Z on Location

Roxie the Robot

The trip starts with a bang… literally. Mom takes the very first turn out of the neighborhood a little too fast, and the snacks Z had just packed into an overhead cabinet come flying out, scattering boxes of crackers and cups of instant soup across the floor. Mom pulls over right away, checks that Z is okay, and smacks her forehead once she realizes what went wrong: she forgot to use the bungee cords the rental place gave her to tie everything down, unusual for Z’s super-on-top-of-it mom. The two of them wedge the snacks back into the cabinets and tie the doors shut before getting back on the road.

Once they’re moving again, Z decides she should be studying instead of just daydreaming out the window. She pulls out Mom’s binder of sound equipment notes and reads up on the Rode NTG-3 handheld mic and its supercardioid pickup pattern, which records sound from one direction while avoiding picking up background noise. She films a quick video introducing “professional filmmaker Michelle Yang, a.k.a. Mom,” who explains she’s spent years developing documentary ideas about new technology that helps people communicate better, then posts about #funwithmicrophones and #RVsafety.

As they drive, Mom fills Z in on their first interview subject, Kacey Kravitz, an eighteen-year-old inventor who graduated high school two years early. Z looks up Kacey’s background and learns she already holds a patent for a robot that helps kids with learning differences practice social interaction, inspired by her own cousin on the spectrum.

Mom parks the RV in a lot on the University of Washington Tacoma campus, where Kacey meets them outside her dorm, hugs Mom, and shakes Z’s hand, delighted to meet her production assistant. Once inside, Z gets Kacey set up with a microphone. When Kacey asks Z what kind of microphone it is, Z proudly spouts out the differences between a condenser mic and a dynamic one; the one they’re using today is a condenser. While Z helps carry in cases of camera gear, Z stumbles over one of the bags and nearly goes down, joking that it’s her signature move as she covers up the klutziness.

Once everything is set up, Kacey’s friends carry out a bright pink robot wearing a tiny University of Washington ball cap, and Kacey flips a switch on its back. Blue lights flash on in its eyes, and it raises its arm in a wave. “Meet Roxie the Robot!” Kacey exclaims, patting her invention like a pet. Roxie shakes Z’s hand. Kacey apologizes for the cold metal fingers, explaining that she’s trying to figure out a way to add warmth and softness. She says Roxie is programmed with more than a thousand words and phrases to draw from.

During the interview, Kacey explains on camera that Roxie gives kids a safe way to practice interacting with someone new, and that pink was an easy choice since it’s her cousin’s favorite color. When asked about the color choice, Roxie’s head nods happily and she twirls in place, making Z and Mom both laugh.

Afterward, Z helps wrap cables and pack up the gear, proud of how much smoother this shoot went than her own CloudSong footage. But when they get to the RV to do the final pack-up checklist, Z realizes she left a bag of cables under a table. She has to sprint back for it just as Kacey catches up to hand it over herself, suggesting with a smile that they bring the checklist to the set next time.

Back at the RV, Z types up her first Day One post: #filmcrew #lifeontheroad #summeradventure #robotedition, hoping her followers can’t tell how wiped out she really is. Then she and Mom head out for ice cream to celebrate a successful first shoot.