Bullying PSA

Kelsey Best

Darrin Gailey

Josh Ladwig (SP?)

                                               Artist Statement: iMovie Project

Though our generation is considerably more tolerant of differences than the generations past, bullying is an on-going problem in society. Bullying can range from physical assault to emotional abuse and any act of malice in between.  In the making of our documentary-style PSA, we hoped to spread awareness about bullying through interviews and statistical analysis. Six people who have experienced the effects of bullying shared their stories and opinions with us, allowing us to gain a better perspective on this sensitive issue.

We worked to break down some lengthy interviews in order to find similarities in content. Specific questions were asked to prompt the discussions and we organized the movie accordingly. We began each interview by asking the participant to define “bullying”. We followed by asking questions such as “have you ever been bullied?”, “have you ever witnessed someone else being bullied?” and “how do you deal with bullying?” The answers were diverse but also shared certain similarities, such specific stories and instances of witnessing bulling.

Our questions stemmed from the making of our concept map, which also influenced our storyboard. The concept map started with the idea of “bullying”, then lead to the four different areas for analysis: the experience of being bullied, the experience of witnessing bullying, kids who bully others as well as the definition of bullying. This began the catalyst from which we organized our ideas into a storyboard.

Our collaborative efforts were cohesive throughout. We all found participants for interviewing and we worked in unison to put together the movie. Separately, we worked to edit the footage so as to be time efficient. This meant cutting out unimportant speech between the interviewers and interviewees and highlighting profound statements given.

            We felt that the Wonders Cabinet was an appropriate setting for this endeavor because it is an intellectual space designed for analysis, which supports the documentary style in which we filmed. It was also a quiet space in which we would not be interrupted. However, we also wanted to work with the schedules of our participants, which meant, in one instance, meeting in a classroom space instead. We feel that this similarly worked to support the intellectual nature of our analysis of bullying. The angles of the camera worked to create visual interest and  contrast as opposed to a static viewing.

We feel that we were successful in our attempt to raise awareness by means of digital media. This allowed us to reach a wider audience through digital means of creativity. Films are a popular form of art that most people partake in and are therefore an appropriate venue for this project. In this increasingly visual and digital age, we can deliver messages that entertain as well as inform through mediums such as this. We also wanted to include music that would create empathy in the audience. This is shown in the somewhat down-trodden music that accompanies the beginning, followed by the up-lifting music at the end.