Outline for Scripting for Fender Bender Video project
This film is an informational video that will influence the program and content development of Fender Bender bicycle collective and the women, trans, and queer culture in Detroit.
This video will address how bike mechanic training and the cycling culture of Detroit can reflect, uplift and be accessible to this community. I will present how these people do contribute and engage with the bike culture of Detroit.
Creating whole communities means developing comfortable and safe spaces for everyone to participate in a way that reflects and validates their needs, wants and imaginations - while also deconstructing and rebuilding the roles and principles that have held us back or been an obstacle to becoming more whole.
As a queer female cyclist and mechanic, I have a deep understanding of gender discrepancies in the bicycle culture of Detroit - as it has long been a male dominated domain. Although there have always been people besides men that ride and fix bikes - we have been under-represented, unappreciated and overlooked, as is common in patriarchy. Fender Bender is a crucial element to the growth of a comprehensive and inclusive bike culture in Detroit that empowers and uplifts women, trans and queer people in community with all.
I will conduct 20 interviews with people who consider themselves women, trans and/or queer that ride a bicycle and/or have/want a deeper understanding and intimate relationship to repair skills and the bicycle culture in Detroit.
Most voices will be in some relationship to bicycles. Several people who appear in the video are regular cyclists or have intimate knowledge of bike repair. Others may have less or narrow experience, but have experience with working in safe spaces or groupd dedicated to women/queer empowerment. Some may want to be more involved with bicycles in another way other than repair or riding.
Each of these people are important because they’re representative of women, trans and queer cyclists in the city - they can speak to the direct challenges and power of being this community of cyclists. Since the video aims to uplift and support this group of people with their ideal bike shop vision, and what they want from a cycling culture - we a seeking to explore and prioritize their dreams first. Tell how bikes have been liberating and joyful in their lives. Elements/obstacles that have held them back or reasons why. Tell how they engage with bicycles and a memorable bicycle moment in the city. Explain what they want from a bike shop. The participants in our survey and video will help us begin to grow our ‘tool box’ - what are the ‘tools’ Fender Bender needs to serve this community well?
Detroit is the crucial setting to this project since Fender Bender is a queer women operated bike shop in Detroit. Understanding the desires of this community in so we are able to fulfill the wants and needs that a bike shop could be for them: we need to have direct contact and conversation with cyclists and enthusiasts here to help shape and influence how we develop Fender Bender.
This period of time is important to the project because Fender Bender just moved to our own location and we are starting fresh. We have an outline of programs and events to offer, but we are asking for the desires and needs of the community to guide the substance and metis of the workshops and bike shop environment. This is the perfect time to be gathering this information as we are in a place to infuse their ideas immediately.
The plot is to uplift and support the women, trans and gender non-conforming culture of Detroit via the our relationship to bicycles. Fender Bender Detroit is a bike shop that aims to provide a safe and nurturing environment for people to be their own unique and beautiful selves while learning bicycle repair skills and engaging with bike culture in what is otherwise a macho-aggressive dominated culture. We want to put faces and voices to this community and provide the much deserved representation this we need.
Rough Idea of a Plot.....
A. IDEAL BIKE SHOP - Intro - colorful letter cut-outs that read "what is your ideal bike shop?" with construction paper - look playful - the sign is hung from a bike on a repair stand (song clip about
expectations) :03 secs
Ideal Bike shop space? (expectations - skills - content)
4 ppl @ :10 secs ea. Ea of them in a different settings - at the bike shop, with their bike, at a park, locking up their bike
Transition - What are the princples and practices at your ideal bike shop? (an illustrated sign) Id like to include a clip the song "respect-just a lil bit" - only the one line :04 secs
3 ppl @ :10 secs ea - only a few words or key concepts that stand out to ppl - ask that each person prepare a vsual image/word/symbol or item that represent that principle that they can hold up with a thrid hand tool or pliers
In a WORDLE diagram I will show the top three most impoartant principles to guide practices of the ideal bike of these 25 women, trans and/or queer ppl :03 secs
Transition - Whats your vision - how will bikes be used in the future of Detroit? (illustrated sign)
:02 secs
4ppl @ :5 secs ea
B. Highlight different types of riders and what ppl use riding for
Transition:
Whats your relationship to bicycles? (I ask this - and show an image of person laying in bed caressing their bike under sheets - a glass of wine and cheese/chococlates/strawberries/ on the nigthstand and candles) :03 secs
5 ppl @ :05 to :10 secs ea - show shot of each person in action on their bike in their own unique way followed with a brief statement about how they feel when they are on their bike
C. Bike Blender
Transition: Other unusual relationships and use of bikes? :02 secs
group @ :10 sec - girls group using bike blender
(bold letters appear that say (whatever bike club name they chose) & Capuchin Kitchen Detroit, MI)
5 ppl @ :03 sec - ea girl says something about blender experience
D. Empowerment - these questions are asked by me - you hear my voice
Transition: What profound impact do bikes have in your life? :01 secs
4 ppl @ :03 secs ea
Tell of a memorable bike-related moment in Detroit? :01 secs
3ppl @ :05 secs ea
E. Fender Bender
Transition: What - Why - Where - When - How are we going to facilitate a bike shop that caters to these needs and visions? @ :15 secs
Fender Bender is a women and queer run bicycle collective in the Cass Corridor - the heart of Detroit. We are a collective of cycling advocates - mechanics - and bike enthusiasts dedicated to engaging with and contributing to healthy accessible women, trans and queer culture spaces in the D. We aim to stimulate and implement the needs, wants and imaginations of this community within the context of a fun and liberating bike shop and riding experience in the city and beyond. We are the cyclists we wish to see in the world.
Our aim is to have a positive impact on the cycling culture of Detroit by providing a safe learning and teaching space of mechanic training, bike riding safety and advocacy. Cycling has long been a male dominated domain. Although there have always been people besides men that ride and fix bikes - we are many times under-represented and overlooked, as is common in patriarchy. Fender Bender is a crucial element to the growth of a comprehensive and inclusive bike culture in Detroit that empowers and uplifts, especially those who have experienced less appreciation and representation.
An important aspect of creating this shop is through getting to know and unserstand the vision of the community we wish to serve and what they want. Fender Bender will use the ideas, feelings and feedback we collected thoughout the process of making this video to influence and shape our programing and content development.
We are currently located at 4605 Cass Ave Detroit, MI where we reside as part of the Cass Corridor Commons - a collabortation of social and environmental justice grassroots organizations. Here we are incubating to establish of permanence as a resource and empowerment tool within the bicycle culture and greater community of women, trans and queer people on Detroit!
show shop and make it magical
The entire thing will run only 00:3:35 or somehwere about there - Im open to it being a lil longer ot a lil shorter, but not under 3 minutes and not over 4 min.
