Syracuse's North Side is extremely diverse and houses refugees and immigrants from all over the world. Having reported on the issues they face, I've heard many of their stories and how they ended up in Syracuse.

The concept is to share stories with the audience -- to have a panel of sorts, arranged around the camera in such a way that the viewer feels that they are part of the group. The idea is that hearing their backgrounds and their journey here will humanize refugees and immigrants, many of whom are legitimately running for their lives. A few of them speak individually. The setting would be a small to medium sized room. It could even be the interior of a mosque, if I can speak with someone I know and get permission. Indoor lighting would be used. I don't know much about lighting but some extra lighting would likely be needed. Audio would be some ambient noise and the refugees speaking about their experiences.

The camera will be at sitting level, and the subjects will be relatively close to the camera

I want the audience to feel like they're a part of the crowd and to see the true diversity of refugees and immigrants in Syracuse. The ultimate goal is to let the audience sympathize and 'bond' with the speakers. It's particularly important now as more refugees are going to come into the US, and Syracuse is an immigration point.

Story discovery would be through a class/learning setting. Refugees and immigrants often take classes on the path to citizenship and taking the citizenship test, even basic English classes. So it would  be in the context of one of those classes, and the teacher would ask them to say where they're from as a jumping off point. My main concern is the language barrier, but that can be helped with subtitles.