I’ve sent off my extended treatment to April. Although she hasn’t gotten a chance to review it yet, we spoke briefly at the MJ mixer and made a tentative plan to meet next week and discuss the project as it stands now.
April had given me good feedback on a feature draft she had sent me to complete for her before the extended treatment was due. As I wrote out exactly how the stories would roll out, she brought up the framing narrative of my own growth (literally) since my first year in 1994. It was the same year as the first Pride March in Charlottetown, and I want to roll off that and have started searching for baby pictures and younger photos to use to consolidate with my history section. I need to make a note (here works) to talk to my mom about sitting down over a FaceTime call and looking through some.
I’ve started reviewing some of my footage, pulling choice quotes and mapping out how I see the editing coming together before I actually start putting it together physically.
When I discussed with Asmaa, I took the advice to keep the narrative simple to heart. I think I’ve been overthinking how the feature should really look – I’ve been thinking a bit too experimental, but as Asmaa said, the content itself is going to be new to most readers, so the form should be a bit more recognizable. I totally agree and hadn’t thought of it that way.
Emily and I had a good conversation on Wednesday and I brought up some of the symbols I really want to pull into the piece that I heard from my sources: the idea of being a “beacon,” the notion of being a superhero (also goes along with CBC’s superQUEERoes series from this summer) and the notion of what “home” really is. “Home” seems to be a theme I’m always exploring in my work and I’m excited to do it here.
My next step is to get in contact with the ArQuives in the city to see what documents they may have from PEI’s queer history in their collections.
Glad that you’re following up with April this week and taking my advice to not overthink to heart. I meant to ask you about the interviews you shot this summer, in addition to the Pride Parade. Did you capture any particularly interesting moments that might help punctuate your longform piece? I’m wondering if it might help inspire you to watch what you’ve already got and refresh your memory. Then you start making a list of questions you will want to ask your main sources. I would also start setting up times to talk to them far in advance as both of them are quite busy people.