A Post-Post Post on Post-Production

OK … so maybe I overdid it. But the P-word has certainly warranted some dedicated attention. First, there’s the Washington Post article about Red Line D.C., which appeared this past Sunday in the Metro section. That same day, we were also featured in the Our City Film Festival, where I participated in a brief, post-screening Q&A.

The profile in the Post and experience at Our City were both timely and sweet, humbling opportunities that have reminded me of the stakes behind Red Line D.C., as well as the project’s place within the community. No journey is ever completed without patient support and guidance along the way. The same can be said of the filmmaking process.

The making of Red Line D.C. has constituted 3+ years of my life; a long and winding road that’s still not quite finished. In the process of post-production, I have learned that concrete deadlines are only mirages in the distance.  Limited funding, technical setbacks and inevitable dead-ends can turn any documentary filmmaker into a weary traveler. And that has definitely been the case for me. But all the creative help, community support and positive feedback I’ve gotten, especially as of late, has been a huge affirmation of my efforts.

So, I had to reflect, pipe up and speak to you directly with this blog post. I just can’t thank you all enough for your ongoing encouragement and interest in Red Line D.C. The sense of purpose behind the documentary has continually been renewed for me. Right now, I’m eager to push through–and past–post-production to deliver The Red Line D.C. Project DVD; a final cut of the awesome, two-part series I know you’ve been waiting for.

Stay tuned and, as always, state your piece below!

Saaret Yoseph

Director & Producer

The Red Line D.C. Project

@SaaretSays | @_RedLineDC_

As 2013 approaches, we know you’re eager for the big reveal of Red Line D.C.‘s final two-part documentary series. Trust us when we say, so are we!

Having finished the fine cuts of (part one) “See Something, Say Something” and (part two, tentatively titled), “Crossing the Line,” director/producer Saaret Yoseph has tagged in some essential support to help her champion–and finally complete–this three-year long project The remaining elements include, visual effects and a soundtrack by local legend Damu the Fudgemunk, a surefire combo package to compliment our documentary efforts.

We know that you are just as excited as we are to see these final touches come together. No doubt, a little impatient, as well. But fret not. With a few months to go until completion, we wouldn’t pass the time without giving you a taste of what’s to come. Here’s a slideshow featuring some of the fantastic, never-before-seen photos of Red line graffiti that we’ll be including in both films. These images have been collected by Cory Stowers, one of our featured interviewees and co-owner of the custom design shop Art Under Pressure. We have him to thank for holding you over until we get our act together.

Enjoy! And, as always, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below!

It’s been a bumpy ride, but the winding road down #RedLineDC is nearly over. And what a ride it has been! Today we had the pleasure of being featured in The Express, a Washington Post publication that’s often read on the very Red line ride we’ve been focusing our energy on all these years. Director/producer Saaret Yoseph shared her behind-these-scenes experiences, motivations for creating the project as well as the major themes addressed in the documentary. It’s an honor for Red Line D.C. to be featured in the paper and we’re proud to consider ourselves a part of the many visual and communal elements of your commute! If you missed the write-up in print, you can find it online, right here. Take a look!

We’re back with another sampling from the #RedLineDC video vault. This time with an excerpt from last year’s interview with art historian and culture theorist Martin Irvine, the founding professor of Georgetown University’s Communication, Culture & Technology program.

We asked Professor Irvine about the academic concepts evident in graffiti subculture. What’s the big idea behind the writings on the wall? Why has the tradition of graffiti returned to the Red line, again and again? Irvine weighs in on the lure of metro graffiti and explains why we need to give these everyday aesthetics a closer look. See for yourself and share your thoughts in the comments section below.

The Lure of the Red Line from citylovedc on Vimeo.

All editing and no play makes Red Line D. C. a dull project, so luckily there’s a silver lining up ahead. Next month we’ll be screening new footage and discussing the final phase of our efforts at two upcoming events. The first, on Saturday,  October 13th, (7pm) will be hosted by neighborhood initiative DeanwoodxDesign. The second, a collaboration between human resource-hub Knowledge Commons and BloomBars, a community arts space in Columbia Heights, will be held the following week on Saturday, October 20th (12-2pm).

Respectively, these three awesome organizations are breathing new offline life to Red Line D.C. We’ll be showing unseen footage from the two-part film and both events will feature live discussion with Saaret Yoseph, the documentary’s director and producer. Yoseph will talk about post-production progress and plans for release, as well as the stakes behind Red Line D. C. and the 3-year process that led to this point in the project.

Oh, and in case you missed it last week, Yoseph did a guest spot on WAMU‘s The Kojo Nnamdi Show. She was included in an episode about public art and graffiti alongside a couple Red Line D. C. interviewees, including art director Cory Stowers and Nancee Lyons from the Department of Public Works. The lively chat should hold you over if you’re in need of a little Red line action until we see you next month.

But in the meantime, check back for more event details and project updates.

For weeks now, we’ve been hiding out in an edit studio trying to piece together the two-part documentary series that will encompass all the underlying issues of Red Line D.C. With a rough cut of part one already under our belt, the bulk of our attention has been focused on building part two, a story that will address the Metro-Branch Trail’s development; how changes in access to the Red line have in turn affected aesthetics and the value of wall space. This process has been slow, but steady. And sadly, because of our tunnel vision video-making, the online presence of #redlinedc has dwindled. For this, we sincerely apologize.

Hopefully, our absence has only made your heart fonder of the film’s potential. But in case it hasn’t, here’s some bonus footage to rekindle your interest. In this video excerpt, Prof. Zachary Schrag, author of The Great Society Subway, reminds us why Washington metro matters are so important to understanding the District.

Zachary Schrag on the Meaning of Metro from citylovedc on Vimeo.

While you patiently await our film’s final cuts, we’ll do our best to post more video clips like this one to hold you over. So until then, bear with us folks, documentary work in progress …

Just 5 days left for fundraising on Indiegogo! In a little over a month, we’ve been able to raise more than half of our $6000 goal and get the word out about Red Line D. C. to countless locals. All thanks to you, of course. And as a thanks for all your effort and contributions, we’re offering up the long-awaited Red Line D.C.: The Mixtape.

This playlist has the potential to jazz up your commute with a soundtrack curated by none other than Yodith Dammlash, our resident photog. Though, Dammlash is adept at eye-catching photographs, she lent us her ear for music when we needed her. (Sadly, our crowd-sourcing plans didn’t pan out.) So while we’re hard at work in the edit studio, making sense of the last two years, feast your ears on this mix tailor-made for your ride.

Oh, and if you like what you hear, don’t be shy about showing it. Five days is still plenty of time to make a difference …

There’s nothing like an 80′s classic to kickoff the week. And, folks, it doesn’t get more “I Love the 80′s” than Ghostbusters. This retro single from the film’s soundtrack is our subtle way of signaling the last #redlinedc event of the summer. Come Wednesday, we’ll be wrapping things up right, with an outdoor screening near New York Avenue metro station.

Before featuring that ghostly, cult comedy, our partners at NoMa will show a rough cut version of See Something, Say Something, the first installment of our two-part documentary. We can’t think of a better way to wind down our events and amp up our online fundraising than a screening that’s smack dab on the Red line.

So, come join us on the grass and get cozy … It’s nearly showtime.

Thursday night’s event at Blackbyrd went off without a hitch! We’re, now, a little over $1700 on Indiegogo and feeling oh-so-good about ourselves. Still plenty of fundraising and post-production work ahead, but the closeout fundraising party gave us lots of motivation to keep up the momentum and keep having fun in the process.

Check out the photos from the event, compliments of our photo editor Yodith Dammlash. There are also a few aerial shots of the crowd, courtesy of Mr. Damu the Fudgemunk, himself. Dammlash’s P.O.V. works the crowd, while the talented musician offers his birds-eye view. Lots of memorable moments throughout. See for yourself …

(And don’t forget to join us for the very last #redlinedc event: An outdoor screening of See Something, Say Something by New York Ave. metro station on Wednesday, June 27th. Details TK!)

We can hardly wait for tomorrow! The long-awaited closeout fundraising party for Red Line D.C. is finally here and happening at Blackbyrd, Thursday night from 6-9 p.m. Though, this won’t be our last event in June, it will be the last cocktail-fueled occasion With one month left on our Indiegogo campaign, the contributions during and after our closeout party will be used to see us through the last phase of the documentary–post-production.

But to fund that final stretch, we need to familiarize more folks with the project. Which means, bring a friend or two, because tomorrow’s happiest of happy hours will be our final in-person push. Sample footage will be projected while His Dope-ness, Damu the Fudgemunk works the 1′s & 2′s. There’s no point even missing this, people!

So, before we go back into our dark and isolated editing cave for the rest of the summer, we want to see you and bask in the spotlight. Maybe even have a dance or two.