Project: Cancelled

I was thrilled that last night I was able to go to The Manor with my girlfriend, Manda, and two friends, Sarah and Neeko. We decided to get there before the club opened to get some interviews. We arrived at around 10PM. 

I basically waited outside The Manor and asked strangers if they were busy. If they said no, I explained what I was doing, and asked for an interview. A petite, 18-year old black trans woman said yes to an interview. I handed her the mic and asked her the questions I prepared. She gave me a big hug afterwards. She was adorable, giggly and offered a perspective I hadn't gotten in my earlier interviews, being only 18. 

Next to the bouncer at The Manor is the same drag queen I always see there. She's friendly, but sassy and intimidating. I asked her for an interview, explaining my project, and she said, "Girl. I have like, 2 minutes." I handed her the mic and got as much out of her as I could, but she was working as a promoter for the club, so she had to get back to work. I told her how much I appreciated her interview and she said I could come back at the end of the night for more. 

With that in mind, my group and I walked into the club itself to take some b-roll footage. The main stage wasn't open till 12 AM, so went to the bar to sit and come up with a game plan for the rest of the night. We decided to go into the smaller dance floor until the main stage was open. 

This was a mistake. 

I never bring a bag to the club. It's annoying, a hassle and unnecessary to just bring a phone and a little cash. I gave Manda my phone and she kept mine in her left front pocket, hers (with her debit card and ID) in the right pocket. 

The smaller dance floor is tightly packed and a lot of fun. It must've been 12:30 AM when Manda said, "Wait, I had the phones, right?" We searched the entire club, asked every bartender, went on Find My iPhone...the phones were gone. They were stolen, which, according to one bartender, happens all the time by presumably the same group of people. They have a system going. 

I hadn't backed up my photos and videos to iCloud in a few weeks because I ran out of storage and needed to pay for more.

This was also a mistake.

I lost most of my footage, except the very-beginning stuff, and with the project being due in roughly two weeks, I don't have the time to recreate this documentary. The topic is so specific, the location is inconvenient, and its overall a very difficult subject.