VIDEO DOCUMENTARY. Dakota Revel- a rebel, in her own words, raises awareness about Cerebral Palsy.

By Flora Haberman – 12th grade.

A blank page…

Just a few months ago, I was staring at a blank page wondering how in the world I was going to be able to write, direct, and produce my first original short film in a single semester. The overwhelming plethora of ideas was almost a curse, leaving me paralyzed with indecision as I struggled to make sense of a clear starting point. 

I was graced with an excellent idea during an ILC period the next morning at school while talking to one of my classmates and closest friends, Dakota Revel. Dakota was showing me a presentation she had created about Cerebral Palsy and we were chatting about her experience as someone living with the condition. Most of all, we both wondered how we could make our community more receptive to Cerebral Palsy awareness and, as a result, gain an enhanced, empathetic understanding of how to positively contribute to a diverse society. 

It was then that the words of my film professor about the power of documentary filmmaking came back to me and I realized that a golden opportunity had found itself within my reach. The main semester assignment for the electronic filmmaking college course in which I was enrolled was for all students to create their own short films of 5-10 minutes, free to choose any genre or style of filmmaking. When I proposed the idea of making a short documentary for Cerebral Palsy awareness, Dakota and I both became fueled with excitement as we began tossing around different ideas for the project. As we talked, I unearthed my notebook from my bag and began scribbling down a pitch. I couldn’t wait to get started, thrilled as I watched my blank page slowly come to life. 

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Crafting interview questions…

Even when the idea was still raw and underdeveloped, I already knew that my documentary was not meant to be about Cerebral Palsy as a general subject but about Dakota- a vibrant, hilarious 17 year old ready to indulge us with wisdom beyond her years. Throughout the first few days of brainstorming, I composed ten questions centered around Dakota’s personal lived experience such as her birth story, the many passions she has developed, her daily rituals, how she faces her biggest challenges head on, and which social spaces make her feel most understood. Once my questions were approved by my professor, I received the greenlight to begin filming.

Filming and editing…

Though the interview questions I had composed allowed me to dive in well prepared, the filming process for the project was certainly not linear. While knowing that interviews were essential, I still continued to contemplate ways to bring Dakota to the spotlight in her natural element, with the goal of properly capturing the full essence of her personality. Luckily, a birthday trip to Disneyland presented an excellent solution and I decided to document the highlights of our visit. As I followed Dakota around the amusement park with a tiny camcorder, I became fully immersed in the powerful medium of documentation and how it exposed the beauty of capturing organic, candid experiences. 

After I’d collected all of my footage came the exciting yet strenuous task of video editing. Being a student under significant time constraints and who had never before used professional video editing softwares such as Adobe PremierePro or Final Cut, I decided to stick with the simple familiarity of iMovie. Though I had hoped my professor would give us some instruction on how to use the more advanced options, his curriculum swayed more towards film analysis and the economic side of movie production. Similarly, the college I was attending was short on professional film cameras, leaving me to rent a Canon camcorder throughout the duration of my project. Indeed, I quickly understood that my only option was to make the best out of the tools and materials provided. However, the lack of professional resources made post-production frustrating and arduous. For weeks, I dealt with seemingly irreparable sound issues along with a never ending need for more family photographs and supplemental footage for the project. I was able to complete it in mostly satisfactory condition for the semester deadline and was happy with the grade I received, but I knew the hard work dedicated to improving my documentary would continue until I felt fully happy with my film. 

Reflection…

Hence, perfecting my documentary over this past summer was a personal journey that I undertook to improve my skills as a filmmaker but also to do justice to the very important story that my film represents. I learned that waiting a few weeks between each work session allowed me to maintain perspective and ensured that I never got too overwhelmed by the task. I worked on color correction, added photographs, typed out captions to broaden accessibility, and reconstructed the whole film after tearing it apart to fix audio issues. Most importantly, I was able to deepen a very special friendship and learn more about my passions, all while raising awareness about a remarkably underrepresented issue.