Cucalorus Response and Final Thoughts

Wow I let this blog fall on the wayside. Well I'm here to do two things.

1.Cucalorus - I've volunteered at Cucalorus for three years so far. Each time I get free alcohol, meet interesting people, and see good films. This year the one movie I really wanted to see was canceled (World of Tomorrow Pt.2). I enjoyed the few I saw anyways. Especially Bodied and Road Movie. In the end Cucalorus was a nice respite from the storm in my life.

2. Final Thoughts - I think some part of me fell into a big depression this semester. My social structures crumbled, I couldn't sleep, I felt unloved for the majority of the time, and whenever I looked into the eyes of my fellow man I saw nothing. But as things progressed I had this film to work on. It kept me moving and searching, and I honestly think it was the only thing doing so. My Mom said that I seemed more driven in the past few months than any other moment in my life. Honestly its because through my own retreat, I had nothing left but my work. Out of this I got a pretty decent film. I'm proud of it to an extent. I wish I had more people give me their thoughts on it, but I feel like asking for feedback at this stage would be wishy washy (also in my experience most feedback is BS while the good feedback one gets is few and far between).

My crew was excellent this semester. They helped me when they could and for the most part they were patient and forward driving. I have to thank them for what they gave me. I hope that I didn't take too much out of them. I'm going on break now, hopefully I can get my head straight in that time, maybe write out some demons.

See ya when I get back.

John Knox Gray

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwKfOEelzOQ

Crew Evaluation

While every bone in my body tells me to make my evaluation succinct the class requirements say that my evaluation must be elaborate. SO I WILL RAVE ABOUT THEM

Brittany: She keeps this project anchored, she gets me to communicate and makes sure the group meets our goal dates. She remains practical and makes sure that I don't fly off my creative handle. I couldn't have asked for a better collaborator. While her work schedule is busy she makes time and always lends a helping hand.

Taylor: Taylor has been with me since day one on this project. While he started out not knowing too much about cameras he has came a long way. He may be still fidgety with the camera but he is learning and flexible. His affable attitude and easygoing demeanor helps things flow on set and keeps things calm. His attitude is amazing and it makes him a great collaborator.

Cody: Cody is quiet yet consistent. He will always get his work done with as little fuss as possible. He never allows "bs" to get in the way and keeps things as real as he can. I can count on him to record solid sound and to keep himself on track. Every once and a while he will get frustrated, but always with good reason.

As for me I've had to learn how to be a more communicative collaborator. Taylor and Brittany have been helping me with contacts and the process has become a lot easier. I am proud of my crew, and look forward to continue to work with you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFqb1I-hiHE

Sharing my Home

This weekend my crew and I went to my home in Belmont North Carolina. We filmed interviews with journalists and shot some B-Roll on the Catawba river. My love affair with the A7SII has grown, I love the colors that I can get on that beautiful little contraption. My crew was delightful. Brittany quietly kept everything in order and made sure that we were on time for things, Taylor managed the camera and began to experiment with the Monopod, and Cody got very clear audio. My parents enjoyed the company and are looking forward to having us again. Next time I plan on working of scheduling a bit more, I want to get a greater variety of B-Roll so I need to account for travel time and everything with that. All in all, it was a successful trip!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vrEljMfXYo

Still Truckin' or Something

It's been a hot minute since my last post but there has been considerable progress in the project. I have streamlined the interviewee contact system and have set up three more interviews. We will be filming one of them on the 29th. B-Roll is coming along well. This weekend Taylor and I compiled the best shots from the last shoot and then shot some environmental shots around town. The goal of these shots will be to instill a meditative mood. 

Overall things are progressing slowly but surely. Brittany is doing an excellent job keeping things on track and Taylor is kicking ass as DP. I'm looking forward to this upcoming weekend so we can shoot again.

Here is a song to keep ya entertained btw:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2LYuRzF-c8

10 Questions and Bios

Getting interviewees for this upcoming film will be an ongoing process but I've managed to wrangle six people for this upcoming Pre-Production project. Here are the two interviewees I with bios and ten questions.

David Philips -

David obtained  Bachelor of Science from Appalachian State University (1981) and a Juris Doctorate from Mercer University School of Law (1989). He is also a North Carolina Board Certified State Criminal Law Specialist. He obtained this certification in 2001 and have been re-certified every five years (2001-present). He was the defense attorney for Neal Cassada. He lives in Gastonia North Carolina and maintains a successful legal practice there.

1. What role did you have in the case in 2008?

2. How'd you come to getting that role?

3. What was the defenses narrative of defense?

4. What was the crime scene in detail?

5. What was the evidence provided against your defendant?

6. Which type of DNA evidence was it?

7. After Cassada died what was your connection to the case?

8. What was the trail like?

9. What did they find Carver guilty of and what was his sentance?

10. What information tipped the juries favor?

Valarie-

Valarie has requested to remain relatively anonymous. She started the website freemarkcarver.com in 2009 and has been investigating the case ever since.

1. What interested you about the Irina Yarmolenko case.

2. How did you first get involved with the case?

3. What are the standards for truth and inquiry you keep for the Website?

4. What are your personal opinions of the case?

5. In your website you define a moralistic obligation to the truth. Can you describe that?

6. What is the general feeling you get from sources when you talk to them?

7. What is your personal understanding of the timeline in the Irina case?

8. How have the intervening years affected the collection of facts?

9. What is your personal impression of Irina through your research?

10. What are your hopes for the case going forward.

Introductions, Extensive Concept Research, and General Vagueness

      Well I guess I'll start this whole thing by providing some introduction to the mess that is myself. I've been at UNC-W for about four years and have attempted to keep a low profile. Whether I was successful in this endeavor, I do not know. When it came to my senior seminar I decided to pull out all the stops and applied to direct my senior documentary. I admitted that I had little experience directing documentary and was partnered with the awesome Brittany Edwards. She has kept me on track so far and I am extremely grateful for that. I was also grouped up with Taylor Doss, who has worked with me before, and Cody Cannon. Both these guys will help me get the aesthetic and auditory traits I wish our film to have. They're also super fun to hang out with.

    The documentary subject I choose is extremely close to home for me. In 2008 Irina Yarmolenko was found dead ten minutes from my home. Two men were brought in for her suspected murder, Neil Cassada and Mark Carver. Cassada died of a heart attack before the trail and Carver was sentenced to life in prison based off only one piece of evidence. I remember how deeply the tragedy affected me. I was used to personal tragedy's and the process of grief, yet I had never witnessed a death like this. It felt sudden, meaningless, and there was no time taken by the community to grieve. Irina was seen as a stranger, the trail was rushed, so that the status quo could continue (that was my interpretation of the events at the time).

    So now seven years later I have decided to go back and make an effort to understand this tragedy that was forgotten about by the majority of the communities I lay claim too. Now there are those like me that couldn't help but speculate on the true events of the day that Irina died. Through the years of speculation I noticed one thing. Through this speculation the humanity of the victim was lost, Irina had been reduced to a mystery in the larger narratives eye.

  From there I got my direction with this project. I intend to discover and understand Irina as a person. I want to understand this crime by understanding the victim. So the concept of the project in my eyes is a true crime documentary that becomes a portrait of a woman lost to the ravages of time and a violent act.

   My research for this project will mainly be building contacts for interviews and verifying Irina's timeline and the claims people make about her life. Now I don't plan on asking the family and close friends for interviews right off the bat. It would feel wrong and I think I need to gain their trust first by showing that I am willing to put in the work. So I have been studying and contacting the attorneys, community leaders, and reporters who covered the case. So I'm starting with the outside and working my way into Irina's inner circle.

   I've already conducted my first interview with one of the defense attorneys. David Phillips, the dailys will be posted to my google drive shortly. Next I plan on interviewing the reporters while getting more attorneys, and professors at UNC-Charlotte. The research for the project will have to be fluid, and will have to allow multiple paths of inquiry. For that very reason I will not resort to a strict path of research.

   I have also been collaborating with a independent researcher who runs the website freemarkcarver.com. While I do not prescribe to her agenda (seeing as to make this documentary I have to remain impartial) her research is extensive. I am working to verify her sources but so far most of them are verified by public records. I will attach the link at the end of the post.

   In the end the path forward is vague, but I will not let that deter me. Once I obtain more interviews the path to finishing this documentary will become clear. I am optimistic for this projects future, precisely because I believe the subject matter is worth telling and I have an excellent crew backing me up.

With much consideration,
Knox Gray

http://freemarkcarver.com/