As the workshop is coming to an end, this is the moment to see how all the collaborative efforts take a final shape. It is really nice to see people use photos and files that include more than their own in their different projects. Last Saturday we had a double session at the Museum to work with everybody on their projects and make sure we have everything ready for next Saturday, our class final presentation.

The collective storytelling projects include images, video and sound. The participants have been exploring the possibilities of mixing still images, video and sound. Almost everybody have experienced with the sound recorder. A lot of this has come as a next stop to their writing process, from the first draft and impressions of Roosevelt Island, to the development of a character and working out together with their team to weave down a narrative structure to fit their individual experiences into a group project.

The Film Replication projects have picked up. People were very hesitant at first to try the exercise, but as some participants started to work on them and creative solutions to the challenge, they figured out it actually be done. As people experience once they take on this task, they realize how much work is behind a minute of media production. It is also a great opportunity to play different hats and think, plan and execute several steps to achieve the replication. It is an amazing way to break down, analyze and understand the communication process that happens instantly every time we consume mass media.

The Personal Initiatives just happened by themselves. Participants were trying different ways of documenting the workshop, and some found a very good chance to come up with side projects. Some of them will also be shown at the Final Presentation.

Certainly, one of the aspects that have been great is the disposition of people to work in teams. It is sometimes hard to see when you are the one sharing the ideas, stitching things together and making the group work toward a narrative in particular, but once you get the chance to take a look from the outside, it is inspiring to see everybody work as teams, regardless of coming from different countries, background, getting together to share their vision and and their unique life stories, making way to create more that what is visible in the immediate group projects.

Images by Judy Chu