COMPLETED:
premiering Friday, June 20, at 6:00 pm
filmmakers will be present for Q & A following the movie
[project diary] [production stills] [movie clip]
Ronit Bezalel
Chicago, IL
USA
project title:
A Day on the Force: Women's Pro-Tackle Football
producer: Ronit
Bezalel, Sree Nallamothu, Laurie Little
director: Ronit
Bezalel, Sree Nallamothu, Laurie Little
writer: Ronit
Bezalel, Sree Nallamothu, Laurie Little
cast & crew:
Carmine Cervi, BulletProof Film, Inc. - Editor
tagline: A candid look at Chicago's first women's professional tackle
football team.
treatment:
Intro
Eighty years after the inception of the Bears, Chicago is finally getting
a professional women's tackle football team, the Chicago Force. The Force
is the newest member of the Independent Women‚s Football League (IWFL)
with 26 teams throughout the United States.
The arrival of Women's
Professional Football is an historic event. While Title IX has evened the
playing field somewhat, women and girls have still been excluded from competing
in tackle football. There is something about women playing football that crosses
into the "male" domain and challenges normative gender roles in
a way that no other sport does. The Chicago Force offers opportunity for women
to play tackle football in a safe environment, while serving Chicago with
positive role models for athletes and women of all ages.
A Day on the Force:
Women's Pro-Tackle Football will be a seventy-minute look at life on the football
field when women play the sport. It will focus on the drama of one Chicago
Force game, played May 17th on the De La Salle field in Chicago. Cinema verite
segments will be intercut with team interviews. The film will show a slice
of life never seen before; women in pads playing tackle football.
Treatment
The sun shines brightly and illuminates the fresh field. Everything is in
place, line markers have been drawn, goal posts have been put up. The temperature
hovers around 60, with a light breeze in the air. It's a perfect day for football.
One by one, the Chicago
Force players assemble on the field. They're wearing their new uniforms -
black with steel colored lettering. The players gather around fiery coach,
"Papa" Charlie Black. He spits cliches with enthusiasm, motivating
the team. And these players cling to his every word. They're itching to beat
the snot out of their opponent - the Oklahoma City Avengers.
At first glance, this
scene is rather mundane. Another football game, like thousands before it,
is about to begin. The field is ready, the spectators are seated. However,
at closer look, this is quite an historic event. The Chicago Force players
remove their helmets and it's apparent that these are women going into the
sports battlefield.
The camera pans around the huddle. Women from all walks of life clutch their
helmets, listening to the coach. There's Helen, at 41, she‚s the oldest
woman on the team. Helen‚s got short blond hair and a rugged face. There's
Alice, the 6'5 star quarterback. Her sprained ankle is wrapped, she‚s
going to be playing in pain. There‚s Cindy, the wide receiver. Rather
frail to play football, she was well coached by her husband, who was just
called up to serve in Iraq. The camera stops at Rebecca (aka Punk). Standing
5'5, and stocky in her pads, Punk was built to play football. She unabashedly
smiles at the camera. Pushing a strand of her blond hair from her face, she
yells. "I'm fired up!"
A Day on the Force:
Women's Pro-Tackle Football will document the May 17th game between the Oklahoma
City Avengers and the Chicago Force. The video will follow the narrative arc
of an inexperienced team, The Chicago Force, playing a much better opponent.
Injuries, flared tempers, jeers from the crowd, coaches‚ berating, missed
tackles, effective hits, frustration, elation, and admiration are all par
for the course.
A Day on the Force:
Women's Pro-Tackle Football will also focus on several of the athletes: Punk,
Danger, Cindy, and Wendy.
Punk is a bundle of
energy, constantly motivating her defensive line. She‚s the youngest
player and also the only Force player to have ever played full on tackle football
before. Punk has played with boys teams since the age of 11, and on her boys
high school team.
Jane Danger is the
exact opposite. While her bright dyed orange hair stands out, Danger is quiet
and focused, fast and furious. She didn't know anyone on the team prior to
trying out--just stumbled upon the Force website in time for tryouts. Jane
Danger represents the underdog, too small for football, yet her passion landed
her a spot on the team. Coach Black doubted that Jane would make the starter
squad. She surprised him by being the top rusher, and scoring a touchdown
during the first game.
Then there's Cindy,
the conservative wide receiver who recently wedded her high school sweetheart.
Football serves as a good distraction from the fact that her husband is now
serving in the Gulf. Before he was shipped out, Cindy‚s husband taught
her the football fundamentals. She now tapes all the games and sends them
to him.
Wendy could be considered
by some as the "everywoman" or "soccer mom", except this
mom is in the game and not watching from the sidelines. Married with two small
children, Wendy is fulfilling a lifelong dream to play tackle football. She
brings her son, daughter, and husband to the games, and they can be seen cheering
on the sidelines. Wendy is famous for the 400 chocolate chip cookies she bakes
before games and distributes to the team and fans.
Amidst this backdrop,
there will be a deeper exploration of the concept of women‚s tackle football.
The women will be asked pointed questions to elicit raw emotion and unmitigated
responses. Questions to be asked include: Why tackle football? What does it
mean for a woman to play a sport so linked to the American concept of masculinity?
Is this breaking down a gender barrier? In what way and to which end? What
does it mean to win at this game? Is there pleasure from specifically playing
tackle football? How and in which way? How would you explain your love of
the game to those that see this as a violent sport? What have the reactions
been from your co-workers, friends, family? What sacrifices have you made
to play this sport? What future sacrifices will you make? The women's responses
will be intercut with the unfolding drama of the game.
A Day on the Force:
Women's Pro-Tackle Football will follow the narrative structure of the football
game: pre-game warm up, first and second quarters, halftime, third and fourth
quarters, post-game reflections. These segments will last approximately five
to seven minutes, depending on the events unfolding. Intercut with the game
will be the interviews. The film will be shot with a multitude of cameras,
mostly hand-held, to convey as sense of urgency and frenetic motion key to
a football game.
The documentary will begin by following two characters in the morning, as
they prepare for the game: Wendy and Jane. There will be shots of the women
getting ready ˆ Wendy feeding her kids breakfast in the morning before she
goes to the game. Jane taking her dog for a walk before she leaves for the
stadium. Once at the field, there will be shots of the women practicing, suiting
up, getting the locker room "pep talk".
Women's Pro Football
is an exciting development in the progression for equality. It is important
that this league be documented so that stereotypes can be broken down and
a wider audience can gain exposure to the fact that women, indeed, can suit
up in pads and play tackle football. Football may not be for all, but the
fact that women can now have this opportunity is a step in the right direction.
statement of style:
A Day on the Force: Women's Pro-Tackle Football will consist of the intersection
of two documentary styles: cinema verite and the traditional interview. The
majority of this documentary will be filmed in the cinema verite style. The
abundance of hand held cameras, radio microphones on key characters, and shooting
from a multi camera perspective will heighten the sense of spontaneity. The
audience will feel as if they are there and viewing from the perspective of
the players. This will have a much more gritty, immediate feel than the clean,
corporate images of football displayed by the major networks. Blood will be
shown. Pain and elation will be highlighted.
A total of five cameras
will be shooting the field. There will be a stationary camera on a rooftop,
capturing the field POV. There will also be two roving camera capturing footage
of the players, the game, the sidelines, the fans, the concession stand, etc.
There will be a helmet camera attached to coach Black‚s hat to get his
POV. Additionally, there will be one camera assigned to sideline interviews.
The cinema verite
style will be reminiscent of Frederick Weisman who has remarkable ability
to elevate the mundane to the profound. For example, in Weisman‚s film
"Public Housing" a simple shot of a woman sorting vegetable leaves
becomes a brilliant meditation of life within the confines of public housing.
Likewise, A Day on the Force: Women's Pro-Tackle Football will include simple,
yet illustrative shots. These will potentially include: a helmet being put
on, the impact of a good hit, a delicate slap on the ass after a good pass,
a dejected look after a fumble. Combined, these images will highlight the
color, pageantry, sites and sounds that is football. True to this style, there
will be a lack of narration. Instead, the story will be gleaned from the narrative
elements present: the coaches words, the conversations of the women in the
huddle and on the sidelines, the comments from spectators.
Intercut with cinema verite segments will be interviews with the women. These will be conducted on the sidelines before, during, and after the game. The interviews will serve to string the narrative together, to provide counterpoint to the dramatic tension, and to explore the idea of women‚s tackle football. The interviews will be hand-held to further encourage the spontaneous feel of the piece.
timeline:
Saturday May 17th (Day One)
9am - noon
Get Equipment.
Set up Cameras at De La Salle field.
Test Audio.
Begin Shoot. Film two women at their houses preparing for the game.
Noon
Women arrive at the field.
Film getting changed into gear.
1pm
Film warm-ups, locker room talk.
3pm - 6pm
Film Game.
6pm-8pm
Film Post Game. End Shoot.
Break Down Cameras and Return Equipment.
Travel to Editor's studio.
9pm - 1am
Watch and log selects.
Digitize selects into computer.
Create paper edit.
Sunday May 18th (Day Two)
9am - 6pm
Continue digitizing selects.
While selects digitizing, continue paper edit.
When digitizing finished, complete rough-cut.
6-7pm
If time permits, and on schedule, screen rough cut to small audience.
Get feedback, make changes.
7pm--midnight
Continue editing.
Monday May 19th (Day Three)
6am-10pm
Create fine cut
If time permits, and on schedule, screen fine cut to small audience.
Get feedback, make changes.
Create titles.
If needed, write, record and add narration.
Add music.
Overnight
Render effects and titles.
Tuesday May 20th (Day
Four ˆ partial day, to complete the 72 hours)
5am-7am
Watch Tape
Make Minor Changes.
Output
9am
Take to post office
Done!
director bio:
Ronit Bezalel has
been producing and directing films for the past ten years. She has produced/directed
seven documentaries and two short narratives.
Bezalel's most recent
video, Voices of Cabrini:Remaking Chicago's Public Housing (1999), examines
the redevelopment of Chicago's Cabrini Green public housing complex. The piece
aired on Chicago Public television and has been screened extensively across
the country. Through a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Grant, Bezalel and
executive producer Judy Hoffman screened Voices of Cabrini:Remaking Chicago's
Public Housing throughout Chicago. The video was shown in a series of eight
community forums in neighborhoods where people are being displaced and relocated.
After each screening, community leaders facilitated discussions and people
were encouraged to network and become involved in the issues. As a result
of this tour, Newsweek Magazine (January 2001) honored Bezalel, as one of
the Top 15 Women of the 21st Century.
Prior to moving to
Chicago, Bezalel worked at the National Film Board of Canada where she directed
When Shirley Met Florence (1994). This thirty-minute documentary featured
a fifty-five year friendship between two Jewish women. The documentary received
a silver award at Chicago‚s Gay/Lesbian film festival and aired on television
in England, Canada, and Australia.
Bezalel's other producing/directing credits include You Can't Beat it Out of Us (1991) a documentary exploring police violence against Montreal‚s minority communities, Tearing the Veil (1990) a look at lesbian stereotypes, A Classroom Dialogue (1993) providing strategies for unlearning racism in the classroom, and No Quiet Please (1991) about preventing sexual assault.
castcrewbio:
Sree Nallamothu,
Camera Operator, Co-Director
Sree Nallamothu is a Chicago-based independent filmmaker. She has worked with
Sakshi, a Human Rights Watch group in India as a documentarian. She also taught
in the Film & Video Department of Columbia College Chicago, Chicago Filmmakers,
and at Community TV Network, a nonprofit media arts organization, where she
also developed media literacy and video production programs for Chicago-area
youth.
Laurie Little,
Camera Operator, Co-Director
Independent Filmmaker, Laurie Little, made her first film at age fifteen in
her native Quebec. She went on to study Fine Arts at York University in Toronto,
exhibiting her paintings and photography and doing multimedia performance
art and music. After several years of adventuring and mountaineering in the
Canadian Rockies, the Himalayas of Kashmere and India
she worked as a freelance photographer, photographic printer and digital artist
in Toronto, New Mexico and Chicago.
Laurie has been producing
and directing her music videos and short films as well as working on numerous
documentaries and independent features as a videographer and camera operator.
Her featurette, Lonewolf, premiered in Chicago in November of 2002. God1s
Eye, a Dramatic Narrative she directed for Producer/Cinematographer Caroline
Brandes won the top prize for a student film at the Berlin International Non-Commercial
Film Festival in 2001. Laurie received her Masters of Fine Arts degree in
Film from Columbia College Chicago in 2002. She continues to work as a digital
artist and independent filmmaker while teaching film at Columbia College.
Beth Berolzheimer,
Editor
Beth Berolzheimer is a photographer, filmmaker and video artist, and media
activist who lives and teaches in Chicago. She also has a 20 year reputation
as an editor. She owns an Avid, and has cut numerous documentaries for local
grassroots organizations. As a freelance editor she has cut independent feature
work and understands dialog cutting and the post process from the film to
tape transfer through the conform. Her client list includes NBC, The Goodman
Theater, Chicago Video Project, Beyondmedia, and Women In The Directors Chair.
In her capacity as
a Certified Avid Trainer in the Columbia College Avid Training Center Beth
has taught beginning editing through advanced effects compositing to industry
professionals across the country. Her passion for working with alternative
grassroots organizations was temporarily satisfied in 2001. She traveled for
2 weeks in Russia and the Ukraine with beyondmedia Education a nonprofit organization
dedicated to creating alternative media for positive social change. Her job
was to document with digital video and still photographs the Project Kesher's
Youth Leadership Conference for a subsequent tape and CD-Rom, about women
rebuilding society in the former Soviet Union. Beth has received awards and
exhibited at festivals, museums and galleries throughout the United States
and Europe.
score: 21 out of 30 possible points
[project diary] [production stills] [movie clip]