my reflection

I interviewed Joel Bergman at capstone and he said that:

This week has been hell.

The one thing he wanted to change in how he did his capstone was he would have like to spend more time in postproduction and less in pre production.

He said his original idea was three levels and his final output was one.

He said with one more month he would fine tune and spend more time in postproduction.

His advice was to start as soon as possible.

This class allowed me to begin developing a firm grasp on my capstone idea. I started planning shooting and chose a partner.

The ideas presented about project development helped a lot. I really used the planning structure laid out in class.

 I thought the advantage of guest speakers was more insight. It gave me a chance to hear what went right and what went wrong and what would work for me.

I thought reading everyone else’s capstone really helped to narrow what I wanted to do by eliminating my ideas that were to similar to others.

Each assignment was extremely helpful and I thought none were useless.

progress report

We have made a lot of progress on our capstone. We have begun filming the theatre every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday and developed a relationship with the children and the staff. We are practically unnoticed as we film and we have captured a lot of quality footage. We have a multitude of tapes but we have not begun logging any footage.

I have been in contact with my mentor about once a week if not more. We have discussed shooting techniques and how to stay unnoticed. We went to him when the group kept forming circles for discussions and we needed advice on how to shoot it. We also wanted to know how to improve our sound quality and the best way to capture to preserve quality. He advised us about an HD Deck that was on its way to the school and told us this was the best way. We also spoke about the fact that we were recording them dancing and singing other artist music and that may limit our capabilities as far as turning the film into a project outside of the academic relm.

The staff and cast have become extremely busy as they get closer to the show, which has delayed the filming of individual interviews. This is not a major issue because they are not suppose to be included in the film they were just a bonus and because they are not time sensitive the interviews could very well be shot last. Everything else has been working like clockwork.

We completed our preparation early on and began working right away. The last thing we need is to learn how much access we will have to the HD deck so we know at what rate we need to import footage. Everything else is already complete and in motion. I’m excited to begin editing and to produce new sequences.

There have been a few changes to the project like the theatre has decided to do a tribute to Michael Jackson rather than Prince but it should still be a very interesting show and process to capture. The magnitude of the projects capabilities after capstone has been somewhat limited due to the fact that they are using copy written music.

TimeLine

Our timeline for the Asante Children's Theatre was not to difficult. At first I started with the Academy's own Calendar and created milestones based of of important events in relation to the academy's timeline. things such as Rehearsals and show dates and cast parties. After that I went week by week alternating tasks that Jocque and I would need to complete. The first half of the year Jocque will need to create a log sheet of all footage he thinks can be used in the film. After the log sheet is created it will be my task to meet with him and get those tapes and log all footage and back up for safe keeping. Also I have given myself the task of creating 1 rough scene every couple weeks that might go towards the final product. At around the Christmas break point I have a hard start date for starting to compile for a final product. Filming will not stop until the beginning of march so Editing and weekly filming will continue for a couple months. The only other milestones that we added to the timeline were the backup interviews. We plan on having atleast 3 sets of interviews. One set at the start of the season. One in the middle, Probably just after Christmas break and the final one after the season or as close to the end that time will permit.

Project Development Issues

Our project does not have many foreseeable issues because of my affiliation with the theatre and my knowledge of their operations. Our only time management issue would be with work schedules conflicting with shoot dates but because of the 2 camera style if one person in the group is not able to shoot the other can be there. We have the skills and resources to accomplish our goal easily. The only issue we face with resources is making sure that the equipment is reserved and available from the school.  Our budget is going to be around 1500 dollars which will be used to buy hard drives and possibly software to eliminate our dependency on the schools equipment as well as mini dvs.  As long as we are logging and capturing footage throughout and editing this should be a smooth running project.

Mentors & Secondary Mentor

For my capstone I would like to do a fly on the wall style documentary. I would like to capture the Prep 4 life program and the academy as they prepare for a show. The Prep 4 Life program is an introductory program for 6-12 year olds and they will be preparing to do a show in the winter. The academy will be doing a longer show in the winter and preparing for a show in the spring. I would like to capture the process and all the drama it entails from audition to performance.

             Four key components I’m looking for in a mentor are good communication, interest, specializes in video, and a good organizer. I want my mentor to be easy to talk to and easy to contact. I also would like for my mentor to view my project as a worthwhile venture for them to be involved in. My mentor should specialize in video because of the nature of my project also because I have so many ideas I need my mentor to be a good organizer because I have a lot of ideas and I would like to hone them to create something unique and original.

            I would like to have Mr. Lewis, Ms. Tennant, and/or Ms. Lykins as a mentor. Mr. Lewis and Ms. Tennant are great at video and Ms. Beth would be able to take my idea to the extreme.

Ms. Beth: Their area of expertise

Imaging, creativity, project development, convergence, storytelling, art direction, team building, etc. NOT programming or audio.

Their expectations of a capstone student

Meet 30 minutes/week and show progression each week. Communicate if there are problems with meeting timeline objectives/capstone goals. Be willing to listen to feedback objectively and research problems as they occur. I also expect students to take responsibility for their project instead of expecting me to do it for them. I always expect my capstone students to explore divergent (creative) ideas instead of just following the herd. Creativity and self expression are VERY important to me, as is good craft. I expect students to give priority to their capstone project and take it seriously. It is NOT just another project or hoop and I don't do well with students who treat capstone as that.

Their general availablity for mentoring next semester

I tend to fill quickly, and can take no more than 10 independent students (a combination of N490 - undergrad independent study, N499 - undergrad capstone, and N553 - grad independent study) each semester, so if you do want to work with me you need to make arrangements earlier rather than later.

If they have any project types they are not interested in working with

Since I am not a programmer or audio expert, I tend to avoid those projects. I expect that if a student wants to work on a website that it be only a portion of what the capstone is. A lot of students think I won't let them do a website at all, but that is not the case. (see point number 2 for more on that...)

Their thoughts on a secondary advisor

A secondary mentor is an excellent idea. It is a good way to cover areas of expertise that the student and primary mentor might not have otherwise. It is a good way to get another objective opinion on what is happening in the project.

Anything else you might want to add

I view capstones as a place where students can really work on furthering themselves as well as the future of new media. I love mentoring capstones, but only when the student is flexible and willing to listen. I love watching as a student discovers that there is more to this field than just websites and videos. When the lines of disciplines begin to blur in a capstone and a student sees that he/she has made that happen and their passion for new media catches fire again - that is my favorite time as a teacher!

Mr. Lewis

Their area of expertise

My area of expertise is video production. My particular interest is image acquisition, both with regard to camera and lighting. As far as video production is concerned, I have extensive knowledge and experience in all aspects of production/post-production in both documentary and narrative.   

Their expectations of a capstone student

My expectations are that students choose a project that is both technically and conceptually challenging. The capstone is a project that embodies the culmination of the learning experience and must demonstrate, not only a thorough technical knowledge, but also a creative and original application of skills as exhibited in a sophisticated and conceptually solid approach to the subject.

In the process of working on the Capstone, students should be prepared to delve deeply into the subject of their project with an attitude that will open them to various technical and conceptual possibilities with regard to how a subject is represented and/or information conveyed. After the groundwork of subject and approach is established, capstone students should be prepared to dedicate countless hours of hard work. Ideally this dedication will result in a project that surpasses the initial expectations of both student and mentor.

Their general availability for mentoring next semester

I teach a four-course load and typically have several capstone/independent study students. This leaves me with somewhat limited availability.

If they have any project types they are not interested in working with

I am interested in working with most types of video production: Documentary, Narrative, Installation, and Animation. I will not accept certain genres of narrative such as horror or zombie movies. And l do not consider a music video to be a sufficient capstone project.

Their thoughts on a secondary advisor

Susan Tennant also teaches documentary. She would be great as a secondary advisor.

Anything else you might want to add

I am interested in working with students who are intensely passionate about their capstone; students who will eat, drink and sleep their capstones; students who have high expectations of themselves and will not rest until their capstone is the fullest representation of the best of their abilities. 

Ms. Tennant said:

What is my area of expertise? documentation of cultural heritage, documentary video production, sculpture and physical object assemblage

What are your expectations of a capstone student? to finish the project as professionally as possible, Meet all deadlines and be committed to their capstone.

Are you available for mentoring next semester? Yes

Are there any project types besides music videos that you are not interested in working with? I prefer documentary over features. I cant program but I can work on the front end of interaction design projects. I also dont consider trailers as a capstone merited project

Do you have any recommendations for a secondary mentor? someone who is not in the direct media but knowledgeable about the way the media is used.

 Anything else you might want to add?   its good that you are working through these logistics prior to your capstone semester. Good luck

A secondary mentor is there as a person to give a second opinion and possibly offer a different perspective on ways to do certain parts of the capstone. A bad secondary mentor would be someone who is difficult to talk to and someone who is not interested in the project. My ideal secondary mentor would be Ms. Tenant because she is good at putting together documentaries. I would also like for Ms. Beth to be a secondary mentor because I believe she would help me to stretch my idea out to the fullest.  Lastly I would like for the director of the theatre to act as a mentor.

MY Group

I would like to be in the videeo group with people making documentaries. I am doing a documentary about a Children's theatre/ Non for profit organization

Class Discussion

I thought the class discussion was very helpful. It made it easy to focus my questions and ask very important ones that my project could hinder upon. Listening to others concerns and questions help spark new ones of my own while answering old ones. I enjoyed finding out about the partnerships some were forming for their capstone and extending an invitation to partner with someone. I think that because we are all at different points in this project questions that could arise later are asked now because some people are further along while you can still bounce ideas around with folks still in earlier stages. I liked going in depth about what separates a capstone from a class project that helped clarify this project. Im excited to meet and answer some of those questions that were left in the air.