UMass Smoking Ban

http://videos.masslive.com/2011/04/umass_smoking_ban.html

I had so much fun creating this video. Though it took me a while to decide what topic to make a short film about, once I formulated the interviews everything else seemed to fall into place. The UMass smoking ban is a seriously controversial issue. Because there weren't many specific guidelines for this project, I didn't feel badly about making it slightly biased. Not to mention all my interviewees more or less agreed that the future ban is "ridiculous" and will most likely be ineffective. Sometimes it takes a strong standpoint with less objectivity to make people listen and stimulate debate.

It definitely took a long time to put the video together, but it was worth it. It was not only enjoyable because I love to film and edit, but because I myself am very interested in student and public opinion surrounding this issue. I chose to submit it to Masslive because there was a great diversity of community videos on the site already. It directly related to Massachusetts, the public, and students everywhere, so I thought it would reach out to a variety of people. I also posted it on Facebook so that my friends could see it and easily access the link, and it was there where I received the most commentary. The first comment was addressed from the opposing standpoint. At first I felt a little attacked, and perhaps a little ashamed that I had failed to find a person to present this side of the issue for the video itself. Then I realized that it's okay to be disagreed with, and the person's passionate comment was thought out, which clearly showed that it struck a nerve. Often times this is how you get people's attention. You can't constantly expect people to agree with you and be persuaded to walk on over to your side. This is precisely why I felt that I submitted a significant portion of this new story that will clearly be debated for a long time. I just wish there I had more time so I could make it more complete, address new angles, and attain better equipment especially for sound. I also wish I had more effective means of distributing it for others to see. But it was a good start - every story begins somewhere...