Yes, he could

Exporting problems

The main problem we have had while editing has been the exporting. We did the video through Premiere, because this is the software available in our home uni. In this sense, the instructions for exporting given by Fleeta didn't work in our versions of Premiere. Thus, there were several vain attempts to upload the video to Youtube. Despite we tried to convert the format and compress it, we were not able to upload it on time, so we emailed our professor telling him about the problem.

Finally, when we came back to Kingston, we tried it again in Mac. So, we imported the documentary as a new project in Final Cut and, then, we exported it properly. That's how we achieved to upload the video to Youtube.

Christmas homework

During Christmas holidays, we edited the documentary. Firstly, we organised the 3 tapes audiovisual material in order to write the script. It consists of Obama's speechs and facts which lead us to wonder whether Obama deserves the Nobel Peace Prize or not. Thus, we have taken images from different sources such as Nobel Peace Prize Foundation or CNN to do so. Moreover, the images shooted last month in Oslo have suited perfectly with the arguments for and against his awardness.

This morning, we had our last meeting to add the voice-off and the music. Finally, the documentary 'Yes, he could' has been finished and will be uploaded to Youtube on Friday 15th January.

Script

1. FADE OUT BLACK

Audio: Nobel Peace Price Announcement. (applauses)

Screen text: Yes, he could!

2. OUT/ DAY/ WHITEHOUSE

Obama’s reaction after knowing he is awarded with the Nobel Peace Price

Video: I do not deserve

3. FADE OUT BLACK

Screen text: Does he deserve? Why?

4. OUT/NIGHT/OSLO

Images of the demonstration against Obama

NARRATOR

Not everyone agree with the Nobel committee, but why?

5. FADE OUT BLACK

Screen text: Marketing strategy?

6. OUT/DAY-NIGHT/STREET

Images of the security measures in Oslo, newspapers which covered the Nobel Peace Prize announcement…

7. IN/ NIGHT/AIRPORT

Images airport

NARRATOR

This year award has captured the attention

of citizens and journalists all over the world.

It has been also a controversial award.

Could the Nobel committee make this decision in order

to raise the expectation in the award

which was declining? Is for president Obama

the best way of increasing his popularity?

We traveled to Oslo to check it.

First, we asked citizens

who was Nobel Peace Prize laureate

last year in order to prove if it has

been a successful marketing strategy.

8. OUT/DAY/STREET

Interviews asking who are the last laureates.

9. FADE OUT BLACK

Screen text: International conflicts

10. FADE OUT BLACK

Screen text<. Guantanamo Bay

11. IN/ DAY/ CONGRESS

Obama signs the order to close Guantanamo (video)

12. IN/ DAY/ TV STUDIO

Obama reiterates its intention to close Guantanamo (video)

13. OUT/ DAY/ GUANTANAMO

Images of Guantanamo’s prisoners (video)

NARRATOR

There are over 200 prisoners at Guantanamo

Bay and Obama´s legal advisor, Gregory Craig,

resigned from his post because of the evidence

that the promise would not be kept.

14. FADE OUT BLACK

Screen text: Middle East

15. IN/DAY/NOBEL CEREMONY

Video (min. 5´57´´): “America led the world in constructing an architecture to keep the peace”.

16. OUT/DAY/PALESTINE

Images of the last Israel´s attack in Gaza

17. IN/DAY/PRESS CONFERENCE

Obama express his opinion of preserving Israel security

18. IN/DAY/KINGSTON UNIVERSITY

Dr. Julian Wells explains US interests in Israel

19. FADE OUT BLACK

Screen text: Nuclear weapons

20. IN/DAY/PRESS CONFERENCE

Obama declares his intention of promoting the nuclear disarmament

21. IN-OUT/DAY-NIGHT/CONFERENCES

Archive images: newspapers, Russia and US meeting…

NARRATOR

Is the nuclear disarmament intention based on peaceful

reasons or economic ones because

of the nuclear weapons´ current obsolescence?

22. IN/DAY/NOBEL ANNOUNCEMENT

Screen text: Afghanistan

Repetition of the video of the announcement: “for his extraordinary efforts in…”

NARRATOR

Are 30.000 new soldiers in Afghanistan

a peaceful effort in the cooperation between people?

23. OUT/DAY/AFGHANISTAN

Archive images about Afghanistan war

24. IN/DAY/NOBEL CEREMONY

Obama states that the war sometimes is necessary for the peace (video)

25. FADE OUT BLACK

Screen text: Environment

26. IN/DAY/ NOBEL ANNOUNCEMMENT

Video: The committee announces Obama´s award (part of the grade climate challenges)

27. OUT/DAY/NATURE IN DANGER

Images about the climate change

NARRATOR

Obama had the first opportunity of showing his

intention of fighting against the climate change during the

Copenhagen Conference, celebrated in December.

Leaders resolved an agreement which does not

convince anyone. Binding decisions will be taken in the next climate

conference, which will be celebrated next year in Mexico.

The general secretary of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon,

stated that it is necessary to do more to tackle climate change.

However, Obama´s point of view seems to be closer to economic

reasons rather than environmental ones.

28. IN/DAY/COPENHAGEN

Video Obama saying America will be economically most powerful because of fighting the climate change

29. FADE OUT BLACK

Screen text: voices against 2009 Nobel Peace Prize laureate

30.OUT/NIGHT/OSLO

Interview with the Italian

Video of the demonstration

Interview with the feminist

Video of the demonstration

Interview with the Iranian

Video of the guy shouting in front of the Grand Hotel

Videos of the people who spoke before the demonstration.

31. OUT/NIGHT/GRAND HOTEL (OSLO)

Archive images from the demonstration for Obama

NARRATOR

Nuclear disarmament, close of Guantanamo,

environment, Afghanistan, free Palestine…

Too many promises still unfulfilled to be a Nobel Peace

Prize Laureate

Torch demonstration (Thursday evening)

A few hours before the banquet in honour of the Nobel Laureate a demonstration was taken place. This ritual consists of walking from the Market square to the Grand Hotel - where the laureate spends his or her time in Oslo- with torches in order to say hello to him or her. This year the expectation was massive, there were approximately 1000 people and all of them had the same goal: see the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate of 2009: Mr Obama. It was really difficult for us to film properly because everyone was pushing us, the place was totally full.
There we met a spanish journalist who was in Oslo just for holidays. She talked with us about the managing of the Nobel Foundation and she complained that with Obama as the 2009 Laureate the Foundation wasn't ready to manage the big amount of journalists who asked for an application.
The feeling outside of the Grand Hotel was amazing, people were very excited. Suddenly, everyone started to shout because Obama was appearing on the balcony, after that everyone started to leave except a few activists and curious people. This was a good opportunity for us to film them and also we talked with a german activist woman. She supports the Women International League for Freedom and Peace and she told us very interesting things, for example she suggested that Obama should send someone from the american peace movement in order to show that the engagement for peace is from America as a whole.
It was a hardworking day and we grabbed to improve our english. Back to the hostel we got really beautiful images of Oslo at Christmas.

Getting in touch with Norwegian people (10th December)

We organized ourselves in groups of two people in order to get more successful results. Thus, Lorena and me were supposed to be in touch with people on the street, analyzing what was going on in the area around the City Hall where the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony was taking place. At 11.00 am, we arrived to the harbour in where was placed a huge screen broadcasting the ceremony live. From there, people were able to watch the preparations of the Nobel Ceremony. Guests started to arrive to the City Hall about noon and from our position we could see celebrities such as Will Smith with his family or the Royal Norwegian family.
Close to the starting time, about 500 people had gathered at the meeting point. Many curious people approached because of the media and security deployment. The expected event started just after Obama's and his wife's arrival. During the ceremony, we interviewed people of different ages and genders. Most of them agreed with what media has argued during the last weeks, that is to say, it is still early to be awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize. Soon, we realised that people didn't remember who was rewarded last year with this Nobel, so we started to raise the possibility of Obama's Nobel as a marketing product. In general, people agreed with that but most of them considered themselves Obama's supporters.
A few minutes before the end of the event, people moved to the main door of the City Hall expecting to see the departure of the US President. It was really funny to fight with journalists and security guards in order to get closer to the first raw. Once the guests left the area, we met our mates and decided to take a break for a coffee. It was a long morning and we were really frozen.

Images from the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony 2009

From the Press Centre (Oslo)

Yesterday we left Kingston at 1am. Our trip to the airport was quickly and lucky. We arrived to Stansted about 4.30 am and started getting frames of some of the airport zones (such as the panel of deartures and “Welcome to Stansted Airport”. Then we had problems with the luggage, so we had to pay 35 pounds per person. We got very angry but the situation got better when we arrived to Oslo at 10 am.

While We were going out from the bus station, we saw a group of people who were hanging a banner in a bridge. We started speaking to them. They were against Obama's price and wanted a meeting with the press. Where? In the same hostel which we were staying in!

Afterwards, we came to the Press Center, which is in an elegant hotel besidethe Royal Palace. We came in very nervous, but we easily got our accreditations!

Now, we are seating down with many hard worker journalists as us. After lunch, we will go to our hostel to meet anti-war people and interview them.


Finally, we have decided not to go to all the institutional gatherings (such as Obama's and Prime Minister meeting) and focus on alternative demonstrations, especially the one which takes place on 10 th December at 6 pm and which will conclude with an alternative Peace concert to celebrate Carolina's birthday.

Second meeting (23rd November)

Last Monday, we met to discuss the information we had searched during the week and to agree on how we are going to focus each topic. In addition, we decided to search information about Obama’s action on Iran, environment and Afghanistan troops.
Cristina will have to contact any International Law teacher for an interview about the legal problems of closing Guantanamo Bay.
Next weekend, we expect to be able to film interviews with people who will be asked about this year Nobel Peace Price winner and last year award. That is to investigate if the Nobel Price Committee’s decision was marketing or not, depending on people’s answers.
On Friday, we will download any material we need (such as videos and audios) to start editing and also we will sketch the script.

First meeting (17th November)

Last Tuesday our group had a meeting in which we divided the work we have to do for the next meeting which will take place on Monday 23rd of November:

- Irene Recio and Irene Castro will have to look for information about the topics we want to show in the documentary, so that we could have a well-formed argument.

- Carolina Gonzalez and Lorena Poza have to search videos which could be used to illustrate some of the topics.

- Cristina will have to contact with different teachers and relevant characters in the subject in order to interview them and talk about their opinion on Obama as winner of the Noble Peace Prize.

We have also decided the different topics we would like to tackle in the documentary. The themes are:

- Other controversial Nobel Peace Prizes.

- Statements for and against the decision of the Committee .

- Nuclear weapons

- Guantanamo situation

- USA-Colombia agreement and the relation with Hugo Chávez (Venezuela President)

- Relation with Cuba

- Defense budget

- Israel-Palestina

- China

During the last weeks we have also been dealing with obtaining press passes to assist to Nobel Ceremony. Two of them have been successfully gained, but up to now, our home University denied to help us to get the two more accreditation we need for the Award Ceremony, so we are trying to get them via Spanish Embassy and Education Ministry in Spain.

What about our production?

Program Idea: Because of the latest decision about Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize, our program will focus on US President’s career and different opinions for and against his Nobel award.

Genre: Documentary

Title: Yes, he could!

Synopsis:
Obama is the first black skin US president and since he won the poll a year ago he has led the voice of change. Many racial minorities trust him and hope he can make a better world in which the rights are recognized for everybody. But are those reasons strong enough for being awarding with Nobel Peace Prize yet? Is Obama only marketing? A summary of Obama’s career and different points of view about this matter.

POSITION JOBS NAME[S]

Director of Photography Shoot film. Sound. Lighting. Lorena Poza and Carolina Gonzalez
Director Direct film. Continuity. Lorena Poza and Carolina Gonzalez
Producer Oversee and drive people and the project. Cristina
Researcher Find facts, people, locations. Irene Castro and Irene Recio
Production Manager Organisation. Call sheets. Recces. Risk assessments. Point of contact. Cristina
Writer Write links, VO, scripts. Irene Castro and Irene Recio
Editor & Post Production Supervisor Digitising. Editing. Graphics. Play out. Compression and delivery. Lorena Poza and Carolina Gonzalez
Talent Acting. Presenting. Cristina

Our short film "Tonight" is ready to its premiere

During the earlier months, we have been working on a short film in order to develop our skills in using Final Cut tools. "Tonight", name with which we have entitled so, is inspired in classic silent movies and is about a dream in which a girl is threatened to be killed by an unknown man. It has already been finished and uploaded to Youtube.