Imagining Tavares Bastos Part 2

We had class outside today, in the park that runs along side the commercial center of Tavares Bastos—the park with the phenomenal view of Pão de Azucar, of the bay, and of the city below. As class was ending, more and more kids were showing up, coming back home after school or other activities. Soon, we had about 20 kids with us, in that park, sitting at two different tables playing UNO. I thought to myself—what would it be like to grow up in a community like this? A small, safe, quiet place where everyone knows each other, and there are public spaces for kids to congregate and play together whenever they want? To live this kind of life right in the middle of one of the largest cities in the world? I can’t even imagine…

This afternoon was, for me, the first time I really felt what it’s like to live in Tavares Bastos. This is what the girls were trying to communicate to me when they drew their storyboard last week. This is what all of the kids have been hoping to capture in their home videos. They feel safe and at peace in this community—there is time to appreciate their grandmothers’ cooking, their cousins’ dancing, the festas juninas on the weekends, the bread in the bakery, and their time at church. This is the reason to be grateful for the added peace of mind provided by the BOPE station perched above the small patch of land occupied by Tavares Bastos. This is the kind of security Cacau—one of the community leaders—hoped to ensure when he planted a forest-wall around the neighborhood more than ten years ago.
These kids live the joy of being young, being safe, being active, and being part of families in a community that means a great deal to them. This is what they’ve been filming over these few weeks. Now I see it!

My favorite part of today was the moment when I asked each of the girls to explain what she learned that day. For about two hours, Thiago had walked them through the process of filming a single scene with two different cameras recording from two different points of view. The girls chose roles for themselves, including director, assistant director, DP, and actor. Thiago, of course, was the producer. In these two hours, they framed the shots, planned the action, and managed to film a scene with two cameras recording simultaneously. In the end, they were proud of what they had accomplished—they felt that they had really taken advantage of the time they had. More importantly, though, they had fun. The short video interviews reflect this…

I look forward to the 3-minute short that they produce by the end of July. Participating in the creation of a short film of Tavares Bastos—a small history of this community for these young people and their families can view and keep—will be my gift to these young people that have shared their happiness with me.

Christine Newkirk
The New School University, New York

Imagining Tavares Bastos

In the following two weeks, the students will be collecting footage to make their 3-minute short films about life in Tavares Bastos. Last Thursday, we worked on developing a script. We gave prompts like: If you were to create a time capsule with all of the best things about Tavares Bastos, what would you add? Each of the four girls made her own list, and then performed the items on her list, in a game of charades. In the end, it seemed everyone agreed with each other about the best things about life in Tavares Bastos. The girls drew these items into a story board, pictured above. The highlights of life in Tavares Bastos include: the padaria, the church, the soccer field, the festas juninas, the volleyball court, the swings, the salon, and the BOPE station. The girls talk endlessly about the peace of mind they feel in Tavares Bastos, given the safety of the neighborhood, the beautiful view, the closeness of the community, and the endless community activities available to them. They certainly do not take for granted the place where they live.

Midterm assessment

Após três semanas de trabalho com nossos pequenos cineastas moradores da comunidade Tavares Bastos, chega a hora de analizar nosso progresso. Muitas vezes video pode ser uma mídia bastante complicada de se trabalhar. Assim como na fotografia, o video lhe possibilita trabalhar diretamente com a luz, enquadramento e composição. Mas diferentemente da fotografia estática, o video acrescenta a complexidade do som (a não ser que você decida trabalhar com cinema mudo!). Você precisa estar atento a qual som você está gravando e como ele está sendo gravado. Uma fotografia estática sempre diz algo. Já um video pode dizer muitas coisa ao mesmo tempo e dessa forma pode haver um grande conflito entre o que a imagem e o som do filme dizem.

When you start using a video camera, it is easy to become overwhelmed by all these dimensions. And we have not talked yet about the movie-maker's intentions: what is story you want to tell and how you tell it.

For our young video artists, it was challenging to complete the weekly assignments while learning the technical side of their work. This is normal. It takes time to get comfortable operating the camera. Only when it has become almost a natural extension of your eyes and ears (and hands, to avoid shaky images!) can you really concentrate on the story you want to capture.

With only four weeks left - two of those being reserved for editing - we had to change our approach so the kids could get enough quality material to make their short movie. So far, we had worked on a different theme each week - the self, the family and friends, etc.

In class today, we explained how we would work from now on. We made two teams of four. Djhulie, Andre, Andrey and Patrick in the first team; and Heule, Fernanda, Ana Lívia and Tamires in the other. We proposed three various themes on which they could build. They are also free to propose their own theme, of course.

Our themes were:

• A guide for tourists: How would you present your community to people who visit Tavares Bastos for the first time;
• The dream festa junina: You are in charge of organizing the next festa junina in Tavares Bastos. Who will be there? Where will the party take place? Who will cook (and what food)? Who will play music?
• The space capsule: You need to leave planet Earth. Who and what will you bring with you to remember Tavares Bastos?

After brainstorming on the various themes, each team chose one. For the next two weeks, including during our workshop hours, they will film their story. We will accompany them, just to remind them to focus on what they want to tell.

Each team-mate has a role, too. The camera operator, the director, the assistant-director, and the narrator. They can rotate and change role at their will. But some expressed their preferences. We know Djhulie is already a natural narrator. She has ideas and opinions of their own, but she prefers to share them beside the camera, rather than in front of the camera. Hopefully, every one will find their place and ways to express what they want.

Off they are with the Flips, for the weekend. We are excited and curious to see what they will bring back on Monday!

Frédéric Choinière
The New School University, New York