Second semester is well underway. It marks the end of a great Interim and the start of my final semester here at Wofford. One of the coolest things about Wofford is Interim. It’s a one-month break, during January in between the academic semesters. This time is spent traveling to learn about another region of the world, learning a new skill or just exploring a topic that you find interesting. Interim is basically a time to explore topics one wouldn’t normally study during the academic semesters.
Prior to this most recent Interim term, I had spent previous interims exploring the culture and history of Hawaii, exploring the outdoors of the Carolinas, and studying Buddhism and meditation. I want to do something different this year. So I proposed my own interim and it was approved. I took my love for both film and music and decided to make a documentary about the lives of local hip-hop artists. I learned so much about music and film over the past month.
The process was long and strenuous, but so fulfilling, at the same time. I interviewed and followed artists from Charleston, Atlanta and Pacolet (near Spartanburg). Each artist was different from the next, but they all shared commonalities. I traveled to each of their respective homes and filmed them, their families, and the music scenes that they call home. Of course the project changed as the month progressed and I am very happy about it all. I’ll include the link once I’ve finished editing.
Again, everything is a learning opportunity. With this project, I was reintroduced to the idea of Indie v. Local, and I realized that I was actually making a documentary about Indie rappers. Indie means to be independent of a record label, everything you do is on your own. I made a lot of contacts and befriended so many people. In terms of film, I learned how to edit better, to go with the flow, and to make the best of any situation. It was just a cool process.