Adventures of Grad School, Teaching, and Life
Treatment
The New River Todd, NC
Approximate Length: My short film will be 5-10 minutes in length.
Audience: This program is designed for people who like the outdoors, are interested in Western North Carolina, and who want to know more about the development/history of a section of the New River. People who may visit the High Country may watch it before they come visit, students at Appalachian may watch it to learn more about the area, and outdoor fans may watch it because of their interest.
Objectives: I want my audience to understand the unique beauty and freedom of the New River. There is so much one can do to relax by the river and there is a rich culture and history. It is a place to find peace and rest while at the same time understand the history of how it came to be. I want people to see how we can come together just outside of town and escape. Nature is a unique place where people from different backgrounds can come together on common ground to appreciate the world.
Background Information: Provide at least ten pieces of information related to this topic in your own words. Use
The New River is a unique place where people can kayak/canoe, fish, tube, and enjoy the outdoors.
As the Appalachian Mountains rose up and formed the river went with them. This means that the river is older than the mountains. Many people claim that it is the second oldest river in the world but there is not enough evidence to prove this (National Park Service, 2015).
The river has been known by many different names but the story goes that two explorers found the river and wrote it on the map as the “new river” and that is how the map maker left it (National Park Service, 2015).
Todd, NC has a rich history mostly revolving around trains and timber but 6,000+ years ago early natives lived in Todd because of a soapstone quarry (Todd Community Preservation Organization, 2019).
The Todd General Store is the only business to remain after WWII and is one of the oldest operating in NC (Todd Community Preservation Organization, 2019).
The South Fork of the New River runs through Todd and is a National Scenic and Wild River (Todd Community Preservation Organization, 2019).
It is 26.5 miles long and was designated on April 13, 1976 as a National Wild and Scenic River (New river (south fork), north carolina, n. d.).
The river flows South to North.
There are many companies that provide fishing, kayaking, tubing, and biking rentals and guided trips.
RiverGirl is a company based out of an old train depot in Todd and is owned and operated by Kelly McCoy, a fisheries biologist known as THE river girl (Rivergirl fishing co, 2010).
Content with any significant production details: The program will include shots of the river, pictures of maps, interviews, and voice-overs. I will gather river footage an interviews by traveling to Todd, NC during the month of June. I hope to get an interview with Kelly McCoy. In the interview, I want to find out what drew her to the area, the history of her business, and the history of the town and the river. I am also planning on interviewing visitors and people from the Todd General Store. I am planning to contact people from the Todd Community Preservation Organization for an interview.
Questions:
Tell me about the history of the South Fork.
What drew you to the area?
What is your favorite aspect of coming to the river?
Do you think there is a ‘river culture’? Tell me about that.
What is unique about this section of the river?
What is your favorite memory of this area?
How has the area changed over time?
Do you see a negative impact since the university has grown?
Why do you think people are attracted to the river?
Do you see a difference between how locals and non-locals treat the river?
Style: The mode I am planning on using is a mixture of observational and participatory. I will be using a DSLR to shoot on various places along the river. I will play around with the zoom, the transitions (fading shot in and out, etc.), and the natural sounds of the area. I will be editing the shots with Premiere.
Visuals: I will include visuals of the natural area and the natural area with people. Some examples include shots from the bank or bridges, shots of people tubing and/or kayaking down the river, shots of the input or outtake areas, shots at RiverGirl and the General Store. The shots may just be observational shots or participatory shots with interviews. I may use a GoPro to record as I float down the river (approval and weather dependent). I will also use some maps from the National Park Service website along with other online sources.
Interviews: These are individuals or groups of people who I am interested in interviewing. None of the interviews have been set up as of 6/9 but I am in the process of contacting them.
Kelly McCoy, owner of RiverGirl
Individuals from the Todd Community Preservation Organization
Visitors
Individuals who work for some of the local companies
Employees of Todd General Store
Example and counterexample: Here are two different drafts of a short sense of place assignment which was created using clips from the area (1. https://youtu.be/MFUcHd_CqBU 2. https://youtu.be/P_1elhO9Hwc). Another example is https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2019/04/29/the-derby/ because it talks about the Derby using observational clips and interviews with various people. It has some poetic pieces which I may or may not incorporate into my own short. I like that it shows many different perspectives but it focuses more on how the Derby shows the best and worst of America. I want to focus on general information of the Todd section of the South Fork. Overall I want my short to be positive, informative, and a promotion of sorts. A counterexample is https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2019/04/25/ivry/. This short focuses on a person and a significant event. It does include interviews and has a poetic aspect. It is dark and my short will be lighter and more natural. It will not follow a specific person rather a specific place.
References
The new river: Fact or fiction. (2015, Feb. 26). Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/neri/learn/nature/the-new-river-fact-or-fiction.htm
Todd community preservation organization (2019). Retrieved from http://toddnc.org/
New river (south fork), north carolina. (n. d.) Retrieved from https://www.rivers.gov/rivers/new.php