Initial Conditions

So far, I haven't made much progress on production. To catch you up to speed:

Progress
Last summer, I read deeply on congestion pricing. I wrote a long article about congestion pricing that will be featured in the upcoming Pitt Political Review. I also flew to L.A. and interviewed two researchers at RAND, one person at the SR91 Express Lanes, one person at the Reason Foundation, and the editor of StreetsBlog L.A.

In the fall, I returned to classes. I tried to animate with my feeble knowledge of After Effects, which I learned in an animation class in Buenos Aires at Facultad Universidad de Cine, but I didn't get far. I finished my college classes on December 18, 2009.

Over the break, I got a membership at Lynda.com. It's media tutorial service. I watched all of the After Effects series and the Illustrator series.

Finances

I now have nine months left on my lease in Pittsburgh. I have a source of income from working 20 hours per week making maps and editing documents and spreadsheets for my father's business. I don't earn much, but rent and beer in Pittsburgh are very cheap, and my health insurance policy has a high deductible.

I also have $5500 in stocks I accumuluated mainly by investing in emerging markets. I plan to cash it all in and spend it all on my documentary. I have no college debt. Pitt has been generous with scholarship for me.

Equipment
I have a Sony HVR A1U HD camera, a tripod, a year-long HD access-pass to Pittsburgh Filmmakers, an Intuous 3 6"x8" Wacom tablet, a bunch of tapes, Adobe Master Collection, and a dream.

Experience
I have been working on videos in my free time since I was 12. From 2005-2007, I made the 47-minute documentary It's a Thick Book about problems with the Alabama State Constitution. Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform distributed it across the state on DVD and at mass screenings. Now it is shown in high school civics classes sometimes. That got me really pumped to make another politics/economics doc. I want to do this for a living as long as I can.

I have usually worked with a Panasonic DVX100A or B and edited on Final Cut Pro with Motion. For this project, I'm switching to Windows. I'm animating in After Effects and doing a rough-draft edit in Premiere. I will probably then do a final draft edit in AVID. This is my first long project in the HDV format and my first long Windows project.

Context
I am working on a B. Phil. (Bachelors of Philosophy) degree in Mathematics-Economics from University of Pittsburgh's University Honors College. My documentary is part of my thesis. My classes are all done. In April, I have to present a working product and a paper about media about economics before a committee.

Motivation
I really hate traffic congestion. I am interested in what new media can accomplish as far as informing the citizens in a republic about their policy options. I want America to be a pleasant, prosperous place to live.