Media Workshop in Tyre, July 2009

Media Workshop in Tyre

Title of Training: Media workshop
Date: July 13-26, 2009
Place: Tyre, Mousa El-Sader Foundation

Participants

12 participants took part in this training, 5 of which were Palestinian and 7 Lebanese (16-22). These were divided into two groups through out the duration of the workshop.

Workshop schedule and content

The main purpose of this schedule was to bring together a group of Lebanese and Palestinian youth to work together to produce movies about their topics of interest. The duration of the workshop was 5 days which were divided as follows: first day addressed the theoretical issues concerned in producing movies, second and third day applied the theories in practice, the third and fourth were for making the actual movies where they went to the field and took their needed scenes, and finally the fifth day was set for the editing process.

I. Theoretical Background
This was done through the first two days of the workshop. The day started with ice-breaking activities where the participants were allowed to get to know each other more closely and were then divided into two groups, one which had 5 members and the other had 7.
This day covered all the theoretical aspects that they need in making movies, which includes the following:

• Composing a story board
• Use of DV Cam Sony Z1 (the camera to be used in the workshop)
• Use of sound equipments (boom equipments …etc)
• Use of lighting techniques (Iris, Tungsten, outdoor and indoor lighting)
• Use of tripods
• Tools of picture taking (long shots and short shots)
• Use of zooming techniques (Pan-left/Pan-right and tilt-up/tilt-down)
• Shortcut images (the image of stabilizing one object in the shot)
• Use of white balancing
• Use of focus techniques
• Quality Control issues (example: the use of Bars prior to shooting)

II. Practical Application of their Knowledge
This extended over a period of one day. It included the practical side where the participants where allowed to use the camera and apply the principles that they learned above. When the groups where initially divided into their groups in the first two days, the participants were still being spread away each to their groups they came to the workshop in (mainly into 2 groups where the Lebanese and the Palestinians were apart). But on the third day there was a big cooperation noted between the participants where they shared their knowledge and offered advice on how to use the camera and its different techniques. It was obvious by the end of these three days that there were able to work with ease with each other and in their groups and that what ever pre-conceived notions that they might have had of each other was erased.

III. Shooting and Montage
This was done through the last three days. The participants were now ready to start their movies where they brainstormed to pick their topics, composed a Storyboard, and established a plan of action. Both groups then went to the field to take their shots, interview people and transfer their raw ideas into a movie.
→ Groups 1: This group opted to take about something about Tyre that they was close to their heart, which was the public beach that was established by the Tyre Municipality (note that this kind of beach is the only of its kind in Lebanon). They viewed it as a haven for poor people to go out, entertain their families and enjoy the beach at a very low cost (something which is not always available in Lebanon). They took shots of the beach empty, then when people started coming, they did interviews with kids and parents and the end result was a rich collection of shots that will undergo the final editing process. This were the group faced problems where they relied on each other to do the editing and ended up doing a hasty job which resulted in the reduced quality of the movie.
→ Group 2: This group chose the topic of the famous Tyre festivals that are held every summer. They used this main topic as a window to talk about Tyre ancient and modern history, culture and its relics. They took shots from around Tyre but they had problems taking shots of the festival (since it has a restricted media access) so they relied on the archives to take their needed shots. The montage process followed this, and it’s noteworthy to mention that even though the shots that this group took were not as rich as that of group 1 but there able to do a better job at producing the final movie since they cooperated in the editing process and were all committed to the work.

IV. Movie shows and Discussion
The movies were then shows in the presence of the participants and the trainer. The main discussion that followed the movie revolved about one main question: ”Where we able to transfer our vision to this movie?”. There were varying opinions about that where group 1 admitted that they could have been more cooperative and divide the editing work among themselves more fairly.

Role and Comments of the trainer

Even though the trainer was present through out the whole process of the workshop especially the shooting and editing which required the bulk of their effort, he opted to stay afar from the participants and allow them to make their own mistakes.

As it is well known, many tensions and prejudices are present between the Lebanese and Palestinians in Lebanon , all a result of in-bred political biases and many infamous events in Lebanon’s history, which in turn makes any interaction hard and bumpy. However, the trainer was very touched by the amount of interaction that happened between these participants that come from different backgrounds and cultures and that otherwise would not have given each other a chance. Among one of the comments that the participants said at the end of the training was they wish they would have more chances to have a similar professional medium to work together and to get to know each other apart from the outside world

Suggestion and recommendations

Upon the end of the workshop the participants were asked about what their suggestions and recommendations were. Most of them said that they wished there would be a follow up workshop that would be of a more advanced level that would allow them to master what they learnt and that this course be with the same people present.