ANALYSIS AND REFLECTION ON PRODUCING A BANNER YEAR (WORKING TITLE)

Abstract

The newspaper industry is in crisis, and journalists are looking for a way to save it. This thesis explores the filmmaking process of a documentary highlighting one specific business model in use at The Baltimore Banner in Baltimore, Maryland. The accompanying film highlights the journalists in action, showing how the newsroom reacts to large breaking news of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse on March 26, 2024 in Baltimore. The Banner is a nonprofit news organization run like a startup for-profit newsroom. This paper reviews the nonprofit model and dissects the history of the newspaper crisis. It then deconstructs the filmmaking process and reflects on lessons learned. The thesis affirms that a mix of cinema vérité and sit-down interviews is the proper filmmaking format for the audience to understand why journalism and the nonprofit model are important to a city like Baltimore.