Scott Randolph & Scott Slack Videographers & Project Leaders

Excerpts from Sarah’s interview with Scott Randolph and Scott Slack

Sarah: What kind of progress do you think this project is making? Has it been a success?

Scott S: It’s been a success on many levels. With a project like this…with most film projects, success is measured strictly on what you get on the print. By that measure, we’re doing really well. The kids are working in conditions that can be less than favorable, but they’re also learning a lot. They’re really engaging in what it means to tell a story…

Scott R: …[W]hich is really important to us because we really feel that making something—the end product—is extremely important, but what we’re really interested in is planting seeds for students who want to take this on as a career path or at least as a means of self-expression, to take back the media and become media producers themselves.

Scott S: Self-expression is the key to self-empowerment.

Sarah: You’ve talked about this being a very effective project in these kids’ lives, but what process in particular do you think is affecting them the most? The acting? The writing? Learning how to set up their own shots? Being part of the whole process?

Scott S: If I had to pick one thing, I’d say really it’s all about the fact that they’re talking about their lives. They’re not just sitting around telling a friend; they have to think deeply about it, deeply think about how to tell the stories of their lives. And in doing that, I think they’re getting a perspective on themselves that they don’t get in everyday life. They’re watching themselves through a camera, through somebody else’s eyes.

Sarah: Are you planning on doing this at other schools or is this just a pilot?

Scott R: We’re documenting this project in order to inspire other teachers and college students, so rather than being a student who is stuck in a classroom, say at UCD, we try to get those students out into high school classes and duplicate the structure of what we’re trying to do.

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