Doin' It In The Park

In New York City, pick-up basketball is not just a sport. It is a way of life. There are 700+ outdoor courts, and an estimated 500,000 players, the most loyal of which approach the game as a religion, and the playground as their church.

“You can play high school or college for four years.
You can play pro for a decade.
You can play pick-up … for life.”

Doin’ It In The Park lovingly uncovers this movement through the voices of playground legends, NBA athletes, and most importantly the common ballplayer who all day looks forward to calling “next” game at their local schoolyard.

Co-directors Bobbito Garcia and Kevin Couliau visited 180 courts throughout NYC’s five boroughs to create their debut documentary. They traveled to a majority of the locations by bicycle, carrying camera equipment and a ball in their backpacks.

The film’s title refers as much to the subject matter as it does to the method of filmmaking, providing an unprecedented perspective on urban America’s most popular, and accessible, free recreation.

official website - doinitinthepark.com
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Bobbito Garcia and Kevin Couliau traveled to a majority of the locations by bicycle, carrying camera equipment and a ball in their backpacks.

Their creative journey began many years before starting the self-funded project though, with a deep desire for playing as well as taking photographs in the world’s Mecca for the outdoor sport.

In this episode, the filmmakers share what led them to document all the innovation that exists in the «City Game,» and the creativity that shines through the New Yorkers who religiously head to the schoolyard to call «Next!»

In Episode 2, Bobbito Garcia and Kevin Couliau share insight into how they created their self-funded documentary, including picking locations, dealing with the toll and danger that comes along with the streets of New York, and how the community, as well as their love for playing, helped them along the way!

The first-time filmmakers visited 180 courts throughout NYC’s five boroughs, and traveled to a majority of the locations by bicycle, carrying camera equipment and a ball in their backpacks.

In Episode 3, Bobbito Garcia and Kevin Couliau discuss their approach towards the film’s music score, which includes songs by the Blackbyrds, Eddie Palmieri, The Roots, Jurassic 5, 20Syl (C2C/Hocus Pocus), and the Quantic Soul Orchestra.

The first-time filmmakers succeeded in providing a fresh and diverse soundscape, ranging from World to Jazz to Latin to Afro, incorporating indie acts like Tato Torres Y Yerbabuena as well as extremely well-known ones, including nine-time Grammy Award winner Eddie Palmieri.

«The film was made by a community of ballplayers,» says co-director Bobbito Garcia, who was the film’s music supervisor. «The score was made by a community of musicians, who were really supportive and showed us a lot of love.»

In Episode 4, Bobbito Garcia and Kevin Couliau look back at the summer of 2012 screening schedule, where they shared their documentary at free outdoor venues throughout the U.S., in New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Houston, as well as international cities like London, Milan, Barcelona, Geneva, Vienna, and Johannesburg. They met their goal to give back to the grassroots community that inspired the film, and by doing so expanded the film’s following immensely. Each event drew a bigger audience than the one previous!

By the end of the summer, the film was selected to the Urbanworld Film Festival 2012, and won the Audience Award For Best Feature Film! Tickets were sold out, and the theater was standing room only. UWFF added another showing by popular demand. The foundation of free outdoor screenings to the community leading up to this official World Premiere absolutely saw its positive dividends with the award.

«We gave the community a voice,» explains co-director Bobbito Garcia. «We opened up a curtain, and allowed them to speak.»