Market Square Documentary Test Drive

Well, I finally got my plan together for completing an initial test run of my new YouTube channel. It was time to capture actual content.

Unfortunately, I have not yet decided on the name of the channel. Altogether, the videos on the YouTube Channel will be, in my mind, considered a documentary. The documentary focuses on the human condition, who each of us are as individuals, living life, facing challenges, questions, emotions, sickness, and death. We talk about life, current events, politics, religion, science, or whatever. If we happen to get onto the topics of Sports or Country Music, those will be two areas that I won’t have much to say about.

The Documentary will be a collection of videos captured of myself and random individuals who agree to be recorded in a discussion. Once they agree to talk, that’s where the fun part starts.

I went to Market Square in Knoxville, Tennessee for a Test Drive of my idea for creating the Documentary and got to work. I set myself up in a pleasant location I thought people would enjoy to come over to. Me and my camera by the shade, eager to find out who would be the first person to talk with me on camera.

So after about 15 minutes, I learned that the traffic flows were primarily centered to the sides of the square. I didn’t make eye contact with anyone.

It became clear to me I needed a different approach. I needed to put myself right in the middle of the square. I moved my camera and continued my search for my first interview.

The new position was clearly better. I could see people coming from all directions. 

I learned post people, walking by themselves or in a group, were all focused on themselves or where they were going. They were not naturally looking around. Standing there, hoping someone would walk up to me was not a very fruitful approach. I needed to get assertive.

As I began to talk to myself out loud, saying, “Come and Talk to Me.”, I actually got glances of eye contact. I needed now to move around and come closer to individuals and proactively ask them how they were doing and if they wanted to be in a Documentary.

It worked!

I captured three interviews.

Stay tuned for details, including what I finally figure out as the name of the YouTube Channel for the Documentary.

Thanks.