I really enjoyed getting to hear from a filmmaker. Prior to hearing from Kat Vecchio I didn’t know much about what it’s like to create a film. I was very surprised to find out how expensive it is to make a documentary. I know movies are very expensive to make in general but you would think a documentary isn’t so expensive in comparison to an action movie. An action movie or a scifi movie involves stunt doubles, computer graphics and a lot of detail and skilled professionals to put it all together. A documentary typically involves raw footage which you would think is cheap to obtain. As Kat explained its not as simple as it sounds. I was also surprised to find out how many hours it took to create a film that lasted about 45 minutes. Filmmaking requires a lot of dedication. I think it was a great addition to the class to hear from her. It brought a better understanding to me about what it takes to make a film. I have a lot of respect and admiration for Kat Vecchio and all filmmakers. People don’t often think about how much work goes into making a film when they are watching but I feel like after hearing from Kat Vecchio I have a greater appreciation for the work being put into films especially documentaries. Her visit also opened my eyes to the content of her film. I didn’t know much about roller derby, and especially about male roller derby teams. I now have a little more knowledge on the terminology used in roller derby and I know more about the sport in general. I like that she used a controversial subject such as male involvement in a predominately female sport. It brought a more intriguing aspect to the film because it makes you think about what if it was the other way around and people were not allowing a female football team. It would be wrong for females to do to men what has been done to them. I really enjoyed learning more about filmmaking and about the content of the film with Kat Vecchio’s visit.
I agree Vecchio´s visit and film was really helpful in understanding the making of a documentary. I liked how she incorporated what she likes in other documentaries to add into her own. In the film she created, even though she has experience as a roller derby team player, she didn´t include her own commentary. That was interesting because I´m sure she has a lot she could say about the sport. She let the other players s and the footage speak about the roller derby experiences instead. I will take her helpful hints especially when she said her editor was asking for more B roll footage. I never realized just how equally important it is to your own ideas and interview questions that are planned. It forms the aesthetic part of the film.