Wednesday Feb. 23, 2011
There was a men’s forum on mental health awareness. We decided to go tape it to see what issues black men were discussing. During the forum, I noticed the lack of attention actual mental health received. The majority of the questions had to do with sex. Then, the topic of abortion came up. That begin to dig deeper into the feelings and mental issues guys have to deal with during and after an abortion. Then I was able to ask the question about how they view suicide. We also did a few interviews with several young men.
Friday Feb. 25, 2011
I made several calls today to the Florida State Hospital to try and get more information into the topic of mental illness and the difference between that and psychological disorders. I want to make a clear definition of what a mental illness is and that suicide may or may not a mental illness but a result of a psychological disorder.
Sunday Feb. 27, 2011
I had a major breakthrough today! The young lady I have been trying to confirm with on whether she would appear in the documentary or not finally said yes!!! I’m so happy because I think her story is one that should really be heard. She will most likely be the main focus in the documentary and she turned out to be really cool about all the ideas I had and some of the things Cam and I want to shoot.
March 9
We went to the Mental Health Awareness Day at the capitol. There was some very good information about mental health. They spoke about the cuts that are being made to mental health and how it will be a negative thing for those suffering from mental illnesses. We met a woman named Dana Fugelson and she spoke about her experience with being diagnosed. We were able to interview her. The way she spoke so freely was refreshing. She did not mind sharing her experience about being misdiagnosed and how everyday is still a struggle. She talked about how through proper diagnosis she is able to live a more normal life.
March 11
I headed to Atlanta to meet with Jeannine for our interview.
March 12
Talking to Jeannine this morning… I was nervous. I hope that the interview will go well and she will speak freely and openly about being depressed and suicidal. I have come in contact with several people that will speak to me individually about being suicidal but refuse to talk to me on camera. It’s bit discouraging but I know I just have to keep moving forward. I prayed over the interview and I will leave the rest in God’s hands.
March 13
The interview was great. We touched on so many subjects. It was a blessed meeting and I know God really put this in place. We are actually going to be able to get some footage of her at church worshipping and it will be perfect for what we need.
March 18
We started gathering music and looking for transitions for the documentary. We also started cutting up the sots that we want to use and selecting the b-roll that has good lighting for Jeannine. The guy Mike backed out last minute which left me in a jam because I really wanted to feature a male. I AM going to continue my search for one because it is black men that are committing suicide at a higher rate.
March 22
We started cutting up act 1 and we realized that we might have to go a different route with the transitions. Music is good but sometimes that’s repetitive so we want to see if we can go a different route. We are interviewing Tiffany at work today.
March 26
We are interviewing Tiffany again today so we can discuss the reason for her depression and her suicidal thoughts. We will be at her house which is really good because we can get some more b-roll of her.
March 27
We spent the whole day with Tiffany and the information she shared with us was so good. I’m excited to get in the edit bays and start chopping it up. We have come along way because for a minute I was worried we wouldn’t have anyone for the doc at all but now we have two really great people. I still want to find a male though.
