Sponsoring Teachers: Matt O'Donnell, Kieran Ridge, and Marie France-Patterson
Overview
The issue of day labor and immigration is one of the most important topics in America today. Towns across the United States are dealing with the issue in many different ways; we will be focusing on the approach taken by the town of Graton in Sonoma County. Please read Working with the Community from the Graton Day Labor Website for more information. The day labor center opened in September of 2007 and is now up and running. We will look at how the center is operating and whether or not it is working as planned. To accomplish this project we will be talking to different groups, including day laborers, local businesses, community leaders and law enforcement to get their take on the Graton Day Labor Center.
Shooting a Real Movie
Making a Video Documentary about Immigrant Day Labor in California
China Blue, Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars, Third Monday in October -- movies that have all been big hits at The Marin School over the past couple of years. What do they have in common? They’re about issues that have social impact, newsworthiness and strong human interest. They were made skillfully by film-makers who cared deeply about their subjects, who investigated tough, complicated stories and put a human face on the issues.
You too can make a movie like that. The intersession on migrant labor will include the production of a video documentary about the issue. In the 21st century global economy, migrant labor is a big story, with a potential audience for our documentary locally, around the state, nationally and even internationally. You don’t have to be a spectator on this issue, simply reading and talking about it. Instead you can report on and be a part of the global conversation on one of the big issues of our time.
What makes a movie successful? Is it about something interesting and important? Does it hold the viewer’s attention by informing and entertaining? Do the film-makers use a strong storytelling strategy and technical skills. All of those are important, and this intersession will provide a chance to learn those skills, or improve those you already have, by working on an actual film production, from planning, through shooting, to editing and screening.
After shooting our documentary we will try to edit it in time to show at the TMS Filmbridge Festival in early May, plus create DVDs and perhaps upload it to Youtube. Even if you don’t want to be a career film-maker, an increasing number of careers require some film-making, editing and journalistic skills as we enter the “information age.” Making a great documentary will give you something to show, not just tell about, when you’re putting together those college applications and looking for interesting jobs, plus give you the satisfaction of having done something real in a way the whole world can see.
In order to conduct interviews we need students who are taking Spanish or have a background in Spanish. This can be your opportunity for a one week immersion to improve you skills. We are looking for “estudiantes hispanohablantes” and for students who are genuinely interested in understanding their community. Take a look around! I know you always wished you could speak about the Canal District in San Rafael without using clichés. This is your chance!
By participating in this class you will have to opportunity to gain some understanding of the some of the many challenges the working-poor immigrant community faces on a daily basis.
Aside from the usual concerns people have about immigration, there are cultural and linguistic ties that we often are not aware of. When we think of immigrants, the word Latino comes to mind: one people, one language, under the auspices of the USA. Who are the Latinos we are referring to? When we consider Asia, we think of more than one language, such as: Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, etc.
Is there only one spoken language in Latin America, one set of cultural norms, one way of thinking, one set of values? Most of the Latino immigrants come from Central America which is considered part of North America. Do we consider the peoples from Central America as partaking form the same history than North America? If in the Latino immigrant population there is more than one language system, how do we communicate with them and how do they communicate among themselves? What challenges arise from this situation?
Renee Saucedo, San Francisco Day Labor program director, said that one of the program’s most popular components is the mental health clinic where clients are often treated for depression, loneliness, and as in the case of many immigrants from Chiapas, the legacy of violent conflict. The process is one of triple translation and acculturation. Newcomers are seeking out linguistic support as well as financial. To learn English, newcomers must first improve their fluency in Spanish. That situation itself can lead to discrimination from the Spanish speakers, and can allow bosses to take advantage of the laborers because they don’t know how to navigate the bureaucracy. At school, kids become victimized if they don’t know English or Spanish.
Do these problems exist in Graton? Has the Graton Day Labor Center improved conditions or made things worse. Is Graton a microcosm of what is going on across America? What policies can better improve the lives of all people living in America? We hope to get some insight that might help us answer some of the above questions and share it with the world through our documentary.
Day 1: At The Marin School - Students will be given background material on the topic and will listen to a guest speaker before being split into groups. During the breakout session some students will learn the basics of camera and sound work while others prepare their questions for the interviews.
Days 2-4: In Graton and Fulton, California - Students will conduct a series of interviews with day laborers, labor center employees, local businesspeople, and law enforcement.
Day 5: At The Marin School - The group will begin to organize the material from the interviews, come up with an outline for the documentary and assign tasks for the future.