The past eleven weeks have been filled with many invaluable experiences- from learning new filming technique and project management to meeting the cool people creating Portland’s culture scene, the term with NW Stories has been so rewarding. But by far, the greatest takeaway was working with two very skilled storytellers. Being able to trust my partners while shooting in the field, bouncing story ideas […]

A little snippet of what it was like to film the DUG x DISJECTA event earlier this month.

One of my favorite moments from last Sunday was hearing Mia say, ” So this is what it would be like if I was famous,” after walking half a block of Sutton and me circling her with cameras. There is no doubt in my mind that one day Mia will be superstar famous- she’s a mover and […]

Now that we have shared so much about Mia and her work, it’s time we introduce ourselves! Kylie is a senior visual journalist who’s winding road finally led her to something she truly loves. Having switched majors three times, her journalism skills are backed by a grounded knowledge of the world and how it functions. […]

Sunday was our final day of B-roll and interviews for Mia’s story. Our final shots were crucial to developing Mia’s story outside of the DUG event. She volunteers at Alder Elementary School in Gresham, which is an “I Have a Dream Oregon” school. She has a strong connection to this school and these kids because she […]

After returning to Portland from New York City, Mia began researching. She dove deep into historical moments like those of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X, and the Black Panthers—moments she feels weren’t emphasized in her upbringing. Deep Underground strives to create a platform for expression outside of violence and aggression, it’s meant to be […]

One of the biggest pre-production challenges is planning what visuals are needed to back up sound bites. With Mia’s story in particular, her past is extremely important to her current work in DUG- the societal expectations she grew up with, her time in New York etcetera… most of the story’s tension comes from the past, so it was something that we […]

On Saturday evening, KoSo Productions filmed NW Stories subject Mia O’Connor perform at the historic Newmark Theater in Portland, Oregon. Mia is a former Jefferson Dancer, one of Portland’s most prestigious dance companies, and for the company’s 40th anniversary, she was invited to participate in an Alumni showcase at the theater. Having visited the Newmark theater […]

As journalists, we strive to be flies on the wall. We work to immerse ourselves in the story while remaining removed and objective. But there comes a time in every journalist’s career when keeping a low profile is simply impossible. As it turns out, our night of filming at DISJECTA art gallery was that moment […]

While our time at DISJECTA was incredible, we face some challenges moving forward in terms of how we want to shape our documentary and what gaps in b-roll we’ll need to fill. O’Connor was not up at the microphone as much as we had hoped, so most of the footage revolves around her setting up, […]