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FILM NOTES: 9_24_11

This is a list of notes compiled after showing the rough cut to a series of people, (some who are in the film and others who are not) and listening to their feedback. 

 

Opening shots

Open on the mountains? Or wedding? Or dogs? Or beth’s shirt?

If we put wedding at front, explain the back story.

 

INCLUDE IN OPENING

Beth is from a family that worked in the coal mining industry making parts for mining equipment. Father was a salesman. Show coal bit prototype?

Coal sent me to school and supported my whole family.

Tell that you are a professor, and living in California. Why did you leave? Or show plane coming in to West Va. Landing. Beth landing.

Introduce Annie and explain how she got involved.

MTR INFO

*** Explanation of MTR

“Every year they use as many explosives as Nagasaki…”

What has happened because of MTR?

What about coal companies? Are they evil? Why?

Explain deep mining vs. MTR

Add gnarly machine sounds with the heavy equipment.

Juxtapose or intercut some beautiful nature and mountains with the MTR footage.

Add coal trucks/trains. Taking coal out.

Aerial shots, put “Three months later.” Text or v.o.

How is coal company killing people, animals, trees.

Beth is against all mining at this point-put this in in the voice over.

 

PICNIC–GAY PRIDE

Take out cell phone with clouds

Explain that “when I grew up here, people who were gay got killed.”

Add something about changing metaphor form Earth as Mother to Lover.

Definition of ecosexual.

Definition of Sexecology.
What is the gay pride event? Identify the picnic.

Get rid of the “Tide is high” music.

 

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Before showing the police, explain place, and the show sleeping dragon protesters.

 

ACTIVISM

Other protests/arrests.

Give more context to the sleeping dragon event.

What about showing the other DEP Protest we attended-and maybe other one at the capital. (see if Jordan has some protest footage.)

 

ANNE

Tell that your mother died at 6, and Anne was like a mother.

Cut out the first “splay” shot.

Have her say something about MTR?

 

MOUNTAINS

Do a minute or minute and a half of beautiful nature of Appalachians. So that the mountains are really appreciated by audience early on, as a character.

More scenery/flowers/spiders/butterflies/nature.

 

PHOTOS to ADD

Pin ups of Annie

Ginsing

Patricia’s book?

Hawk’s nest photographs

 

EDIT OUT

Take out “why you are making this film.” (Let the film tell the story)—or move it.

Shot when Vivian Stockman is talking about “people in cities moving around/community” Car in traffic.

Close up of phone with clouds.

 

JACK

Explain more about who he is and what he did.

Put tears in a bit later—Find the footage where he talks about shutting down a mine.

Annie: take out the story.

Beth: leave in the story.

 

PATRICIA

Add cover of her book.

Hawk’s Nest photo.

Explain why she is in an MTR movie.
VO-“ They turned this grave yard into a golf course.”

LARRY GIBSON

Make his part stronger. Who is he? Explain about Kayford and his land in relationship to coal company.

 

VIVIENNE

Who is she? Why is she in the film?

 

KITTY

Add a comment about mining-

There is footage where she does say that she wouldn’t want anyone taking her mountain away from her.

 

PAUL

Show Paul’s house and tell how he lives totally off the grid.

On the jar photo, put “drinking water.”

“Who cares  if a few people have …” Add the statistics.

Lighten copyright text

 

CINDY

Show childhood photos with Cindy.

 

MARATHON

Photo of dad and brothers. Old family photos.

Introduce Marathon.

Explain Friends of Coal. What is it? Show stickers/bumperstickers/billboards.

Take out music.

 

STEPHANIE

Who is she? Is she from Wva? Or living there? More about her.

 

LINDY TOWN—maybe Paul has some photos he’s lend

Show photos of it.

Identify the town and explain what happened to it.

Find NY Times article.

Lengthen fence shot.
Really make this more painful and dramatic. (Put ‘knife’ in deeper.)

End the music before we see Patricia.

Newspaper headlines.

Explain how they stopped a creak and didn’t have to follow laws for water.

Graveyard.

 

ROCK CREEK

Where are we? 
Identify what the place is.

Mention the many arrests and protests. Or in the activist section.

 

GRUMBLE

Shorten this scene.

Say why you are learning tree climbing earlier on. (Show photos of tree sitters?)

Change “activist/cook” to activist trainer, (Beth keep activist cook too).

Show grumble 200 feet up, high.  Take out him saying “not that high.”

There’s a bad cut from Beth in three to wedding costume/penis.

At gunshots add Dueling Banjos.

Add photo of Beth with gun at “gun shooting days.”

Plug Grumbles organization.  Seeds of Peace

Annie has one too many grimaces. Take out the first one but leave the rest.

Cut in some tree sitting photos from various protests. Julie Butterfly?

 

WEDDING

Identify Joe Kramer

Superimpose Michael’s butoh with MTR blasts.

Take out “This is dedicated to Larry Gibson.”

Cut down the purple couple dance. Too long!   Make it one third the length.

Different music for purple couple.

Put that it was at University of Ohio?

CLOSING

Have some closing words voice over.

What we can all do?

 

CREDITS

Add resources.

 

EDITING NOTES

Explain Jack and Vivienne’s voice. Put their faces before or during the MTR footage.

Put West VA map footage earlier. 
Intro Rick before we hear his voice come in. Or identify his voice.

Add pro MTR by RL.

PAIGE

Add some photos of younger Beth.

PAUL

Put music over him at the end of his part. Make dramatic.

Add more of his photos.

Explain the empty chair.

ADD

Montage of death and dying. Big branch memorial services. Memorial to miners photo (annie).

MUSIC

Add more mountain music.

SARAH

Ecochaplain.

She moved away to have her baby elsewhere.

Find out about getting permissions for Hazel Dicken’s song, Dueling Banjos, Fair use for songs in background.