Joe Fenstermaker's Div III

Div III Preliminary Proposal
This is Joe Fenstermaker's Preliminary Proposal. While this document is final, the concept of the Div III will continue to evolve during the process.

Intellectual/Academic Motivation
As a field of study, history has become codified by a process of segmentation and isolation of events, as well as attempts at fitting things into a grand singular progressive narrative that often overlooks or ignores subtlety in favor of cohesion. The personal portrait within documentary film provides a strong narrative arc around which history in the broader sense can be challenged and questioned. Within expository documentary film, interviews have occupied an important place as a means of quickly disseminating knowledge with authority. My interest here with interviews is both formal and practical; however the challenge will be giving voice to the subject, while also letting the audience know the filmmaker’s perspective and purpose. Interviews need not be conducted in the manner traditionally associated with documentary film where a talking head expounds on a subject; instead they can become an open dialogue between filmmaker and subject that considers the agency and intent of both parties.

Project
I intend to make a 90-minute film about a person with an interesting life story that relates to history as a whole. Through delving into a subject’s life from multiple perspectives—of the subject, of people around the subject, of the filmmaker and of history the audience will gain an understanding for how the person is emblematic and representative of history. I need a subject! Ideally the subject should in some respect represent an overlooked or counter narrative to history as it is typically codified. The subject will live somewhere in the New England or Mid-Atlantic regions, perhaps from New York City. The production of the documentary will use a fusion of 16mm film and mini DV video formats. This combination will produce the vivid rich aesthetic of 16mm film for the imagery, while providing the cost savings and production convenience of a video format for the interviews. The final documentary will be edited and finalized non-linearly on Final Cut Pro.

Outcome
The purpose with this project is not only to push the intellectual and technical boundaries of my practice as a filmmaker, but also to create a piece that can be distributed and shown. Distribution and marketing of documentary film is something completely foreign to me and requires practice. The film should ideally be completed by January to allow the second semester of Div III to be devoted to marketing and distribution. This work will include screenings, festival submissions, and possibly TV and DVD distribution. All of this is dependent on the successful completion of a high quality documentary. This project represents the culminating element of my four years of study at Hampshire in terms of learning about Film and History.

Other Suggestions
''A consistent complaint about Joe's academic work on the part of his friends is that he takes himself too seriously and does not have any fun. Thanks to the wonders of Hampedia, they were able add to the proposal without Joe's knowledge or aproval. Here are a few of their suggestions.''

"The central theme of my film will be cupcake creation and consumption. Through interviews with cupcake mavens and artisans, I will explore the cupcake's storied history, its cultural significance, and its deliciousness. The climax of the film will be when I reflexively turn the camera on myself and proceed to eat two dozen Funfetti cupcakes in a row, skip manically about Mod 16 for several minutes, and then go take a nap on Lenora."

- Julia Partington

"For the past two years I, Joe Fenstermaker, have been haunted by the ghost of Ralph Waldo Emerson, who forces me to praise the eternal unity of Man three times a day and edit Hampedia incessantly. To complete the journey of self-fulfillment that began when I came to Hampshire, I intend as part of my Division III project to corporeally summon Henry David Thoreau. I will then have this zombie transcendentalist battle the ghost of Emerson, who for the purposes of this brawl will want to possess a stronger body than mine, possibly that of Ian Schwartz. I will film this event, charging ridiculous sums both for tickets to the live event and for later viewings of the footage. Then, my fortune made, I will give up filmaking forever and go and live deliberately somewhere. Probably Italy."

- Elizabeth Buchanan

"I intend to relate my Division III film to the history and struggles of zombies in the North American Hemisphere through extensive study and interviewing. This includes, but is not limited to, zombie warfare, zombie cuisine, zombie reproduction behaviors, and zombie nesting habits. I will, in effect, immerse myself in their culture and society, investing my whole self in their community. I hope to gain a lifelong learning experience from sincere engagement in the zombie culture and broaden my experience of fun, nocturnal, and off-the-beaten-path social engagements. I can only hope that my inclusion of zombies and zombie studies in My Division III project will make it somewhat less pretentious"

- Aliya Bonar

More Suggestions
''Do you have any suggestions that might help me out? I mean, things that aren't funny. After all, I'm a serious man who does serious things. As they say, "It takes a village to raise Joe Fenstermaker's Div III"! FYI, I have no Facebook, so this will prove an ineffective place for sending me suggestions in case you were wondering.''

"Hey Joe, if you're interested in shopping your documentary out to festivals I recommend Withoutabox as a good, initial resource."

- Chris Semple