The Lone Star state boasts of a rich and fascinating cultural heritage that is a blend of American and Mexican history. Austin as the capital city of Texas is the epicenter of various cultures and is a true melting pot. The downtown with its magnificent, stately buildings, museums, government offices, has a distinct identity and this is where we get to observe the difference between cultures, art, architecture, and lifestyles of past and the contemporary Texans. This part of the city has enticed many documentary filmmakers and photographers to engage in observing the daily life and natural sights on beautiful Lake Austin and documenting them with an unobtrusive camera. My idea of documenting this film based on the subject of touring the State Capitol was to present a realistic and informative view of the Texas history. In this documentary, from behind the lens, I shot a college going duo out on an excursion to the State Capitol at the Congress Avenue. The idea was to capture aspects of political history, and bring to the audience a better sense of how the two spectators observed, explored, and viewed it.
The idea of documenting this film about the Texas State Capitol was to foster an observation in a natural way that stimulates the minds and emotions of the audience. The camera did translate my observations into a visual narrative. I started shooting on the capitol grounds and down Congress Avenue as this is where the landscape and architecture is Renaissance inspired. Being the tallest building in the nation, at one time, the Capitol Building is worthy and makes its presence felt to any visitor who comes to Austin downtown. The motto was to highlight the striking architecture and style that shows off many of the natural resources, which are so prevalent in Texas, such as limestone and the landscape.
As the two girls (unknown to me) left St. Edward’s on their road trip to Austin downtown, they stopped by the lush green fields and dense forests overlooking Lake Austin. This place is an excellent habitat to flora and fauna. The documentary captures this information in a natural form to give a visual effect of the roads traveled and how they gravitated towards the setting sun along the trip. The rays of the setting Texas sun at the horizon of the lake was especially attractive. The girls followed their instinct and continued to head southwest along 6th street as I continued to shoot them from behind my camera. The dusky colors of the twilight look surreal in the background. I wished to capture the lingering effect of the sunset from atop the hills of Lake Austin, and the breathtaking skyline and backdrop. Instead, I followed the girls who were oblivious of me and the camera shooting them. This scene was similar to the documentary Grey Gardens where “the two women are at ease with the camera and spontaneous in their interactions but seem to have no idea that others will judge their eccentric, reclusive, highly co-dependent lifestyle bizarre if not healthy” (Nichols, 174).
I wished I was up on a hill shooting some breathtaking landscape with the sunset I experienced that evening. Instead, I have captured images of traffic, commercial buildings, offices, and road construction as I did not want to disturb or dilute the subject that was about the girls trip to the Capitol. The path to the downtown portrayed the laid back, charm of the atmosphere in Austin downtown roads on a weekday evening.
The walk to the inside of the hallowed portals of the Capitol was impressive. The girls walked past groups of school children visiting on a school tour. The group was engaged in their shouting slogans. The girls were spontaneously engaged in their own interactions as they entered the Senate Chambers, which had beautiful paintings originally dated from the 19th century. The tours of the inside are for free and are full of information about Texas history. The dome shaped interiors have high ceilings with amazing detailing. The state room walls dotted with presidents’ pictures as envisioned by the girls gets displayed. These fixtures and Chambers are frequently flashed in news and it is interesting to reflect that the famous speeches were given in these rooms. While inside, at every step the girls experienced the presence of Texas history. “The door knobs have Texas stars, some lighting fixtures are in the shape of stars with the letters t-e-x-a-s between the star points, the door hinges are huge and say Texas capitol on them and even benches have stars carved into them. Tour the grounds to see statues and memorial sites dedicated to all different types of Texans from Confederate soldiers to current day law enforcement officers” (TripAdvisor).
The return journey from the Capitol along the downtown path passes through retail stores and traffic signals. The documentary showcases the desolate roads after office hours and gives subtle hints about a vibrant student community in Austin. Two young college girls crossing the street at a traffic signal are testimony to this culture. Austin has witnessed a development of food trucks that serve wide-ranging foods that cater to the immigrant populations as well as the eccentric university youth. The two girls got down to get a taste of this new wave of food culture that is defining community identity in the city. These food trucks serving Tacos to trendier new age foods are hot in the city. The hustle bustle around the place is symbolic of the affordable pricing and taste of the food vending culture of Austin.