4th and H
Max G.
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Driving home from cross country practice one day, I passed pro and anti-abortion demonstrators. Having driven past these people many times before, but never really understanding the specific individuals' views, I pulled over to talk to them. I used the demonstrators' answers to the question ""What are your views on abortion?"" to produce my short film 4th and H (the street corner the demonstrators were on). The final product resulted in a total of six claims: three supporting abortion rights and three opposing.
I wanted to approach this film with as little bias as possible. I asked each demonstrator, regardless of their view, the same question and let them speak as long as they wanted. I edited the final visual in a way so their claims were still intact, and I didn't twist their words by adding misleading subtitles.
The biggest challenge I faced during this project was my lack of gear at the time of recording. As a consistent filmmaker, I was used to having reliable gear to record and light a scene. However, as this was a spur-of-the-moment decision to talk to the demonstrators, I had no gear besides my iPhone 8. The biggest issue with using a phone to film was the poor audio quality, especially when the speaker's voice was interrupted by constant honking. The biggest surprise I faced while filming the individuals was how everyone was pleasant and respectful during their interviews, both to me and the opposing demonstrators.
When looking into a controversial topic, we often focus only on sources and voices that agree with us and back up our own preconceived ideas. As someone who supports abortion rights, it was difficult for me to publish ideas that were so different from my own and can be harmful towards others. The reason I was providing a way for ideals I don't agree with to be circulated online was that I feel like everyone's views deserve attention and coverage in an accurate way. For me, creating 4th and H was a way for me to produce a piece providing equal coverage of an impactful topic.
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To me, creativity means expressing my inner thoughts, beliefs, and identity in an original artistic format. Videography has let me explore all different types of stories with their own timelines, audiences, and emotions. My creativity helps produce engaging and varied content with a unique approach.
