Documentary Critical Reflection

The documentary is representative of the immigrant communities around the United States, more specifically, Cuban immigrants living in Florida. The number of Cuban immigrants in Florida because of conflicts in the country has risen greatly since the 1960s. They make up a significant amount of the South Florida population and are not heavily represented in the media. The documentary focuses on the 'success story' of someone who immigrated and settled down in Florida. Susanna had work, family, and opportunities and was able to sustain them in a much more positive environment than if she had stayed and lived in Cuba.

 

The documentary is able to engage audiences because of how compelling the story being told is. Susanna's story is not conventional, with her moving from Cuba to Budapest and then to Florida. This is a unique perspective on immigration, and she contributes a lot to people's understandings of it in this piece. Her daughter and she both produce great answers and create a real, engaging story that either resonates with audiences or is just interesting and pleasing to them. That, combined with well-edited shot selection, b-roll, and the inclusion of well-selected music, elevates this piece and makes it memorable and enjoyable.

 

 

I think the research impacted the overall structure and how we conducted the production process. As stated in earlier posts, each of the documentaries that we watched taught us what to look for in an engaging piece. "American Promise" taught us that many of the most engaging documentaries tell a compelling, emotional story. The structure should follow feelings, not conform to pre-determined structures. "Exit Through the Gift Shop" taught us that opportunities, if they present themselves, must be taken in order for the documentary to be even stronger. We took this into consideration when conducting interviews and filming b-roll. We staged some b-roll and got many different shots, and we altered our strategy based on the answers that we got out of the interview. Also, in the interviewing process, we would change the structure of some of the questions so that they were answered in ways we could use for the final product and utilize the opportunities that presented themselves there.