The Filmmakers' Story:
Over a course of a few months just after the Springfield Street Choir began, the film crew observed multiple practices and performances. They interviewed the choir directors , church pastor, and choir members to get their perspectives on the intention and effects of the choir. The choir members have consistently said that the choir is a highlight of their week and they love to perform just for the joy of it, but that the choir also gives them an amplified voice that demands to be listened to.
Crew also followed different choir members for a few hours to get a look into the daily lives of someone who is homeless. They walk all day to avoid loitering and have limited spaces where they are legally allowed to simply exist, but the night is even more difficult. If the shelters are closed or full, these individuals are forced to trespass to find a space to sleep or are made to walk all night to avoid legal repercussions.
While the choir allows for a sheltered place for one hour a week and provides a free meal, the choir only has so many resources. Combined with City homeless outreach, there still is not enough resources to go around. To combat this, the Springfield Street Choir acts as a political move to publicize the issue of homelessness in Springfield, MO to incite a slow but steady change to the better.
The Crew:
It takes a lot of people to put together a project like this and months of passion, sweat, and tears. The team was comprised by volunteers with a love of film, passionate film students from Missouri State University, and the guiding hands of the Carbon Trace producers. The director and producer are among those student volunteers. Carbon Trace Productions is a fantastic nonprofit organization specializing in documentary filmmaking. They give student filmmakers opportunities to intern and master their craft on meaningful projects. Several members of Carbon Trace Productions are also faculty of the Missouri State University film program.
Dedicated crew members included:
- Producer: Michael Mayrand
- Director: Mackenzie Huffman
- Director of Photography: Corey O’Connor
- Production Assistant: Noah Campbell
- Camera Operator/Still Photographer: Jym Wilson
- Lead Editor: Ben Daniels
- Assistant Editor/Camera Operator: Cody Pate
- Assistant Editor: Ashton Wilson
- Sound Editor: Matt Foster
- Composer: Jeannie Fehr