Ariel Tung | April 29, 2009
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| Photo by Alex Farris |
| Graduate student Shameka Neely talked to her audience after they watched Witnesses to History, her new documentary. The premiere was Monday night in the Ernie Pyle Auditorium. |
Neely, a WTIU producer and a journalism graduate student, journeyed to Washington D.C. with WTIU videographer Bill Shaw to attend President Obama’s inauguration in January. The team traveled with local groups and filmed them as they watched the ceremony and heard the inaugural speech Jan. 20.
While WTIU will air the documentary several times in the next few weeks, Neely said it is important that fellow journalism students get the first viewing.
“I want to show fellow students what writing and producing a documentary is about, and the possibility of them being involved in a project like this,” said Neely.
Neely spent the last three months working with WTIU videographer and editor Eric Bolstridge to edit the material into a documentary. Neely put together footage of the bus journey to Washington D.C. and the inauguration day itself, some historical archives, and interviews with famous people such as former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy and educator/philosopher Cornel West.
The documentary consists of three story elements. The first is the historical perspectives of African-Americans and their quest to gain the right to vote. The second story is about the 13-hour bus ride to Washington, D.C., when Neely and Shaw departed with the IU chapter of Zeta Phi Beta to attend the inauguration The third story is on the inauguration itself, showing President Obama taking the oath to presidency.
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| Photo by Alex Farris |
| Neely enlisted the help of WTIU videographers to help edit the hours of video into a 30-minute documentary. The film has three segments of storytelling. |
Ann Shea, news bureau chief at WTIU, said Neely always has several people look at her writing before she makes any changes, and that reviewing and rewriting are part of the editorial process of making a documentary.
Neely’s fellow students were impressed.
“I am surprised by how much work, materials and time are required to create a 30-minute documentary. I think she did a really good job,” said freshman Alma Figueroa.
One of Neely’s J510 Media and Society classmates, Lesley Ham, came to show her support for Neely.
“The documentary is excellent. I am impressed that Neely and her videographers managed to get interviews with Tony Dungy and Cornel West,” she said.
To see the documentary, tune into WTIU Channel 30 at one of these times:
- 8:30 p.m. May 14
- 10 p.m. May 22
- 11:30 p.m. May 24
