyll. In the scientific community, this has been seen to better the quality of red blood cells along with increasing their count. Along with this, chlorophyll has been shown to improve the liver’s ability to dispose of harmful toxins. 

Mini Planner

 Hello blogger, today I have decided to make good use of my Thursday night and create a mini planner for my project. This will help me make good use of my time and will keep me on track for the days following. 

As of today, I have yet to contact the Matcha restaurant located in Wynwood to schedule and conduct an interview. I think this should be first on the list of priorities. Secondly, I think I should gather information this weekend in regard to what I will be shooting B roll footage of. Thirdly, I decided that I should conduct research in regards to functional medicine so that a portion of the documentary segment will include the medicinal benefits of Matcha. I believe this would peak the interest of the viewer if presented in the right manner and would be very informative. Besides, most people know that tea has medicinal properties and would be interested in learning about this one’s.

Mini Schedule: 

3/14: Conduct functional medicine research and post blog post about it to document findings.

3/15: Create a list of shots I would like to obtain for B roll footage. 

3/16: Coordinate with fellow classmate during first hour in regards to dates where we can both conduct the interviews at the matcha restaurant . Following this, call the spot and ask whether they would be available on Friday. (Plan B: Ask local Japanese tea drinkers if we can interview them.) 

As for further planning, the following decisions made by potential interviewees will determine future dates and how we will proceed. 

7

 distribution

Music Choices

Soundtrack

 Since researching similar documentary soundtracks, I have decided to create list of copyright free songs I could use in my documentary. These songs were found by researching websites that allow me to use their royalty free music. This would be ideal for my ultra low budget, as all it costs is putting their link in the description of the opening in the site I upload it to (ex. YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion) . I finally came across a website full of songs called Bensound.com, and I went on to find my top choices. 

        Once I started considering what type of music I would be looking for, I realized I needed two different selections of music. I needed an happy romantic song to play, and I also need somber music. Here are my top selections (click on each to pop up a page with a sample of the song): 

slow motion

new dawn

tomorrow

All of these tracks share one similar theme. They are all instrumental peaceful music. This is the type of scene I envision when I think of Japanese creation of matcha... a slow, patient, delicate process filled with serenity. 

Interviewee Questions

 Interviewee Questions

For this blogpost, I wanted to include some possible questions I would pose interviewees in regard to Matcha interviews such as the Grandmother I am attempting to interview and fellow tea makers like herself:

What inspired your mother to create such a shop?

What is the hardest part of matcha making to get right?

How long have you been making/ drinking matcha?

What are your opinions on matcha vs other teas?

Creation Process

 Creation Process

The creation process is an essential segment of the documentary that I would like to include. The only problem with this is that the majority of steps are done in factories and farms in Japan. 

As a solution, I figured that I could create a sort of stop motion to counter the difficulties we encountered. I got this idea from documentaries I watched on YouTube such as ones created by Vox. These documentaries often combine printed photos and animations to tell a complete story. This enhances the film by including information in an easily digestible manner. I would want to include B roll footage mixed in with illustrations.

An interesting idea I thought of to obtain high quality B roll footage would be to ask farm owners or footage owners for permission to use their footage. This would help enhance the natural feel to the film and would be a great help. A documentary I viewed recently included the whole creation process and wasn’t filmed too long ago. I could ask the individual who filmed if I could use some footage.