This pitch is more of a proof of concept than anything else, but I think it would be fun. I asked Bruce whether or not a 'mockumentary' was a valid interpretation of this assignment, to which the response was a semi-enthusiastic "pitch it!" So here is the pitch. A parody of the audio series 'Serial', the investigation into the murder of a teenage girl that went viral a few years ago. Uncreatively, the title of this parody would be 'Cereal' and it would chronical the investigation into who ate my box of Strawberry Honey Bunches of Oats. I would 'interview' my family and friends with a ridiculous amount of production and decoration, acting like I was trying to get to the bottom of a murder, but in reality just trying to find out who ate my damn cereal. This may be too narrative-y, but the climax I image would be a removal of the façade and me attacking my little brother for eating my cereal. Trust me, it's really funny in my he...
Hi Kelli,
ReplyDeleteI think this has a lot of potential, but you might flesh out the idea a bit more. In general, of course, our identities are, as you note, often shaped by where our ancestors came from. But of the many influences, what are some that most interest you? Which seem particularly troublesome, or raise interesting questions? And what's your stake in this? Do you find that your own ethnic or cultural background is something that appears on your radar from time to time? If so, how? Why do you find interesting about it when it does? One of the things that I find particularly relevant about the general topic is that we are a nation of immigrants, as is often noted, and that idea is increasingly complicated these days. Do you see an angle there?
I really like this idea! It's something we actually hear more than we think, someone doing something because of where their ancestors were from. I think you could find some really good evidence and interviews towards this topic.
ReplyDeleteInteresting idea, Kelli. I think this would take you down a path of not only finding out a lot about how people identify based on these things that they are often times several generations removed from but I think you would also find some interesting things on the side of people that don't have much knowledge of a clear background.
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a good start, but how are you going to interject yourself into the story? What, as BB's post states, is your personal investment into this story?
ReplyDeleteDo you think much about your cultural heritage? Is it something that is important to you, or--like in Dante's pitch--is it rather the absence of tradition that has made you curious about where people come from?
I'm curious how much ancestral knowledge survives in the digital age, as I couldn't even tell you my great grandparents names let alone my family history. However, this may just be unique to me, though I still think that family title don't carry the same weight they used to.
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