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Interrupted passage: A documentary script

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Content INTERRUPTED PASSAGE: A DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT
Copyright 2002
by
Anita Malik
A Professional Project Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS
JOURNALISM
(BROADCAST JOURNALISM)
May 2002
Anita Malik
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UMI Number: 1414826
UMI
UMI Microform 1414826
Copyright 2003 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company.
All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against
unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code.
ProQuest Information and Learning Company
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P.O. Box 1346
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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
The Graduate School
University Park
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90089'1695
This thesis, w ritten b y
An)ItA MAu K ._______________
U nder th e direction o f h Thesis
C om m ittee, an d a p p ro ved b y a ll its m em bers,
has been p resen ted to an d accepted b y The
G raduate School, in p a rtia l fulfillm en t o f
requirem ents fo r th e degree o f
Dean o f Graduate Studies
THESIS COMMTTTi
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Table of Contents
ABSTRACT iii
SCRIPT 1
BIBLIOGRAPHY 26
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ABSTRACT
iii
The young adult years are a time of growth, exploration, and moving on. It is
a time that is often confusing and difficult. It is a passage into adulthood.
This piece is a documentary script that examines what happens when this
delicate time is abruptly interrupted with the illness of a parent. It addresses the
dilemma of what to do next.
Through the personal stories of three individuals the piece also brings light to
the feelings of loneliness, the need for the support, and the sense of optimism.
Intertwined in these tales is a personal account from the author. It is a story of
shared experience about learning life’s lessons young.
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1
B-roll of Malik family eating dinner
Montage of Malik family parties,
barbeques, and portraits.
Fade up - music from the Penguin
Cafe - Chartered Flight
Fade to black
Family portrait
Zoom in on mother
Zoom in on father
Pan out to whole family
pause
Zoom in on Anita
B-roll of Anita at school and home
(daily life)
B-roll of Anita talking to
interviewees
Nat. sound full
THREE YEARS AGO MY MOTHER
WAS DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST
CANCER. TWO YEARS LATER MY
FATHER WITH END STAGE
MULTIPLE MYELOMA - A CANCER
OF THE BLOOD.
I WASN’T PREPARED FOR THIS. MY
LIFE, MY FAMILY HAD CHANGED.
AND I DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO
HANDLE IT.
SUDDENLY MY LIFE HAD BEEN
INTERRUPTED.
HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO ENTER
MY TWENTIES A TIME OF
SEARCHING AND SELF DISCOVERY
WHEN MY PARENTS WERE
SUDDENLY STRUGGLING FOR
THEIR OWN LIVES?
THERE WERE FEELINGS OF
HELPLESSNESS AND CONFUSION.
SHOULD I STAY AT HOME AND
HELP THEM? WAS ALTERING MY
PATH AN OPTION? I COULDN’T
HELP FEELING RESENTMENT, THEN
SADNESS, THEN LONELINESS, AND
PURE JOY... ALL THESE EMOTIONS
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Up full: Music From the Penguin
Cafe - Chartered Flight
Montage of images/B-roll from
interviewees mixed with generic
shots of parents with children.
(25 sec)
Son taking mother from hospital in
wheelchair.
AT THE SAME TIME. WHY MUST I
FACE THIS NOW INSTEAD OF WHEN
I WAS OLDER AND MORE
PREPARED?
I BEGAN A JOURNEY TO FIND
ANSWERS. WHAT I FOUND WAS
THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHERS
LIKE ME ON QUITE A SIMILAR
JOURNEY.
[02]00:17:50 - MARY ANN KNOX
(tearing up)
I will never have the same mom that I had,
you know three years ago again, ever.
She's completely different, and that in
itself is a huge loss, you know. Everybody
thinks of the loss of life, you know, and
she's not gone yet, but she's not my mom
anymore. She's different. I mean, I
bathed her. You don't bathe your parents.
You don't dress your parents. You don't
see your parents naked and just, you
know, screaming out in pain for their
parents.
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3
Daughter walking with mother
Mother and daughter shopping
Mother and daughter eating lunch
Quick edits of faces: Mary Ann,
Josh, and Deepa
Zoom out on still of Anita’s family
[03]00:30:25 - JOSH SILVERMAN
I'm never been a, a people person, but, you
know, when my mom became sick I
wanted to volunteer, you know..
I started caring about other people's
feelings.
[04]00:40:12 - DEEPA SAMUEL
I don't know whether I'll ever go back to
school, I don't know whether I'll ever get
that degree, I don't know if I'll go on to,
like, some CEO job and, you know, make
more money than I would've even if I had
the degree, and I don't know if my time is
just gonna be spent taking care of my
brothers and my dad until they're ready to
really take care of their own selves.
THE STORIES OF MARY ANN KNOX,
JOSH SILVERMAN, AND DEEPA
SAMUEL SHOWED ME I AM NOT
ALONE. THERE ARE GROWING
NUMBERS OF YOUNG PEOPLE WITH
SICK PARENTS. AND MANY OF US
SILENTLY STRUGGLE WITH THE
SAME QUESTIONS.__________________
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4
Fade to Black
Title
White text on black
Interrupted Passage
Dedication
“To my parents for their courage in
facing in the unexpected”
Fade up from black
Mary Ann walking in front door -
door closing.
Stills of Mary Ann at her desk and
with coworkers
Mary Ann in kitchen
Scientific images of the liver
Nat. sound full
[02] 00:00:15-M A R Y ANN KNOX
Well, I was in Spokane, Washington, um,
getting ready for work, .. .and, uh, she told
me that, uh, that she had Hepatitis
MARY ANN KNOX. 28 YEARS OLD.
HER MOTHER IS FIGHTING
CHRONIC HEPATITIS C THAT SHE
CONTRACTED FROM A BLOOD
TRANSFUSION ALMOST TWENTY
YEARS AGO. IT’S AN
INFLAMMATION OF THE LIVER. TEN
PERCENT OF THE CASES BRING
SERIOUS COMPLICATIONS.
MARY ANN’S MOM IS IN THAT TEN
PERCENT.
LIKE SO MANY PEOPLE BATTLING
DISEASE, MARY ANN’S MOTHER
WANTS TO KEEP HER BATTLE
PRIVATE AND DECIDED NOT TO
APPEAR ON CAMERA.
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5
Knox House
Santa Barbara wide shots and signs.
Travel books
Stills of former job
B-roll of workers
[02] 00:00:15 - MARY ANN KNOX
.. .1 didn't know if it was terminal. I, I
think I probably just said, you know, is it
terminal, are you gonna die, what's going
on, and she said, yes, it is terminal, and, I
just wanted to leave. That's all I wanted to
do is leave Spokane and come home, and I
did. I left, like, a, a month afterwards.
SHE NOW LIVES IN AN APARTMENT
ATTACHED TO HER PARENTS
HOUSE IN SANTA BARBARA.
[02]00:08:30 - MARY ANN KNOX
If she wasn't sick, I think I would be in
Texas doing something or North Carolina,
just traveling and, you know, learning new
things, but then again I would have so
much guilt if I was anywhere but here
right now, and that's only guilt that I put
on myself. My parents would never, ever,
ever put that on me.
MARY ANN GAVE UP HER CAREER
AS A PROMOTIONS PRODUCER FOR
LOCAL NEWS. SINCE THEN, SHE
JUGGLES CARING FOR HER MOM
WITH FULL OR PART TIME WORK.
IN FACT AT ONE POINT SHE QUIT
WORKING ALTOGETHER. HER
MOTHER NEEDED HER.
MARY ANN WORKS NOW BUT
SAYS IT IS NOT A PRIORITY.
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6
Mary Ann outside parent’s house.
Mary Ann looking through photo albu
Stills of Mary Ann with friends
CG: FREDDA WASSERMAN
Grief Counselor
Wasserman in office on phone
B-roll of Mary Ann at home
Looking through albums
[02]00:04:13 - MARY ANN KNOX
I said straight out I have a personal issue.
I will give you a hundred and ten percent
when I'm there, but I want an eight to five
job, and at five I'm leaving can you take
that, and they said yes.
[02]00:10:21 - MARY ANN KNOX
I don't regret any of the choices that I've
made, I don't regret staying here. You
know, this is so much more important than
anything.
BUT IT’S NOT EASY. THIS CHOICE
HAS CREATED TENSION IN MARY
ANN’S LIFE.
[02]00:02:38 - MARY ANN KNOX
I've definitely had that feeling of being
tom and it's never stopped...
.. .I'm stuck between do I continue with
my life or do I stop everything...
THERE ARE NO RIGHT ANSWERS.
BUT EXPERTS DO SAY IT IS
IMPORTANT TO FIND A BALANCE.
[02] 00:06:31 - FREDDA WASSERMAN
I think that people who give up absolutely
everything, and they do, some people do,
they quit their jobs, they move halfway
across the country, have, have both
reactions, you know. One is this was, like,
the most important task of my life. I
wouldn't have given up being with my
parent when they were dying and at the
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7
Stills of Mary Ann with friends
Scene of Christmas tree
(family video of celebration)
Anita’s family playing with dog
Family playing with dog
Doing prayer
Photo of Anita and Kevin Malik
end of their life for anything,
You know, there is no substitute for
missing, for having the opportunity to
have those closing moments.
[02]00:18:20 - MARY ANN KNOX
.. .it's a little just, a more emotional roller
coaster and just like that constant, gosh, I
am going out on a date or, you know,
should I be with my mom or gosh, I really
just need some time to myself right now
and watch a movie, but I could go
downstairs and watch a movie with my
mom.
Nat. sound full
[02]00:29:22 - MARY ANN KNOX
It's like I'm not a kid anymore even though
I want to be, you know, I'm the mother,
you know, and I'm, I had to bring all the
Christmas presents down. I had to go
Christmas shopping. I had to buy myself
Christmas presents.
Nat. sound full
IT’S ALL SO FAMILIAR...
FOR MY FAMILY, CELEBRATION OF
HOLIDAYS GO ON AS PLANNED.
THERE’S HAPPINESS AND LOVE
AND, STILL AT TIMES, THE
BICKERING. BUT THERE IS ALSO
THAT FEAR.
HOW MUCH LONGER WILL WE ALL
HAVE THIS TIME TOGETHER?
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8
General B-roll of families with
small children. Grandparents
walking with grandchildren.
Grandparents with grandchildren
playing in park.
Overlap above B-roll
WANT MY PARENTS TO SEE MY
BROTHER AND ME GET MARRED
AND I WANT THEM TO HAVE
GRANDCHILDREN. BUT INSIDE I
FEAR THAT TIME IS RUNNING
OUT.. .AND MY WISH MAY NEVER
BE GRANTED.
[02]00:13:06 - MARY ANN KNOX
She would have seen me get married, so I
think that's, that's really hard, the things
that she's gonna miss out on, not, and
things that I'm gonna miss out on to,
having her there, having her be the
grandma,
I felt maybe I should get pregnant just so
she could have a grandchild, you know,
but I can't, you know. I won't do that, but
that's what I feel like doing sometimes.
THIS DESIRE TO SPEED UP LEE IS
COMMON AMONG YOUNG ADULT
CHILDREN WHO HAVE A PARENT
WHO IS EL.
[02]00:03:46 - FREDDA WASSERMAN
My personal mission is to get people to be
able to talk about death as a part of
life..make room for some of the
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9
Newspaper headlines about disease
rates increases/age rates
B-roll of Mary Ann
conversation about, oh, mom, I just can't
imagine that someday I'm gonna get
married and you're not gonna be here, and
that, I mean, people, I have found that
people who've been able to have those
kinds of conversations don't have regrets
about that.
THESE KINDS OF CONVERSATIONS
MIGHT ALSO BECOME MORE
COMMON. ACTUALLY, PEOPLE ARE
LIVING LONGER, BUT THE CENTERS
FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND THE
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
SUGGEST THAT THE INCIDENCE OF
TERMINAL DISEASE HAS
INCREASED. AND IT OCCURS
EARLIER AND EARLIER IN
LIFE.. .MANY TIMES IN THE EARLY
FIFTIES. AT THIS AGE, IT IS LIKELY
THAT THE PATIENTS HAVE
CHILDREN LIKE MARY ANN... A
TWENTY-SOMETHING JUST ABOUT
TO SET OFF ON HER OWN.
MORE AND MORE YOUNG ADULT
CAREGIVERS ARE COMMON BUT
THEY OFTEN STRUGGLE IN
SILENCE.
[02]00:16:49 - MARY ANN KNOX
I mean, just the pressures of having your
mom terminally ill is, is something that,
you know, none of my, my other friends
have to go through and they don't
understand.
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10
B-roll of Our House counseling
center
.. .I've sought, you know, counseling just
from hospice and, and it's been great, but
I've gone out there and I've, you know,
searched for it.
B-roll of Mary Ann [02]00:01:30 - FREDDA WASSERMAN
Fredda talking
It is expected that your parent will die, you
certainly aren't expecting it when you're in
your early 20s, late teens, early 20s, just
when you're starting your independence of
your life and beginning to probably have a
different kind of relationship with your
parent, moving out of the home. So it has
been a population that has I think been very
alone with these feelings and hasn't been
well served.
General B-roll of young adults IT IS ALSO A POPULATION THAT IS
LESS LIKELY TO SEEK OUT
SUPPORT.
[02]00:02:15- FREDDA WASSERMAN
I think they just kind of need or think that
they need to handle it on their own or that
they should be able to handle it.
Josh talking about his room. Nat sound full
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11
Josh and Susan looking through
photo albums.
Stills of josh
[03]00:18:10- JOSH SILVERMAN
This is the age group where they’re first
learning stuff about themselves, learning
how to go on from where they are, you
know. I think they want to make their
own, you know, choices. They don't want
to seek help because they think they can
provide their own help, which a lot of
teens can do.
Nat. sound full
[03]00:39:54 - SUSAN TAUB
My name is Susan Taub and I was
diagnosed with lung cancer in November
of '97 and ovarian May of 2001, and this
is my son Josh, and he's 16
[03]00:45;30 - SUSAN TAUB
I think he got stronger, and I think he got
more, in his, in a strange way, I think he
got more independent.
I think he's developed some nervous
problems for himself because of my
illness. He has some bad stomach
problems, which is because of that. He's
kind of young to have, uh, acid reflux and
all that stuff, but he has it and that's how it
goes, so we're dealing with it.
03]00:14:09 - JOSH SILVERMAN
She always thinks I need more support,
but I don't feel that way.
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12
Josh playing with his dogs.
Sequence of 3 stills of Josh as he got
older.
Nat. sound full
BUT JOSH DOES NOW ATTEND A
SUPPORT GROUP AT A CANCER
WELLNESS CENTER.
[03]00:47:41 - SUSAN TAUB
I wanted him to be with other kids, you
know, around his age so he didn't feel so
alone more the social thing for him, but I
also think Josh has a lot to give. I mean
there's kids who are just starting, their
parents are, just got sick, and they don't
know how to deal with it ..he can help
possibly other kids, which in turn would
help him.
[03]00:14:41 - JOSH SILVERMAN
This doesn't bother me, honestly, you
know. I mean it bothers me, but it doesn't
bother me at the same time. I've always,
you know, dealt, preferred dealing with
things on my own power. I don't like
getting help for things.
[03]00:12:40 - JOSH SILVERMAN
I think it's, you know, matured me and
made me I guess grow a little bit quicker.
[03]00:13:15 - JOSH SILVERMAN
.. .1 like being different. I think, you
know, uniqueness is what makes every,
what makes, you know, people great, so, I
think it's good.
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13
High school B-roll
High school B-roll
High school B-roll
Josh
Josh showing us things in his room
Josh showing us things in his room
Arizona state university B-roll
Nat. sound full
JOSH SEES HIS DIFFERENCES AS
SPECIAL, BUT HIS CLASSMATES
AND FRIENDS DON’T ALWAYS SEE
IT THAT WAY.
[03]00:17:03 - JOSH SILVERMAN
Kids, you know, when they first found out
were very distant.
Every once in a while a teacher will come
up to me when they just find out my
mom’s sick or you know a kid will come
up to me and make sure I’m all right.
.. .They checked in, but they didn't want to
get close.
Nat. sound full
JOSH HAS NOT LET ANY OF THIS
INTERRUPT HIS LIFE. HE STILL
PLANS ON GOING TO ARIZONA
STATE UNIVERSITY NEXT YEAR
AND LIVING IN A DORM.
[03] 00:11:35 — INTERVIEWER
You haven't let your mom's sickness keep
you from pursuing things?
[03]00:11:38 - JOSH SILVERMAN
No, no 'cause I know she'd kill me if I did.
She, I know it makes her stronger to know
that I'm living my life.
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14
Stay on Josh’ s face for a few
seconds.
Zoom out on Malik family photo
Anita at school
Anita doing work
Malik family eating dinner
Malik family eating dinner
[03]00:41:31 - SUSAN TAUB
I heard somewhere that a parent's job is to
give their child wings, and I want to give
him the strongest wings he can possibly
have. I'll miss him, but I'm very excited
for him.
SUSAN’S WORDS SOUND FAMILIAR.
MY PARENTS ARE NOT VERY
DIFFERENT FROM HER. THEY HAVE
ALWAYS PUSHED ME TO CONTINUE
ON WITH MY OWN LIFE. IT IS
SOMETIMES HARD, BUT WITH
THEIR ASSURANCE I THINK I HAVE
FOUND A BALANCE. I HAVE
CONTINUED MY EDUCATION
WHILE STILL HELPING THEM IN
THEIR STRUGGLE. EVERY COUPLE
OF WEEKS IT’S A LOS ANGELES TO
PHOENIX COMMUTE. OFTEN A
CHALLENGE.
BUT MY PARENTS ONLY ASK THAT
I BE HAPPY.
THAT IS WHAT BRINGS MY
MOTHER AND FATHER PEACE.
Nat. sound full
[03]00:41:31 - SUSAN TAUB
I don't think it's right to expect your kid to
give up their life and dreams to take care
of you.
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15
Stills of Josh and Susan together [03]00:44:42 - SUSAN TAUB
.. .My mother had Hodgkin's, and it was,
for my generation it was required to quit
your job, stay home and take care of the
person, and, uh, even though we do things
like that, it's not right, but whatever Josh
does I know he's gonna do the right thing
mostly for himself and I know he will
consider me, also.
[03]00:18:28 - FREDDA WASSERMAN
Calendar pages
What you want to try to help people to do
is to find, you know, a balance in there.
Let's pretend now it's 2008, and you're
telling us about what happened in 2002,
what would you like to be able to say, how
you got through this, and sometimes that
can really give people a different
perspective on, oh, let's see, what would I
like to be able to say how I did this. For
whatever part is in your control, how do
you want this time to be.
Josh reading his poem “Fear” Nat. sound full
Cover some of poem with photos of
Josh and Susan together.
[03]00:10:33 - INTERVIEWER
What's your biggest fear?
[03]00:10:35 - JOSH SILVERMAN
Biggest fear? My mom dying is probably
my biggest fear.
Fade to black
Funeral footage Nat. sound full
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16
Stills of Deepa’s mother
Still of Samuel family
USC paperwork with Deepa’s name
on it.
[04]00:07:57 - DEEPA SAMUEL
I never imagined taking care of my mom
the way I took care of my mom. It's just
not something that you actually think of.
[04]00:01:44 - DEEPA SAMUEL
I found out she was sick, um, middle of
summer school, actually, and at the time,
no one I knew real close to me had cancer,
so when I heard it, it just, well, it's just
something very foreign to me, and you
have a, an automatic feeling of, you know,
this can't happen to me.
[04]00:05:17 - DEEPA SAMUEL
And I went over the paperwork with my
dad, and we just sat there at the dining
room table one day and, all the people that
had this particular type of cancer had, like,
a life expectancy of four months to a year,
I mean, a year and a half at the most
My dad always tells me that he
remembers...
.. .me just leaning on his shoulder, and just
asking him, you know, daddy, are we
gonna lose mom? And that's exactly how
I said it, I always would talk like that to
my dad, and he was just quiet, and I guess
that's when I really realized, you know,
this is real, and it's so serious.
A YEAR AGO, DEEPA SAMUEL WAS
PURSUING A MASTERS DEGREE IN
BROADCAST JOURNALISM AT THE
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17
Still of her mother
Students on the campus of
University of Southern California
B-roll of medications, hospitals.
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA. BUT HER MOTHER’S
SUDDEN BATTLE WITH BRAIN
CANCER FORCED DEEPA TO MAKE
A CHOICE.
[04]00:08:20 - DEEPA SAMUEL
For me to drop out of school, it was like I
had no other choice. I'm a first-born, so I
guess I have that instinctive take-charge
kind of attitude, you know, go get them
and take care of everything.
[04]00:09:41 - DEEPA SAMUEL
I can always go back to school, you know,
school's gonna be around.
[04]00:14:13 - DEEPA SAMUEL
I was the one who took her to all the
doctor's appointments, to all her, um,
radiation sessions, the pharmacy, to the
doctors.
I remember a few times where we like,
duked it out over her medication. When
you're arguing with your mom or your dad
about something like that, you know, it's
just, it's just something you don't
understand, you know, and I think being
23, 24 the whole time this happened, it
was like a nightmare.
And this is the point where I waited in my
life so long to make my parents proud of
me, and here I am having to take care of
my mom.
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18
B-roll of medications, hospitals.
CARING FOR YOUR PARENTS IS
ONE THING, BUT DOING SO EARLY
IN LIFE IS ANOTHER.
[04]00:44:22 - DEEPA SAMUEL
If you are older, you probably have a
spouse, or someone you can talk about it
with that's very close to you, and, you
know, you could have your children to be
a little bit of a buffer. If you're young, and
kids tend not to think about things too
much, I mean, once you put a kid in a
playground, they don't even know what
time it is.
People in that middle age group might
have more pressure on them, because they
don't have anyone to talk to, and because
they might have more on their plate than
they can handle, and just throwing this on
there would be too much for them, but no
one really realizes how much they don't
have.
Photo of Deepa and her mother
[04]00:18:29- DEEPA SAMUEL
I remember at the time when all of it was
going on, I just thought of, I just don't
wanna be here, you know, I don't wanna
do this. This isn't my calling, you know,
to take care of someone who's sick. I was
very tom.
Photos of Deepa and friends
[04]00:18:54 - DEEPA SAMUEL
Because I'd rather go out and go have
dinner with my friends and go catch a
movie, and just you know hang out 'til
like two in the morning just laughing and
telling jokes.
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19
Anita talking to camera at a birthday
party with friends
B-roll of party
Photos of friends
Passive look on Anita’s face at
party.
Pause
Nat. sound full
I UNDERSTAND DEEPA’S FEELINGS.
THE YEARNING FOR OUTSIDE
DISTRACTIONS IS ALWAYS THERE.
BUT EVEN HANGING OUT WITH
FRIENDS HAS BEEN DIFFERENT
SINCE MY PARENTS GOT SICK. WE
CAN STILL LAUGH TOGETHER, BUT
MANY FEEL THEY DON’T KNOW
WHAT TO SAY WHEN IT COMES TO
MY FAMILY. THEY DON’T
UNDERSTAND. AND IT’S
AWKWARD.
SO SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY,
I JUST STOPPED TALKING ABOUT
IT.
[04]00:24:18 - DEEPA SAMUEL
I didn't want them to treat me any
different, I didn't want it to be, oh, here
comes Deepa, she spent time with her
parents and she's so sad, let's do something
to cheer her up today when we go out.
[02]00:08:27 - FREDDA WASSERMAN
You're different than everybody else, or
then most of the kids that you know, so a
lot of kids find that they don't talk about it
to anyone else.
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20
Fade to black
Funeral footage
Still of Deepa’s mom
Family photo
Nat. sound full
[04]00:25:15 - DEEPA SAMUEL
It's, it's been about six months since I lost
my mom, and I'd say I'm okay. Okay is
the only word I'm gonna use, because
there are days when I'm not good at all,
and there's days when I don't even think
about it.
[04]00:26:18 - DEEPA SAMUEL
I don't tell myself that I wish I'd spent
more time with her, or I wish I'd done that
or I wish I'd done this...I think I've been
blessed with that feeling of just being
content with what I did.
TODAY DEEPA IS READY TO MOVE
ON BUT STILL FEELS TORN. SHE
NOW WORRIES ABOUT THE REST
OF HER FAMILY. HER FATHER
WITHOUT A WIFE. HER BROTHERS
WITHOUT THEIR MOTHER.
[04]00:34:38- DEEPA SAMUEL
It's, it's been two years, I do feel like, just,
time has flown by, and here I'm still not
done with school, and I should be done
with school.
You know, I do wanna have a life, I wanna
live my own life.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
21
[04]00:35:43 - DEEPA SAMUEL
Fade to black
Still of Anita’s parents - younger
Fade into
Still of Anita’s parents today
Fade to black
Fade up music: Music From the
Penguin Cafe - Chartered Flight
Montage of interviewee B-roll and
family photos (20 sec.)
Images of young adults at beach,
shopping, laughing
And then I look at my brothers and my
dad. They can't do anything. I mean,
that's, that's very easy, they can't do
anything. I look at them, and I think, how
can I be so selfish, I mean, I have that
feeling of, that's just selfish.
If it means putting my life on hold, it
means putting my life on hold.
DEEPA’S STORY MAKES ME THINK
ABOUT WHAT COMES NEXT. SHE
REMINDS ME TO NEVER TAKE TIME
FOR GRANTED.
[03]00:21:10 - FREDDA WASSERMAN
There's often that feeling of this just isn't
fair, and it isn't. I've had, it isn't fair. It
shouldn't be happening to a young person
at this age. It isn't how we intend for it to
be, and so I think just some
acknowledgement of that. You don't have
to be a certain way, but to allow yourself
the openness of really expressing all the
emotions that go with this, and look at the
humor and laughter and joyousness and a
lot of memories.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
22
Deepa talking about a photo
Samuel family photos
Photo of Susan
Pan across
Mary Ann talking with friends
Nat. sound full
[04]00:22:37 - DEEPA SAMUEL
Examine the relationship you have with
your parent because if something happens,
you don't wanna kick yourself in the end
and say, oh, I should've stopped what I
was doing and tended to them. I should've
spent my time caring for them, 'cause now
they're not around
[03]00:22:58 - JOSH SILVERMAN
There's absolutely good that's come out of
this. Um, my mom and I have always, my
entire life, had a really good relationship,
you know. I've never kept anything from
her, um, but I think it strengthened our
relationship, you know. I think we're not
just, you know, mother and son, we're
friends, and I'm, you know, I know it's an
old cliche, but, you know, my mom is my
best friend.
Nat. sound full
[02]00:21:00 - MARY ANN KNOX
If you could make it work both ways, then
do it, definitely. Don't pick one over the
other, you know, make it 50/50...
.. .It's not always easy. You might not get
that perfect job that you want, you know,
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Music up full: Music From the
Penguin Cafe - Chartered Flight.
Montage of B-roll from interviewees
and general family scenes.
Fade to black
Music up full: Music From the
Penguin Cafe - Chartered Flight.
Series of quotations by interviewees
and others.
White text on black screen
Fade in and out. Pause on each for
20 sec.
“I am grieving for the mother I will
never see again, and the mother I see
__________________________________ 23_
but what's more important? To me, it's my
family, yeah, so I would live in my car
before I left my parents.
DEEPA’S COURAGE, MARY ANN’S
DETERMINATION, AND JOSH’S
OPTIMISIM SHOW ME THAT I CAN
HANDLE THE UNEXPECTED. AT
LEAST WITH THEM, I NO LONGER
FEEL ALONE. AND FINALLY I
UNDERSTAND THAT IS OKAY.
EACH OF US HAS EMBRACED WHAT
LIFE HAS DEALT US. AND IN DOING
SO,
WE FOUND A NEW SENSE OF
STRENGTH AND A NEW BOND WITH
OUR FAMILIES. THAT BRINGS
COMFORT.
THERE IS A DEEP APPRECIATION
FOR THINGS ONCE TAKEN FOR
GRANTED. BUT STILL IT IS HARD.
IT IS HARD TO HAVE TO LEARN
THESE LIFE LESSONS SO EARLY.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
24
everyday, who is suffering”
- Mary Ann Knox
“I am uncertain of the next step I
will take. I do know I need help. I
need to satisfy my soul and my heart
first.”
- Lisa Myers
“I feel as if I have nobody to talk to
because everybody thinks that I am
coping fine.”
- Caroline Halsey
“Fear of life. Of shame. Of death.
Or fear of everything in between.”
- Josh Silverman
Status titles o f each parent. -
scrolling
Mrs. Knox
Fighting Hepatitis C
Ashok Malik
Fighting Multiple Myeloma
Kiran Malik
Breast cancer - 2 year survivor
Mrs. Samuel
Brain Cancer - Passed away on
August 16, 2001
Susan Taub
Fighting ovarian and lung cancer
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
25
End Credits
“Produced under the auspices of the
Annenberg School of Journalism at
the University of Southern
California”
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
26
Bibliography
“Cancer Facts and Figures 2002.” American Cancer Society.
http://www.cancer.org (Feb. 2002)
Knox, Mary Ann. Personal interview on camera. 9 Feb. 2002.
Samuel, Deepa. Personal interview on camera. 23 Feb. 2002.
Silverman, Josh. Personal interview on camera. 17 Feb. 2002.
Taub, Susan. Personal interview on camera. 17 Feb. 2002.
“Trend Tables.” Centers for Disease Control.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchswww/data/10 200 l.pdf (Jan.
2002)
Wasserman, Fredda. Personal interview on camera. 28 Feb. 2002.
Wilhardt, Lynette. Personal interview on camera. 1 Feb. 2002.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Malik, Anita (author)

Core Title Interrupted passage: A documentary script

School Graduate School

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Broadcast Journalism

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag journalism,OAI-PMH Harvest,sociology, individual and family studies

Language English

Contributor Digitized by ProQuest (provenance)

Advisor [illegible] (committee chair), [illegible] (committee member)

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c16-296904

Unique identifier UC11336973

Identifier 1414826.pdf (filename),usctheses-c16-296904 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier 1414826.pdf

Dmrecord 296904

Document Type Thesis

Rights Malik, Anita

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the au...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA