Coney Island Jay
Jay Singer has been in love with one Brooklyn neighborhood his entire life. He grew up there, pined for it when he was forced to leave and returned when he couldn’t stand to be away. “Coney Island Jay” really loves Coney Island.
Jay Singer has been in love with one Brooklyn neighborhood his entire life. He grew up there, pined for it when he was forced to leave and returned when he couldn’t stand to be away one more day. His life’s work is an unfinished 1200 page book about the place. He currently gives three-hour tours explaining its history. You see, Jay loves Coney Island so much, he renamed himself ‘Coney Island’ Jay. Through Jay’s vast historical knowledge, we learn about what makes this iconic neighborhood so special, and how that past may impact its future. Jay also describes the very personal impact Coney Island has had on his life and his family’s, too. Step on up and take a ride...It’s Coney Island Jay.
Coney Island Jay is a product of the MediaStorm Storytelling Workshop, where participants work alongside MediaStorm staff to create an intimate, character-driven documentary in just one week. Learn more about upcoming MediaStorm workshops and online training at http://mediastorm.com/train.
Credits
Testimonials
Claire Molloy, Cinematography
I came to the workshop hoping to improve my shooting skills. While I succeeded in this, I ended up coming away with something far more important. My love for visual storytelling was revived. This one week workshop was an incredible jolt to my system and I was reminded why I began a career in this field.
I was in awe by the detail and thought MediaStorm has put into their stories. During the workshop they broke down their methods and processes. The team not only discussed their achievements but their failures as well. Showing us you learn a lot from your mistakes. This is a company that truly loves to teach and wants everyone to improve. I learned such a great deal not only from my teachers but from my fellow participants as well. Everyone provided a unique point of view and brought their own skills to the team.
I am excited to apply the techniques and process I learned from the workshop to my future projects. But more importantly, I am excited for the future of visual storytelling as a whole. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Ingrid Styrkestad, Cinematography
I had a great time at the storytelling workshop. Collaborating with so many talented people was very interesting. I learned a lot of new ways of seeing the world and telling a story.
Annemor Larsen, Editor
It was a hot and intense week with your stormtroopers. The workshop gave me insight into MediaStorm’s ways of working out The Story in the editing room. To see the story finally starting to evolve after hours and hours of tedious logging, labeling and transcribing was a relief. The importance of knowing your material and where to find it is one of the things I will keep up, back home.
What surprised me was that, even though I participated as an editor, I also learned a lot about shooting because both Tim and Eric showed good examples of what worked and what didn't in the footage.
Thanks again for giving me "flat tire and parachute-memories". Coney Island will never be the same.
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