April 13, 2015

Carson and I worked on the editing portion of our first video today. We took all the footage from Anne's Snack Bar and sorted that into the usable and unusable clips. We started trimming down clips as well to delete the unnecessary portions. One of the biggest issues we're facing is the size of all the files. If we download every video we have into iMovie it will drastically slow down the computer and application so we have to work off an external hard drive. It was a pretty slow and frustrating first day of editing but that is a part of this learning challenge. The process is very tedious and requires patience and focus. Carson and I will get more experienced with editing every day just like we did with filming so I believe things will start to look up.

April 10, 2015

Carson and I went to Savage Pizza in little 5 points for a film shoot, taste test and interview. We met with the manager and learned more about how they put honesty behind their work to uphold the Savage name. All their ingredients are fresh and he said they don't cook or sell anything they personally would not want to eat. The restaurant itself is a work of art. The place is loaded with comic books and action figures. The manager told us that most of the decorations are from one of the owner's personal collection. It was a lot of fun filming and eating at Savage Pizza because the employees were cool and it is in such a fun and different location. Filming in general was a great experience, we chose some very tasty places with awesome employees. I learned a lot about what it takes to produce documentary type films. It takes a lot of patience and curiosity. You have to be willing to dig deep to film something people ultimately are going to end up wanting to watch and that takes patience. I'm sad we're done filming for the most part but looking forward to the editing challenge ahead.  

April 9, 2015

Today Carson and I hit the first real bump in the road. We had an interview and film shoot set up for Little Bangkok, a famous Thai restaurant on Cheshire Bridge Road but were unable to film because of a miscommunication. I believe the manager was under the impression that we would be interviewing for an article on the restaurant and not a short film. The owner did not feel comfortable with us filming while they were working so we had to respect his wishes and find somewhere else to go. Because we did not want to waste the rest of the day we spent about an hour at Little Bangkok researching on our phones other places we could go. We decided a dessert place would be best because it was such short notice. We called a few donut shops first however they just referred us to their websites. Finally we got in touch with the staff at Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream on Howell Mill Road and they were nice enough to let us film on short notice. We then did some research on the Ice Cream shop so we knew a little bit about them before walking in and we found out that they have a few restaurants nationally and they're famous for their exotic flavors and blends that are unusual to the ice cream world. We arrived and the entire staff was incredibly welcoming and nice. They also were all very eager to help us on our project and had great knowledge of the store they worked in. The shoot went very smoothly and the ice cream was delicious! Carson and I were so happy and fortunate to have made the most out of the first real bump we hit.

April 8, 2015

Today in preparation for our shoot on Friday, Carson and I went to Savage Pizza in Little 5 Points to do exterior filming. We shot the outside of the restaurant and the area surrounding. We also spoke with the manager and a few of the employees to set up a film shoot for Friday at 11:00 A.M. Savage Pizza was started in 1990 and named after the Savage Messiah. The Savage Messiah was a poet who's work was well beyond his time and filled with honesty and inspiration. Savage Pizza strives to incorporate honesty and inspiration into all their ingredients and entrees. Besides having incredible pizza, the restaurant is a work of art itself. The interior and exterior are filled with artwork and comics and super heroes. Besides filming at Savage Pizza, we compiled questions for our interview at Little Bangkok tomorrow. Little Bangkok is an authentic Thai and Chinese restaurant located on Cheshire Bridge Road. We also spent some time separating all the clips we have so far to make our lives a little bit easier when we begin to edit. The hardest part will be taking the 45 minutes of footage we have for each restaurant and cutting that 45 minutes into 3-5 minutes. It will be a tedious process but we're excited for the challenge.

April 7, 2015

Today Carson and I went to film at Mary Mac's Tea Room on Ponce de Leon Avenue. Mary Mac's was started by Mary Mackenzie in 1945 right after World War II. We learned that it was very common at this time for women widowed by the war to open restaurants to earn a living. The "Tea Room" was often added to elevate the social status of the venue. We interviewed two employees both who have worked at Mary Mac's for over 20 years. They both agreed that the customers are what makes their job so special. They have a reputation for establishing strong customer relationships and know most of their regulars by name. We spent a lot of time filming the inside and outside of the restaurant because the interior is so large and the exterior sits right on a busy road so getting good sound was tricky. For the meal it was recommended by the manager that I have the fried chicken with sweet potato soufflé, mac & cheese and the banana pudding for dessert. The fried chicken was crispy and juicy. The sweet potato was incredibly sweet and complimented the chicken. The macaroni and cheese was made fresh right before I ate it and was hot and cheesy. The banana pudding was unbelievable and an excellent way to conclude the meal. Overall we had a great experience and Mary Mac's Tea Room and got some great footage that we're excited to put together.  

April 2, 2015

Carson and I went to Grand Champion BBQ in Krog Street Market to film and eat their beef brisket sandwich. The chef, Anthony Galleta, was very enthusiastic and eager to help us. He showed us how the smoker works and how he seasons the meat. He also gave us the inside details on what makes real BBQ so delicious. He then made me a beef brisket sandwich with the sauce on the side which was a very important detail. The sandwich was incredible and I rated it 5 out of 5 for taste. The restaurant is located along the belt line in the heart of Inman park so it has a ton of activity surrounding it. Grand Champion is a locally owned and started business with plans to expand locations throughout Atlanta. Overall the trip went very smoothly and it was another great experience meeting more great people.

April 1, 2015

Today Carson and I filmed at Anne's Snack Bar on Memorial Drive. We spent our time there getting shots of the restaurant and area surrounding. We also had an interview with the owner's brother who was very kind to let us do all our filming. From their menu I ate their world famous "Ghetto Burger" which was a massive cheese burger with lettuce, tomato, mayo, mustard, ketchup, secret sauce, bacon and chili. The Ghetto Burger was without a doubt the best cheese burger I have ever tasted and the employees were so friendly and happy to help us with our project. Our experience at Anne's Snack Bar was a very smooth and excellent overall first shoot.