Much Overdue Update

 First off, we are sorry for not sending out an update in so long. We have been extremely busy editing and it is a very stressful time in the semester.

Dave and I spent our spring break back down in Nicaragua for our 3^rd and final trip working on “A Road Unpaved.” We had the bulk of our filming done in January so we only had a couple other interviews to get taken care of. Other than that we working on shooting more b-roll along with going on a wild goose chase trying to track down archival photographs that we could use. All in all it was a very successful trip and it was very hard to say goodbye and leave Nicaragua for the final time.

Since then we have been working hard on putting it all together. Last weekend, we worked on piecing together all of our sound bites and really assembling our story. This afternoon I spent three hours working with Margarita Diaz. We worked on checking the accuracy of our subtitles and separating the subtitles so that people will be able to easily read them. Tomorrow morning I am meeting with Erin Peck to continue where Margarita and I left off. This weekend we are going to spend our time putting in the music, b-roll, and beginning to mix the audio.

This is a very stressful time for us, but at the same time very exciting! We began talking about this project last May, now it is finally coming to life. Our rough edit is due in class Wednesday (April 20th) and then our final cut is due the Wednesday after (April 27th). So stay tuned for more info on our progress along with when our first screening is going to be!

-Take Care

Back in the States

We returned back to the US a few days ago from our second trip to Nicaragua. Talk about climate shock, we went from 85 degree temperatures in Nicaragua in the morning, to 10 degrees and 2+ feet of snow back in Connecticut. The trip went very well, we shot hours and hours of footage. As much as we hated leaving Nicaragua we are both very excited to be back and start the real work. Now we begin the process of getting all of our latest interviews translated and starting to piece it all together. Stay tuned for us to post pictures and screen shots.

Shooting Update

Our second trip to Nicaragua filming this documentary is rapidly coming to an end. This trip has proven to be an amazing learning experience on many different levels. We have met many new people and heard some pretty amazing stories. We are hopeful that we will be able to make their stories come to life and gain the equality and respect they deserve because of this project. Tomorrow is our last day of filming for this trip and we are expecting big things. We will be meeting with the mayor of Leon, Nicaragua to talk about the different laws concerning ramps and other ways of making Nicaragua more universally accessible. Stay tuned for more updates once we return to the US.

"On The Road Again"

We are leaving in only a few hours for our second trip to Nicaragua for this project. Both of us are very excited to build on what we began in October.  We will be in Nicaragua filming for 10 days, conducting interviews with numerous different people of interest. We are hoping that it will be a very advantageous trip and we will return with a wealth of information and footage for “A Road Unpaved.” We return on January 13^th, stay tuned for updates upon our return.

A Road Unpaved Teaser

A Road Unpaved

 About the Documentary: 

A Road Unpaved will focus on the life of people in Nicaragua who have physical disabilities. The documentary will explore the social atmosphere in Nicaragua and the public’s view toward people with physical disabilities. It also will look at what the government is or is not doing to help improve their quality of life. Finally, it will explore the link between life with a physical disability and the development of depression.

Our Goal:

We are embarking on a monumental task; we will be shooting our senior thesis film in Nicaragua. In October, we traveled to Nicaragua for the first of three times in effort of making this documentary. While in Nicaragua, we shot initial interviews and made many contacts for when we return to film more. We plan to travel back to Nicaragua in both January and March to continue the project. In the end, we hope to produce a documentary that will shed light on the lives of people living in Nicaragua with a physical disability.

How You Can Help:

Since we are college students, we are reaching out to those around us to ask for your help. International travel is not a small expense, especially on a college budget. Between the two of us, our goal is to raise a total of $2,500 to help fund our documentary.  If you can help out in any way we will be extremely grateful.  This is a life changing opportunity, not only for us, but also for the people impacted by the film. This is a project that we are both very passionate about. It is a dream of both of ours to do this kind of work; creating social change through the medium of film. To have the opportunity to do this while we are both still college students is something that we are very grateful for.

To donate please click the "Donate" button, at the top of the page, in which all proceeds will go directly toward making this documentary a reality.  

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us at:

Taylor.Roberts@quinnipiac.edu or David.Fitzgerald@quinnipiac.edu

Please feel free to pass on this message to your friends and family!  

-Taylor and Dave