A Great Find!

Our group has been getting frustrated while searching around Wilmington for footage of Hurricanes Bertha and Fran for our final project. Today on a whim, I simply typed "Hurricane Bertha video" into Google, and the very first link had a video of Hurricane Bertha HITTING JOHNNIE MERCER'S PIER! I'm very excited about this find. The owner of the site even has information on how to get permission to use the footage, so we would be able to submit to festivals even if we use this footage. I'm adding the link (titled HurricaneTrack.com) to the links on the side of the blog.

Final Pitch

The shift of our Johnnie Mercer’s Pier project has shifted as we have gotten deeper into our research and shooting. We are now working towards a poetic portrait of the pier. While our expert interview with pier manager Matt Johnson went very well, we would like to interview James Neal and probably use his interview as the basis for our film. Mr. Neal has been around Wrightsville Beach his whole life (since probably the 1950’s), and he now works at the pier shop. He is a wonderful storyteller and full of knowledge about the area. Because he is so interesting, we think hearing about the pier from his perspective would be the most interesting and would go along with our message. While the film will now have a poetic bend, we would still like to make it relatable to other victims of natural disasters, so we will be sure to focus on the pier’s destruction and reconstruction. In order to do this, we still need to interview James Neal. We also need to do research at the library and around Wilmington to find images of Johnnie Mercer’s Pier at all stages in its history. We would also like to have footage of some other hurricane damage to incorporate into our film at some point, to directly relate this disaster to other natural disasters that have occurred. Another element that we still need to work on is sound. Aside from James Neal’s voice, we need to figure out what other audio we would like to have in our film. We still have a lot of work to do, but I think we have a strong sense of direction now for the film.

Project Summary

Johnnie Mercer’s Pier has been a key feature of Wrightsville Beach, NC since the 1930’s. When the pier was destroyed by Hurricanes Bertha and Fran in 1996, its owners knew immediately that they wanted to rebuild. Although the reconstruction process was long and very difficult, the pier reopened in 2001 and has experienced great success. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters, Johnnie Mercer’s Pier is living proof that while it may be difficult, recovery is possible. This documentary will chronicle the pier’s life from before it was destroyed, through the reconstruction process, and up to its current status today.

Response

This article was one of the most informative articles I have read in all my years of college. The article was straight up with no BS, which is good because many filmmakers like to keep secrets. I was kind of upset by the gun portion of the article because I wanted to make a film that revolved around guns. The tip on editing was good as well because I was planning on taking the role of director/editor, which the article advises against. Finally, I’m glad the article stressed getting the audience interested in the first few minutes of the movie so it does not bore the audience. I think this is one of the hardest things to do with independent films.

I know why the film was rejected!

This article is very useful to anyone who wants to submit a film to a festival. Because of my experience with Vision last semester, I feel like I knew most of this information already. From jurying the submissions we received, I realized firsthand what it's like to sit through a poorly-scripted or edited film, and I subconsciously absorbed what not to do from watching it. Because our screening was so short, I also know that the shorter the film, the more likely it is to be accepted. Even more frustrating, I know that your film may not be accepted even if it follows all this advice, simply because of the volume of entries received. While I lived a lot of this article first-hand, I think it is a great resource for anyone just starting out with film festivals.

Why was my film rejected?

The tips on how to make sure your film has a chance of getting in to festivals were all extremely helpful AND SIMPLE! Make sure the quality is good, the story concice, and the plot original. It seems like filmmakers get so excited about there film and don't want to cut them down to a good 5 to 10 minutes because they don't want to lose any footage and they don't realize that this is the very reason their short does not make it into the festival.

Posted by Sarah

Response to Festival Article

I think that this article was very helpful. It oulined everything that the judges are looking for when they recieve submissions for film festivals. A lot of it seemed like common sense things that you know you should be thinking about, but you need to be reminded of. Sometimes when trying to make a film, the filmmaker can get hung up on trying to create a masterpiece that he/she overlooks important things that are very obvious to an outside audience. It's very good advice for any filmmaker to keep in mind for future festival submissions.

Idea for Poetic Assignment

After viewing Jennifer Proctor's Flow, I came up with the idea of shooting the beach in a similar fashion to Flow. It would take place at sunrise. Every shot would fade in and fade out. The sound would be the sound of waves crashing, also fading in and fading out. The shots would be of the waves, seagulls flying or walking on the beach, hopefully some pelicans flying, diving, and sitting on the water, and ideally some porpoises swimming down the coast. Then there is the possibility of slowing everything down from the shots to the sound. With the beautiful footage and relaxing sound, I think the film would turn out to be very soothing, just like JP's Flow. Storyboards are on the way...

Vox Populi Plan

Location for Vox Pops:
1) At Johnnie Mercer's Pier
2) Dowtown, near the waterfront
3) Mayfaire Cinemas

Equipment:
Shotgun
Camera
Light Meter
XLR Cable
Sticks

Questions:
-Name?
-Where are you from?
-(Resident) How long have you lived here?
-(Tourist) How often do you visit this area?
-Where is Johnnie Mercer's Pier?
-What is the pier used for?
-What does Johnnie Mercer's pier mean to you?
-What does Johnnie Mercer's pier mean to Wrightsville Beach?
-How often do you go to the pier?
-Do you go on the pier or just to the shop or beach area around the pier?
-Do you know why you have to pay to go on the pier and to fish at the pier?
-Does it bother you that you have to pay to walk and fish on the pier?
-Do you know any of the history of the pier?
-Did you know that the pier was destroyed in the hurricane?
-What do you know about the rebuilding of the pier?
-Does the pier offer things/activities that make you want to go on it? If not, what would you like?
-How has the atmosphere changed over time before/after it was built?
-How was the beach different while the pier was closed? Did you miss the pier or not care? Did people still go to that part of the beach?
-How was fishing impacted by the loss/rebuilding of the pier?

Expert Interview

We have chosen Matt Johnson for our expert interviewee. Matt's father, Bob Johnson, bought the pier in 1969 from Johnnie Mercer's widow. Bob still owns the pier and Matt is the pier manager. Matt was directly involved in the reconstruction of the pier. His family decided to rebuild the pier with concrete instead of wood. Matt has been manager of the pier for many years and will be able to give us a lot of valuable information for our project.

More Research

http://0-search.ebscohost.com.uncclc.coast.uncwil.edu:80/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nfh&AN=2W62520228922&site=ehost-live

This article from the Charlotte Observer describs how the new Johnnie Mercer's Pier was being built of concrete rather than wood. It goes on to discuss the ups and downs of choosing concrete. In our documentary the information on how concrete should make the pier withstand storms can be a good arguement for people to support the reconstrcution by donating when they wish to go out on the pier. This might put our film into the category of a legislative or delibrative rhetorical documentary, meaning our goal is the encourage/discourage - in our case encourage- people to pay the two dollars to enjoy the new pier.

Posted by Sarah

Research Link

Pier Owners Hope Concrete Will Weather Storm

This article discusses the decision to rebuild the pier using concrete. The owners are still concerned that the pier could crumble if a hurricane was powerful enough. The article also discusses the cost of building a pier out of concrete and the fact that concrete piers are becoming more popular across the nation.

http://0-web.ebscohost.com.uncclc.coast.uncwil.edu/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=115&sid=26e4a98b-1a7e-4f16-9b11-d1f1dcae06c1%40sessionmgr106

New Research Links

I've found several new sources through the library databases. I'll post the links on the right side of the blog, and a synopsis with the link title here.

1) Vacationers barely stop for Bertha's beach blast
This article talks about the damage that occurred to Wrightsville Beach during Hurricane Bertha, the first hurricane that damaged Johnnie Mercer's Pier.

2) The Legendary Johnny Mercer
This article explains that Johnny Mercer the musician is unconnected to Johnnie Mercer's Pier, and talks about the pier's original owner, JohnnIE Mercer.

3) Concrete A Way To Ride Out Storm
This article talks about the decision to rebuild Johnnie Mercer's pier out of concrete.

4) Common Sense
This article gives some history on the pier and talks about the trouble reopening.

5) Permission Granted
This article details the reconstruction of the new pier.

6) Pier moves one step closer to opening
More on the struggle to reopen Johnnie Mercer's Pier once it was rebuilt.

7) Go Fish
Talks about the struggle to drum up business for the pier once it reopened.

8) Johnnie Mercer's Pier won't reopen before Labor Day
More on the struggle to get the pier reopened after reconstruction.

9)HEEEERE'S JOHNNIE!
Article on the pier finally reopening.

Audience

I think the audience for our film will be very broad and diverse. Locally, our film would interest anyone who goes to Wrightsville Beach since it is such a huge physical landmark. Everyone I've met who even just vacations here knows of the pier, so I think it would be of interest to anyone who lives here or passes through. Anyone interested in coastal architecture or the history of the area would also be interested in our film because we plan to cover the pier's history and reconstruction.

On a broader scale, our film will also be targeted at anyone who has experienced the destruction of a hurricane (or any natural disaster really). We hope the overall tone of our film will be one of hope, and that anyone who has experienced similar destruction will see that while it may be difficult, it is possible to rebuild and recover.

Experts

For our project we will be interviewing two to four people. Right now we have a man named James Neal who talked our ear off at the pier the day we went to take pictures. He told us he has been working there longer than anyone else, so we figured he will probably be our main man. He gave us some good information as well as a few other names to interview. He mentioned a man named Matt Johnson, who I believe is the owner of the pier. Either way Matt Johnson has footage of the reconstruction of the pier that he had to keep for insurance purposes. Our goal is to check out that video. To top it all off, Mr. Johnson probably has a list of names of people with good information on the pier. We are also planning on interviewing historians at the Cape Fear Museum and the Wrightsville Beach Museum.

Shooting schedule

Our group plans on shooting Thursday. We normally have group meetings at 12:30 on Thursdays because we are available that day. If we need more time our shooting could possibly spill over into the weekend. Also, since this shoot is observational we may decide we could get better footage on Saturday when the beach/pier is busier.

Posted by Sarah

Observational Documentary Assigment

For this assignment our group has come up with a rough idea of what our project is going to be focused on and how our video and photographs can portray that idea. We want to focus on the history of the Johnnie Mercer pier and the reconstruction of it, while also giving the audience a sense of what Johnnie Mercer pier essentially is and why it is so appealing to tourists and locals. We would like to get some shots of people inside the shop eating, talking, and shopping. Also, we want to get footage of fishermen out on the pier and spectators looking out over the water. We plan on doing a little research to find the most popular times for fishermen to be out on the pier so we can make arrangements to be there for that. This is a popular place for surfers to come, so we would like to get some footage of surfers with the pier behind them or to the side. We also want a few shots of people underneath the pier, possibly children playing or building a sandcastle. Mainly we want footage of the popular activities that draw people to the pier. We will have to watch the weather carefully and try to find the warmest days that we can so we are able to get footage with more people on the beach. We might try and find out if there are any events going on in the next couple of weeks that would have more people out on the beach.

35mm Photo Shoot

For our 35mm photo shoot Kristen, Meghann, Brody and I took pictures on and around Johnnie Mercer’s Pier. We tried to capture images that we found to be visually interesting while providing a good depiction of the various parts of the pier; the original sign on the side of the building, underneath the pier looking through the posts, an extreme long shot from up on the balcony of a vacant house, etc.

Here is what we took:

Johnnie Mercer’s Free-Standing Sign
The free-standing sign is the first part of the pier seen as beach goers arrive at Johnnie Mercer’s. This was our mess up shot. We read the light meter incorrectly. After taking the other six pictures we took a few more pictures of the sign, framing the shot differently, with the sign positioned in the upper corner of the frame rather than dead center. This framing allowed for more scenery (part of a beach shop and street lamp can be seen), making the picture much more interesting.
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Extras



Underneath Pier
This shot had interesting angles with symmetrical slanting posts. The waves are breaking through the posts which, is very cool. The shot is the darkest of our seven and I think one of the best. It was very bright on Saturday.

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Long Shot of Pier (from balcony)
This picture we took because it shows the majority of the pier. It shows the view from a beachfront homeowner’s perspective.

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Fence and Pier
The fencing along the dunes in this shot was falling down a little which fit nicely with our topic of destruction. We couldn’t stand on dunes though to really get them in the shot.
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End of Pier (looking back at building)
We wanted to have a shot from as far out as we could get without experiencing vertigo.
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Side of Pier (looking out at ocean)
This shot looked pretty. Also the man in charge of letting people out on the pier was somewhat confused by what we were trying to take pictures of, so we thought it would be easiest if, for this shoot at least, we didn’t spend much time actually out on the pier.
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Original Sign from 1933 (on side of building)
Need I explain more? Also, the angles of the steps are cool.
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Posted by Sarah

Project Topic: Johnnie Mercer's Pier

For our 398 Doc project, Sarah, Kristen, Brody and I will be researching the collapse of Johnnie Mercer's Pier in 1996 after being pounded by several hurricanes, as well as the pier's rebuilding process. We feel that this topic is very relevant to anyone who either lives or vacations in Wilmington, because everyone around knows what Johnnie Mercer's Pier is; however, many people do not realize the history that lies behind it. The original pier dated back to the 1930's, and after it fell the pier was nonexistent until 2001. This topic has great local appeal, but it also has a broader appeal because destruction is a topic that reaches all hurricane victims. Many piers in North Carolina alone have suffered similar fates. Furthermore, Johnnie Mercer's Pier is proof that while hurricanes may cause destruction, it is always possible to recover and rebuild.

In 1996, after being hit by Hurricanes Bertha and Fran, the original Johnnie Mercer's wooden pier collapsed. Because it had been around since 1933, the pier was a landmark that Wilmington locals wanted restored. Rebuilding did not began until 1999 due to legal and financial setbacks, but the pier was finally reopened in 2001. This time, the pier was constructed out of more substantial concrete and steel to withstand future blows. When it first reopened, visitors had to make a donation to fish on or even walk down the new pier to help cover the costs of rebuilding. I personally can remember as recently as 2004 having to pay to walk the pier, so this story is relevant even to someone who did not come to Wilmington until several years after the reconstruction was completed.

Our group feels that this will not only be an interesting project to research and put together, but also that we will not have too much trouble tracking down sources for interviews or old photographs of Johnnie Mercer's Pier. In our research already, we have found photos of the original pier as well as photos of the pier after it fell and the new pier's construction. We will ourselves be taking photographs of the new pier, and we feel that the businesses around the pier will be great places to look for interview contacts. Many of the business owners may have been around at the time all this took place, and they may have even participated in the rebuilding process. Johnnie Mercer's Pier is a landmark to the Wilmington area, and we think it's reconstruction will make a strong and relevant documentary topic for this class.

Posted by Meghann