Hold Out
One evening, David Sheets read a story about a new basketball arena proposed for his neighborhood. Then he realized the plans were drawn right over his house. Hold Out is the story of a few neighbors who haven't been very easily dislodged.
There are only about 15 people left in David Sheet's neighborhood, once a thriving community of people who had lived there much of their lives. The reason: Atlantic Yards, Brooklyn's largest-ever proposed real estate development, which will cost 5 billion dollars and engulf three times the area of Rockefeller Center.
Jack-hammering, construction, and relentless noise have driven more than 600 residents from their homes, and many of those homes have already been demolished. But a few brave souls have decided to stay, choosing not to make it easy for their displacers. "I am going to stand in their way for as long as I can," says Sheets, looking both fierce and vulnerable against an ominous street-scape. "Do stadiums come before lives?" asks another resident, who refuses to leave. Hold Out is their story.
Hold Out is a product of the MediaStorm Storytelling Workshop, where participants work alongside MediaStorm staff to create an intimate, character-driven documentary in just one week. Learn more about upcoming MediaStorm workshops and online training at mediastorm.com/train.
Credits
Testimonials
Zachary Barr, Story and Audio
I work in radio but knew next to nothing about photography and video. No more! The MediaStorm workshop taught me how to take good pictures, and more importantly how to put it all together into one story. It was a chance to do the kind of work we so often wish we were doing: working without distractions, collaboratively with super talented people, all the while guided by dedicated, talented teachers.
Uma Sanghvi, Story
The team of MediaStorm producers were fantastic teachers - energetic, patient and thoughtful 'coaches' who tirelessly led our teams in story development, reporting and editing. I hadn't thought about story structure in such a rigorous way until this workshop. What I learned about editing and pacing will change the way I edit from now on.
It is a truly ideal situation - small teams of creative people with different kinds of expertise collaborating together to produce a high-quality multimedia product. This is the model our industry needs to be working towards now. What a joy to experience it in the field.
I also learned from my fellow team members; being around talented, smart and driven people is a treat. All in all this was an invaluable opportunity for me not only to develop my skills - but more importantly I left the workshop re-energized and newly inspired to produce better and better work. Plus, it was just a lot of fun!
Jeff Hutchens, Photography and Video
The absolute highlight of the week was working with both the fantastic folks at MediaStorm and the high-caliber of participants they brought in. One of the most surprising but effective techniques I'll take home was the emphasis on the radio edit as the primary backbone of the story. It's a shift in perspective when you come from a primarily visual background, but an extremely powerful one.
Nacho Corbella, Photography and Video
It was a privilege to work with such talented professionals. The workshop provided us room to play and explore our expertise in an ideal learning environment.
It's always refreshing having reinforced the fact that the story is the most important thing, especially in a media world plagued by the necessity of getting content done under pressure in which sometimes the story itself is not explored deeply but just superficially in order to get the content up. Here, we had that pressure too, but it was about finding the elements to make that story better and not just about fulfilling a deadline.
In few words, it was freakin' awesome!
Recognition
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