Final Project

Self-Critique

5/4/11

I've never made a documentary before, and it proved even more challenging than I thought. I definitely want to make this into a longer piece eventually once I get all of the pieces I need. I regret that I couldn't get all of the footage that I wanted due to health-related circumstances, but I did the best with what I had. I think the most difficult part was getting people to say what I needed them to say, and in a way where I didn't have to cut it up so much! Also, because he's in a wheelchair and it gives him cold-sweats to sit up straight, he had to tilt his chair back a few times which looks kind of awkward. I had major difficulties with the sound because apparently there was some type of interference in the room and I couldn't figure out for the life of me where it was coming from. I really was hoping to film him outside but the weather had to ruin that. I'm really anxious to hear how I can improve this piece, especially since I"m not too familiar on how to edit a documentary-type film, but I definitely want to fix it up and turn it into something I'll be really proud of!

Re-revised questions

Questions for Mr. Walker:

1. Tell us your name. Do you find it a little ironic? What's your favorite alcoholic beverage? What's your favorite thing to eat? What's your favorite drink? Do you have a favorite movie? Book?

2. When you were a kid, what was your favorite thing to do? What was your favorite sport that you liked to play? Do you think you were good at it? What did you think about reading when you were younger? Did you ever think you would become a writer?

3. Did you enjoy swimming when you were a kid? Who went swimming with you? Where did you guys go normally? Can you tell me what it felt like being in the water?
4. I'm really interested to know what exactly happened that day when you had your diving accident. Describe what the day was like, what time of year was it? What was the weather like? Tell me what happened that day, what did you have for breakfast? I know your accident was at a lake. How did you get to the lake that day? Did you normally go there? Who was with you? Did they say anything to you that you can remember? Did you ever dive before or was it your first time? What did it feel like, did you get knocked out or do you remember the pain? Who rescued you? Can you remember what happened after? Can you describe what it was like being in the hospital after the accident? When did you realize that you were paralyzed? How did you feel? What were your first thoughts?
5. Right after the accident, what helped you recover emotionally? Did you have to take medication, if you did what kind did you have to take? Do you think that helped you or did something else help you recover? How did it change your mentality on life? Do you feel like it gave you a different perspective? If you could go back, would you not have jumped, or do you think that it was worth it because you were able to find something you're passionate about that you never would have expected?

6. What's the biggest thing that helped motivate you after your accident? Were you a Christian then?How do you think your beliefs helped you? What do you think about the human will? Do you believe your will helped you to recover? Did it give you a purpose in life?

7. How did you physically recover? Did you ever think you'd be able to write again? When did you learn how to write? How long did it take you? Were you able to go back to school? How long did it take till you could go back? Were you embarrassed to go back to school? What did your friends think? What did your family think? Did people treat you differently? Did you have a girlfriend at the time? Did she act differently after the accident? How do you think your life was different from an average kid at that time? What was the same about it?

8. I'd love to know exactly what got you into literature. Tell me about how this happened, was it simply because you weren't able to play sports anymore? How long after the accident did you become interested in literature? Was there a specific instance? What happened, can you describe it for me?

9. When did you decide you wanted to become a teacher? What made you decide that? What gave you the desire to teach? What was it like on your very first day of teaching? What class was it? How did you feel? Since I teach myself, I'd say my goal in teaching is to show the children that they are capable of a lot more than they thought. Do you have a goal in teaching? What is it? How would you describe your teaching style? How long does it normally take you to plan a lecture?

10. What do you love most in your students? Do you play favorites ever? What's your "ideal" student? What makes them ideal? Are you nervous on the first day of a new class? How do you think your students see you? Do they act differently around you in class than when you see them in the halls? How do they act? Who's the most interesting student you've had? Tell me about some memorable times you've had in class. Can you tell me any funny stories that have happened in class?

11. There are some days when I just don't feel like teaching, on days when you aren't feeling so hot, what motivates you to teach? What gets you through it? Is it only because you have to or do you have some kind of motivation?

12. One thing I find most interesting about you is that you're a writer. When did you decide to become a writer? Did your interest in literature spark this, or was it the other way around? Was their a specific moment when you realized you wanted to be a writer? Did you ever think you couldn't do it? What made you keep writing, especially during the discouraging times? When did you feel like giving up writing? What kept you from giving up?

13. Your books are very descriptive. Do you write the character's sense of touch by what you've seen or by what you remember? What have you published? What do you consider your favorite work, published or not? Do you have a favorite quote from one of your stories?

14. What's your goal in writing, do you have a specific purpose or do you just write what you feel you have to write about? What impact would you like to have on your readers? What do you want them to understand most?

15. You've done a lot of things in your life. What do you think has been your greatest accomplishment? Why?

16. I've noticed that you can be very social at times, which is probably difficult for you now, but would you consider yourself a social person? How often did you used to go out, either to eat or just to hang out somewhere, even by yourself? Where were your "usual" places? Besides cashiers and workers, how often did you end up talking to people that maybe you didn't know? How do you feel people generally reacted to you? Do people ignore you sometimes when you're out in public, or do people mostly try and help you out? I know you're capable of more than people think. Do you feel like sometimes people help you too much? How do you feel about this, is it frustrating, do you enjoy it, or have you just gotten used to it?What's it like when you have to go up to the counter and pay? Do the cashiers usually not understand that you aren't able to do certain things? How do you work around this? I know it's not obvious to some people that you aren't really able to use your hands. Is it frustrating having to try and explain that you can't really use your hands?I don't know if this ever happens, but out of curiosity, are people ever mean to you because you're in a wheelchair? I'm sure drivers can be pretty unforgiving, have you had bad experiences with driving? Can you tell me about it?

17. I've had times when I've trusted people too much and they used it against me. You seem like a pretty trusting person too, have you ever been taken advantage of for this? What happened? How did you feel, did it make you less trusting?

18. I've noticed that your money system isn't really the safest, I'm always paranoid about where my purse is and about not letting people see my money. Are you ever worried that maybe someone might try and steal from you? Have you ever had any problems with this? How would you deal with it if someone tried to steal from you?

19. People struggle in different ways. Do you see yourself as a good example for people who are struggling, maybe not physically, but with something that seems equally hard for them? What advice could you give them? What's helped you out the most? Do you feel there's worse struggles than being paralyzed? What's something that you would consider worse?

20. I know you've had much more than physical problems. Would you like to share some other struggles you've had that other people could relate to? How have you dealt with these problems? Do you feel they're harder than your paralysis?

21. I know this is a sore subject, but could you tell me about your wife? How did you guys meet? What did you think of her then? How do you think of her now? What happened the day you had to move out? Was it your choice or did you have to? How long has it been? How would you compare this to what you're going through now physically? What do you think's harder, going through the physical pain, or the emotional pain? What do you feel is getting you through this the best?

22. I know you've gone through a lot lately, do you think you could describe what happened with your health last year? How long were you in the hospital? How did it make you feel emotionally? How were you able to get through it? Did you ever think you'd get better? Do you think you'll recover completely, or will there always be something you'll have to deal with?

23. Is there any quote you'd like to leave?

Questions for other Interviewees:

1. How do you know Mr. Walker? Tell me about the first time you met him. How long ago was that? What'd you think about him when you first met him? How did it make you feel when you first saw him?

2. What do you think of him now that you've known him a while? Over the years, what have you learned from him? What kind of effect did he have on you? What impact do you think you've had on him?

3. What do you find most interesting about him? Why is this interesting to you?

4. Tell me an interesting story or experience you've had with Mr. Walker. What's something interesting about him that maybe most people don't know? How did you figure this out, did he tell you or you just found out? Why do you think this is interesting?

5. I really admire his writing style. What do you admire about him the most? Why do you find this admirable?

6. I've always loved reading, but he's given me a new appreciate and love for it that I've never had before. Tell me about how he might've changed your ideas or understanding about something, even if it's something you've been familiar with before you met him. How has it changed the way you thought about it before?

7. I'm very interested to know what keeps him going in spite of constant hardships. What do you think motivates him, gives him purpose, or keeps him from losing his will to keep writing?

8. If you could ask him any question, what would it be?


For Bob Webb:

1. So you put his van together, correct? How do these types of vans operate? Have you ever driven it before? What was it like? What's the hardest thing to fix on them? How long have you been helping John? How would you describe your relationship to him, do you feel like a father to him or more like a friend?

2. What do you think has been the hardest thing he's had to deal with emotionally? How do you think you've helped him with this? Does he come to you for advice often? What kind of advice does he ask for?

3. I know you've helped him in finding places to stay, what other things have you helped him with? I know he's pretty self-sufficient and mostly willing for people to help him. Does he generally accept your help, or has he ever asked to do something himself? He usually isn't afraid to ask me for help if he needs me to do something like say change the channel on TV or something like that, but can you think of a time when he didn't want you to help him? How did you feel, did it bother you?

4. Tell me about a time when he really needed your help. How did you help him? Sometimes I feel like he's helped me in many ways, more than I've been able to help him. Do you feel like he's helped you in any way? How do you think he's helped you?

5. I know you've had some health problems yourself, do you think Mr. Walker's similar issue has helped you deal with it at all?


For colleagues:

9. Tell me about what it was like working with him. How long have you worked together?

10. Have you ever sat in on one of his classes? Have you taught any classes with him? Which classes? What was it like?

11. What do you think of his teaching style? Is it different from yours? He admitted to me that sometimes he isn't as prepared as he should be, and even had to wing it during class. What do you think about this? Did he ever do this when you were in class with him?

12.What would you say is the hardest part about teaching? How do you think Mr. Walker handled this? If you don't know, just tell me how you think he might've handled it.

13. Tell me about a time when you've helped him with something, whether in teaching, writing, or daily life. How do think he took it?

14. Before you met Mr. Walker, what did you think of quadriplegics? What did you know about them? Did you ever think someone in his condition could teach?

15. Let's say that you had an accident leaving you paralyzed like Mr. Walker. What do you think it would take to motivate you to teach again? What kind of person do you think it takes to be able to teach while having a physical disability like his?

16. How has he changed your view on quadriplegics? Do you feel like you've changed at all from knowing him? How have you changed?

17. In my life, I've had some hard times that made me feel unmotivated. What experiences have you had with this? I see Mr. Walker as a great motivator, tell me about how you think Mr. Walker might be a good example for people dealing with hard times.

18. On a lighter note, I'm not sure if you've read anything that Mr. Walker has written, but if you have, what do you think of his writing? His work seems very personal, did it change the way you thought about him? In what way? How did it change the way you thought about writing?

19. He's very passionate about teaching and writing. Being a teacher yourself, what do you think motivates this passion?

20. I've asked quite a few questions about him, but is there anything else you'd like to add that I missed?


For students:

9. Tell me about what it was like the first day of class with him. Had you seen him before? When, and what happened? What was it like having him as a teacher?

10. What class did you have him for? Did you enjoy it? What was the most enjoyable part? If you didn't enjoy the subject before, did you enjoy it more after taking his class? What made you enjoy it?

11. Describe how he might have helped you either to love the subject more or helped motivate you in some way.

12. How would you compare him with your other teachers? Since I was his student before, I know he can be quite long-winded at times, but he always has something interesting to say. What did you think about his teaching style? Is there any lecture in particular that you can remember? Any quotes from him that you'd like to share? I know there were plenty of times when something funny happened in class. Can you remember any experiences like this? What were they? Tell me about what happened.

13. I never thought he had such a sense of humor, what do you think about his personality? Were you surprised by it?

14. What did you learn from the class? His way with words really helped me want to write. What's something that really influenced or motivated you from his class?

Final Pitch

Description: A man struggling with quadriplegia and facing the difficulties daily find ways to overcome his struggles and to become a success.

My theme is the human ability to overcome obstacles and to fulfill one's dreams in spite of extreme difficulty.

My intent is to show a specific instance of when a human is able to overcome an obstacle which is a constant life struggle. I would like to discover what it takes to make such a strong person, and to reveal how much people are able to do if they just have the will and desire to do it.

Structure breakdown of plot:

We will see Mr. Walker talking about his past, then his accident. I will show B-roll of childhood pictures. There will be a shot of a lake and water while he describes his accident.

We will see an interview with Mr. Walker's brother who will tell us about his childhood, and maybe what it was like after Mr. Walker's accident.

We will see Mr. Walker doing some daily things such as eating while he talks about his daily struggles and what it was like after the accident.

We will see an interview with Mr. Walker's caretaker, Bob Webb, who will describe his struggles.

We will see Mr. Walker describing some of his accomplishments, first with teaching. I hope to interview him outside for this.

We will see interviews with others who were students, peers, and hopefully even teachers of Mr. Walker. They will describe how he has changed them.

We will then see Mr. Walker talking about his accomplishments with writing. I will first show him typing or writing if I can get some B-roll of him doing this. His strength is low right now, but I'm hoping he'll be able to build it up enough before my project is over. I will then show him talking, still outside. I will have him read a passage from one of his books. I have one planned out, but if he has another in mind, I will let him read that as well. But here is the passage I would like for him to read:

There were as many stories as there were hills out there and people in them, and some of them were true as the very trees growing on the hills, but others tended to grow and spread beyond themselves like roots. . . . Every man had one, some more so than others. And some harder than others that were never told, because it wouldn't be right to tell them, even if they were true as the sky above. Those were maybe the stories that mattered most, but they were the hardest ones to tell, because they were the hardest to live. And only the man knowing them had to live them, and no one else could live the story for him. That kind of story lives in the man, and he lives in it and it's what he is, and it grows in him like the veins of his heart. It'd been given to him as if a gift from God, for better or for the worst, and only God sometimes knew the real truth of them, all the way to the root of it.

Production Design Statement: My aesthetic choices will compliment the main idea in that I would like to have Mr. Walker speaking inside at first where the lighting is a little darker, then when he describes his accomplishments, I would like him to be outside when it is bright. He is staying the country right now so I think it could be particularly striking, especially if he describes his writing and the natural feel he puts into his work. I also will have others interviewed outside as they talk about how he has influenced them. I will have some interviews in offices, which will help create a professional feel and to show that he has influenced different types of people, not only students or those who are searching for what they want to do in life, but also those who already have jobs set and still need some encouragement or the motivation to do something else that they have always wanted to do. I'm very excited and interested to hear what they have to say. I will also show Mr. Walker doing some daily things like eating, typing, and hopefully writing. I'm not sure where his strength is at right now, but I'm sure in a couple of weeks I will be able to get some footage of him doing some daily activities. I intend for the interviews to be directed to the camera, and I hope to get medium-close up shots to make the interviews more personal, and to hopefully show the emotions on the interviewees' faces. For Mr. Walker, I intend to start the piece as he talks about his childhood with a close up of him to where the audience will not be able to see his chair. When he talks about his accident, I would like to reveal that he is in his chair. I will do a 2-shot of a student with her father who was a fellow colleague of Mr. Walker, so I am excited to see their interaction with one another about how he influenced both of them. I am hoping to film this one outdoors as well.

The sound in Galloway seemed good when I went, I will make sure the TV is off in his room, and that hopefully no nurses will disturb us. It is a rehabilitation center, so the nurses do come in periodically. If so, I will have to have him repeat a lot of things which could be difficult. I will figure out a time when they are the least intrusive, though. They also are pretty friendly, so I think that if I tell them I'm conducting an interview, they wouldn't disturb us. Outside, it is very natural and quiet because Galloway is in the middle of nowhere! There is only a tiny road so cars won't make too much noise at all. For the other interviews, I was hoping to meet some people at Overton Park on a more quiet day, or in their offices. I haven't been able to check the sound in the offices, but if it is too noisy there, I will try and interview them outside unless that is noisy as well! At Crichton (now Victory), I would like to do an interview in the library office. I've been in there before and it is very quiet and has good sound.

My image locations are below, and above I have noted the sound for each. The lighting is good in most locations except Galloway was a little dark but that was because I went at night. I am going in the morning next time to interview him. The outside light won't be easily controlled, but I might bring a white bounce board in case I need to control the lighting. I"ll consult Jill about what's best for this.

Revised Questions for Mr. Walker

I tried to interview him yesterday, but he was really in bad shape and actually I ended up having to follow him to the hospital where I believe he still is now . . . that definitely was not a fun night.

But, when he gets better, here are the questions I would like to ask him:

1. Describe your childhood and memories before the accident.

2. What is your best memory growing up?

3. Who would you say has influenced you the most?

4. For people who aren't aware of what quadriplegia is, could you describe your condition and what it is like?

5. How did your accident occur? How old were you?

6. After the accident, how did you recover (physically/ mentally)?

7. What got you through it? Medication? Willpower? Religion?

8. How has it changed you? If you could go back, would you not have jumped? Why or why not?

9. What has been your greatest difficulty since the accident?

10. What do you struggle with daily because of it?

11. What inspired you to write?

12. What do you believe is the purpose of your writing? What message are you trying to send?

13. Your books are very descriptive. Do you write the sense of touch from memory or observation?

14. What made you decide to become a teacher?

15. Was there a specific instance that got you into literature? Can you describe it?

16. What is your goal in teaching? On days when you aren't feeling your best, what motivates you to teach?

17. What was it like on your first day o teaching?

18. Do you believe people treat you differently because of your condition? If so, how and can you give an example?

19. What bad public experiences have you had that you would like to share? Has anyone ever been condescending to you or rude in any way? If so, how?

20. Do you think people treat you fairly, ignore you, or try to help you too much? Or are people generally considerate and understanding?

21. How has your condition affected your independence? How often do you rely on strangers for help?

22. Have you ever been taken advantage of by strangers, or have they always been helpful?

23. Have you ever had someone try to help you with something that you could do yourself? Could you give me an example? How does it make you feel, is it frustrating or have you gotten used to it?

24. How do you feel when faced with a task that you aren't capable of doing? How do you resolve it?

25. Do you feel people are impatient with you because you must do some things slower? If so, describe an instance when this has happened and how it made you feel.

26. What is your biggest fear that you are willing to share?

27. At what moments did you feel like giving up? What were the circumstances?

28. What is your source of motivation? What keeps you from giving up?

29. What things did you think were too hard for you to do, but you did them anyway? How did you do them? What motivated you?

30. What would you consider your greatest accomplishment?

31. What is your main goal in life? What drives that goal?

32. What impact would you like to have on others?

33. What do you feel is the most important thing for people to know?

34. From your life experiences, what advice would you give to those who are unmotivated or have gone through difficulties and feel they are unable to do what they really want in life?

These are the questions I've come up with so far. Any additions or suggestions are certainly welcome!

Cogito- finished Midterm Project!

New Pitch

There are many details about my pitch below, including possible questions, photos, and a few other things.

Here are some revisions that I've come up with this week:

As for structure, I would like to start out with Mr. Walker talking about his past in close-up, then gradually move out till we see he is in a wheelchair once he describes his situation. I hope to have him briefly describe his past, how the accident happened, and how he was able to move on. I will show B-roll footage periodically while he talks with him when he was younger, the location where he grew up, and some water footage for when he talks about his accident. I'm hoping to interview his older brother who comes to visit him periodically, but if I can't then I'll have Mr. Walker describe how he got into teaching, then show interviews of his colleagues and students and their first impressions of him as a teacher. I'll cut back to him talking about his writing, how he got into it, and where his stories come from. I would like to show him doing daily activities since it is fascinating to see how he is able to eat, type, and do other things like even lift a cup! While he is talking about writing, I would like to get a shot of him typing. As of now, he doesn't have the strength for it, but I'm hoping that in a week or so he'll be able to do it. This part is optional, but he recently received his MFA and I was hoping to interview his teacher/ mentor/ advisor who helped him with this process. He is also a well-known short story writer in some circles, and is very personable so I think he might add a different perspective to this documentary, especially since he was the main person critiquing Mr. Walker's stories before they were published. After this, I would like to end the piece by asking Mr. Walker why he went into teaching and what kind of affect he was hoping to have on both students and his readers. Then, I would like to show the interviews of how he's affected those around him both through his teaching and writing, as well as just in daily life (friends, nurses, etc.)

I would like to know if I should include his recent struggle with cancer and pneumonia which has left him in the hospital for over a year. He contracted both due to his condition, but I'm not sure if this would distract from the overall message. It would definitely be another big accomplishment because he has just been emitted from the hospital when most of us didn't think he would make it. I'm not sure if it would be necessary, but I'm hoping to get some good feedback on this, as well as my overall structure and other suggestions!

Self-Critique

4/13/11

I tried my best at editing this, color correcting is extremely difficult for me! I feel like the sound is much better than it was, I intended for it to be overwhelming. I really enjoyed editing this, I know it could always improve, but I feel like I did the best I could with my abilities.

Questions for Interviews

Questions for Mr. Walker:

Describe your childhood and memories before the accident.


How did your accident occur? How old were you?


After the accident, how did you recover (physically and mentally)?


What got you through it?


Was there a specific instance that got you interested in literature? If so, can you describe it?


How has the accident changed you? If you could go back, would you not have jumped? Why or why not?


If you can, could you describe an instance where it has made your life particularly difficult? How did you overcome this?


What impact would you like to have on others as a teacher? Writer?


What do you feel is the most important thing for people to know? From your life experiences, what advice would you ice to those who have faced difficulties and feel they are unable to move past them?


What inspired you to write?


Your books are very descriptive. Do you write the character's sense of touch by what you've seen or by what you remember?



What do you think has been your greatest accomplishment in life?


Is there anything else you'd like to say?


Questions for Interviewees:

How long have you known Mr. Walker? What is your relationship (student, colleague, friend, teacher, etc.)


When you first met him, what were your thoughts? Did you pity, respect, wonder)


How did he influence you/ what impact has he had on your life?


What do you think of him now?


What have you learned from him that you think everyone should know?


If you could ask him any question, what would it be?


Tell me one story or experience you have had with him (funny or serious).


Did his example help motivate or encourage you in any way? If so, how?


Is there anything else you'd like to say about him?

Final Midterm Project! (hopefully)

Assignment Write-Up

I really loved re-editing this video, I just wish I had more time! Having 3 assignments due in a week was tough for me, I would have loved to spend the whole time just editing. I did the best I could in that time frame however, and didn't waste a minute! Late to bed, early to rise . . . I really hope it was worth it, I know it's a lot closer to what I want it to be now.

Plot Structure

LOCATION IMAGES

Here are some locations I will use for B-Roll:

Trinity Lakes, Mr. Walker's former apartment

St. Francis Hospital, his current location

Crichton College, now Victory University, his workplace

Note: I wasn't able to find an image for his current location, which is the Galloway Health Center on Old Brownsville, but I will try and get one when I go up to visit. He has just moved there so I haven't been able to see the place yet.

Inspirations

I never liked documentaries until I watched D.A. Pennebroker's film on Bob Dylan "Don't Look Back." Ever since then, I realized documentaries could be a lot more than talking heads. Unfortunately, my project doesn't have a lot of action, so rather than having talking heads, I would like to incorporate a lot of B-Roll and I would love to add some background music to it. I believe that documentaries seem so dull to most people because the sound is mainly just people talking. Well here is what I think is an awesome example of how to use music without overtaking the documentary:

Final Pitch

DOCUMENTARY PITCH

SUMMARY:

A quadriplegic professor and writer, John Walker proves that humans are capable of much more than we think, if we have the will for it.

TOPIC AND EXPOSITION:

My film's subject will be Prof. John Walker, a professor at Victory (formerly known as Crichton) and a writer. He is a quadriplegic who has been hospitalized after having cancer, then pneumonia. After becoming paralyzed as a child, he found a new love for books and writing, which has led to his profession and hobby. Despite, his setbacks, he has a constant will to continue writing and teaching, spreading his fascination to others.

STRUCTURE:

• Background of past – short bio
• Description of accident
• Present occupation/ hobbies
• Conflict- current condition/ setbacks
• Resolution- using setbacks to make stories/ accomplishments

CONFLICT:

Unable to carry out normal activities without difficulty

Unable to write while in the hospital, and unable to teach. Basically homeless.

Pitied by others but not seen past the disability

Show how he has overcome these difficulties and accomplished more than most.

FORM AND STYLE:

• Parallel stories from other points-of-view (peers, family, students, nurses, etc.)
• Juxtaposition of B-roll: pictures, locations

RESOLUTION:

• Ending paragraph of one of stories being read, visuals to match or text from the story
• Or, confessions by others of how he has influenced them; their stories of turning bad situations into something useful.

SYNOPSIS:

I will present at least 5 different interviews of Mr. Walker and several others who have known him. I'll interview at least one close friend, one student, one fellow teacher, one nurse, and one family member. I will ask them about how they came to know him and what their thoughts were on him, as well as how he changed their life. I will ask Mr. Walker about his past and how he came to be a quadriplegic as well as how it has changed his life. I also will show pictures from the past, and hopefully some B-roll of locations such as the hospitals he's been at recently, as well as the school. I will also see if he has any footage of the past, such as home videos.

INTENT:

My intent is to show how easily we give up sometimes, we make excuses or feel sorry for ourselves rather than try. Through this documentary, I hope that my audience will feel that they don't have to be extraordinary to do what they really want, and should be satisfied with what they have, regardless of difficulties. Humans are capable of so much, and the strength of one's will determines how fulfilling one's life can be.

SOME IMAGES TO BE USED AS B-ROLL:

Other Interviewees:

Bob Webb (friend and mechanic for Mr. Walker's wheelchair and specialized van)

Richard Bausch (writer and professor at U of M)

Jacqueline Jones (former student of Prof. Walker)

Dr. Keith Callis (peer) and his daughter Julianne Rudzena (former student)

Re-edited video

Crit-on-Crit

4.5.11

It really helped me to hear all of the advice everyone gave me last week. Jill's suggestion to see some Maya Deren films definitely inspired me. I think it's a lot closer to how I envisioned it, and I feel like it's ambiguity is what makes it stronger. I tried my best to fix the sound, but now I think the volume might be too low! It was pretty hard for me to judge. I went all out and cut it down from probably about 7 minutes or so to less than 3! I hope this was for the better. I still can't think of a title for it, I hope that isn't a bad thing . . . Oh, and I did agree with what everyone said as far as I'm aware. I felt similarly only I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong, so I'm glad that everyone was able to help me out!

Midterm Project

Midterm Self-Crit

3/30/11

Everything went really well, I just wish I had more cut-away shots . . . it didn't turn out like I'd pictured it, I had gathered so much footage and sound bites so that I could have what I needed, but it was difficult to sort through all of it. I definitely learned a lot, I did much better at figuring out the lighting as I worked with it, which unfortunately means the things I filmed first don't look as good as what I filmed later, but it was a great learning experience. I had trouble with the sound because there was a lot of buzzing from the microphone, and my other mic picked up sound so well I really had to turn the volume down on everything! I also learned how to work the chroma key in final cut which was really helpfu. It was really a lot of fun though, and I can't wait to try out all that I learned on my next piece :P

3-Panel Artist's Lecture

Anita, Steve and Luva are all illustrators of different sorts, Steve works more with satire while Luva works more with posters and Anita with editorial illustrations or just her own personal work. Anita splits her time between teaching, illustrating, and creating fine art. Steve has been an illustrator for over 30 years. He makes mostly political cartoons and believes that the artist should have complete reign over their work, so most of his work is self-generated from his own ideas. Luva states that even though she does commissioned work, her work always comes from herself and that restrictions actually help, even deadlines. she also believes that drawing is very important to an artist if for nothing else than to get one's visual ideas out.

The first question had to do with authorship of their work. Steve responded by stating that authorship was like a narrative, and that it is the nature of human beings to want to create narratives because it helps us to understand. He advised that one should arrange elements to speak most clearly, because narratives are so important. Anita commented that the narrative voice should always be unique and it is very valuable to one's work. Luva stated that it was the humanism in narratives that was most important. The imagery is created even moreso through an element of surprise or through something provocative. To her, the most important thing is to always be honest and tell the truth. Steve sort of disagreed, stating that artists aren't always nice people, but what they make is the most important. What they leave behind has meaning and their truth is in what they made. I thought this comment was interesting but true. I still believe that it is the artist's responsibility to do the world some good, but I do agree that they can be a little crazy or just down-right insane as long as they are adding something to the world in some way. Steve also continued by saying that images are more intense than language because there is a deeper connection. He stressed that artists should never take the easy way out.

The next question was about responsibility. Luva began by saying that being clever isn't important, but being human is. Anita agreed that images can hit sore spots so there is a responsibility in one's work, but everyone seemed to agree that controversy is never a bad thing, an artist should take it and be proud of what they made regardless, or even proud of the fact that it caused controversy. Steve gave a pretty funny example of how he was berated for his art, but he claimed that he only depicted how people seem to be in public, not necessarily in reality, so in one sense it was true.

Regarding newer forms of media, such as Facebook, Luva was excited for it's potential and encouraged young artists to use these sources for their art. Anita agreed and claimed that change is exponential. Artists are not just artists but citizens of the world, so they should be informed and be better able to contribute to the worked by making one into an articulate artist.

The next question had to do with ideas and how they are formed. Luva responded by saying that ideas come from observations and that getting older has helped her come up with ideas faster because of her experience. Steve defined an idea as two or more things put together that surprise someone else. He also agreed that ideas come from awareness of one's surroundings. Anita believes that an idea is one's own personal story and what a person has to contribute.

I enjoyed this presentation and learned more than I thought from it. If nothing else, it encouraged me to keep sketching and to keep my eyes and mind open to everything around me. Also, it taught me to be happy with my own work and not focus on those who find it controversial.

storyboard of master shots

Shot List for Midterm

Girl - in her twenties, wearing a light jacket and sweatpants with hair pulled back.

EST. APARTMENT COMPLEX

INT. APARTMENT LIVING ROOM- EARLY MORNING

Shot 1: Master Shot - WS; A light comes on in the bedroom
Shot 2: MS; We see her packing and picking up her luggage
Shot 3: CU of luggage and girl lifting it up

CUT TO:

EXT. IN THE CAR - SUNRISE

Shot 4: MS; We see the girl driving and the changing scenery
Shot 5-7: WS; We see the scenery, first a city in the morning,a town in the afternoon, and country at sunset

FADE TO:

EXT. CITY - EARLY EVENING

Shot 8: MS; We see the sunset as she drives through the country

CUT TO:

EXT. PARENT'S HOUSE - SUNSET

Shot 9: Master Shot, WS; her parents greeting the girl as she pulls up in her car

Shot 10: CU of her face in rearview mirror, MS tracking of her pulling up to the house

EXT. PARENT'S HOUSE - SUNSET - FLASHBACK

Shot 11: MS; Home video/ handheld shot of girl getting out of the car with parents greeting her.

CUT TO:

EXT. PARENT'S HOUSE - SUNSET - PRESENT DAY

Shot 12: WS, master shot; She gets out of the car alone
Shot 13: CU; she stands for a second, regarding the empty house.

CUT TO:

INT. PARENT'S HOUSE - EVENING - FLASHBACK

Shot 14: Master shot, WS; she enters the house from the hallway and goes towards the kitchen

Shot 15: MS tracking; She goes into the kitchen from the hallway

FADE TO:

INT. KITCHEN - EVENING - PRESENT DAY

Shot 16: WS, Master Shot; We see her walking into the kitchen alone.
Shot 17: MS; She sets her bags down by the counter
Shot 18: MS; she turns a light on near the sink.
Shot 19: MS; She goes up to the fridge and sees a note.
Shot 20: CU; She picks up the note.

CUT TO NOTE:

Shot 21: CU of note -

Have all the food you want, don't forget to take the birds out.

Much love,

Mom and Dad

Shot 22: MS; She sets it on the counter and looks in the fridge.

Shot 23: CU; She pulls out a container of leftovers, smells it, sighs, then sets it back.

CUT TO:

INT. DINING ROOM - NIGHT

Shot 24: WS, master shot; We see her walking into the room.
Shot 25: MS; We see her walking towards the birds, then bending towards them.
Shot 26: Match on action; CU; She looks at the birds, unsure, and opens one of the cages.
Shot 27: CU of hand and bird; The bird bites her.
Shot 28: MS; She closes the cage quickly.

CUT TO:

INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT

Shot 29: Master Shot, WS; She looks around the room, holding her luggage.
Shot 30: MS; She sets her luggage down and sits on the bed.
Shot 31: MS; She sits with her arms and legs tight together, looking around the room.
Shot 32: CU; We see her eyes shifting in thought.

FADE TO:

INT. CHURCH - DAY

GIRL- Now wearing off-white dress

Shot 33: Master shot, WS; girl sits in the pew, her parents are beside her

Shot 34: CU; We see the girl sitting alone in a pew in the same position as on her bed in the previous scene.

CUT TO MS:

INT. CHURCH - DAY - FLASHBACK

Parents and girl in church attire

Shot 35: MS; We see her parents sitting in a white pew in the church.

CUT TO:

INT. CHURCH - DAY - PRESENT DAY

Shot 36: Master Shot, WS; We see her walking along a hallway in the church

Shot 37: WS, tracking; We see her wandering through the church looking at the stained glass windows.
Shot 38: CU; She stares at an imposing image of Jesus in one of the windows, then backs up.
Shot 39: MS, match-on-action; She backs up a little then turns to the door.
Shot 40: WS; She opens the front doors of the church to bright sunlight.

FADE TO:

EXT. BEACH - DAY

Shot 41: WS, Master Shot; We see the girl walking along the beach and her parents walking in front of her. She watches the seagulls and looks at the sand

Shot 42: MS, tracking; We see her walking along the beach
Shot 43: CU; We see her watching the seagulls
Shot 44: MS; seagulls fighting and playing
Shot 45: Bust Shot; She folds her arms and looks at the sand
Shot 46: MS; she looks at the sand as she walks.

CUT TO:

EXT. BEACH - DAY - FLASHBACK

Shot 47: master shot, WS; We see her parents walking along the sand and out of view.

Shot 48: WS, home video; We see her parents walking ahead of her.
Shot 49: MS-CU, tracking, handheld; We see a shaky camera shot running up the the parents. They smile into the camera and continue walking.

CUT TO:

EXT. BEACH - DAY - PRESENT DAY

Shot 50: WS, master shot; We see her walking alone again.
Shot 51: MS; She sits on the sand watching the waves.

CUT TO:

INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY

GIRL- in casual attire

Shot 52: Master shot, WS; She walks into the living room
Shot 53: MS; sits on the burgundy couch.
Shot 54: CU; She sits upright, then leans a little forward with arms folded on her knees while looking into the sunroom.

CUT TO:

INT. SUNROOM - DAY - FLASHBACK

Shot 55: master shot, WS; we see her parents in the sunroom, the dad playing and the mom relaxing in a chair by the window.

Shot 56: MS, handheld; Her dad plays with the dog on the floor
Shot 57: CU, handheld; Her mom sits calmly by a window flooded with light.
Shot 58: CU, handheld; The dog tries to play with the camera.

CUT TO:

INT. DINING ROOM - EVENING

Shot 59: master shot, WS; She enters the dining room and looks at the birds.
Shot 60: MS; She opens the cage hesitantly.
Shot 61: CU; The bird comes out calmly.
Shot 62: MS; the bird flies away.
Shot 63: MS; She watches the doorway where the bird flew
Shot 64: MS, The bird flies through the doorway and lands on top of it's cage, watching her.

CUT TO:

INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT

Shot 65: WS, master shot; She walks towards the bed slowly, looking around the room at her old things.
Shot 66: MS; She goes up to the mirror instead.
Shot 67: CU, tracking; As she moves closer, we see her eyes shift, almost in fright.
Shot 68: POV; We see in the mirror a reflection of herself holding a videocamera.
Shot 69: OTS, handheld; We see both her and her reflection

Cut to black.

Logistics and Breakdown of Script

3 actors required: girl, mother and father

Girl: 17 scenes; about 8.5 minutes
Mom and dad: 5 scenes; about 3 minutes

about 5 locations: house (exterior, kitchen, bedroom, living room, sunroom, dining room), apartment, beach, church, car (city and country both shot from car)

special effects: green screen for mirror scene

"special costumes": church attire, casual attire, beach attire

props: mirror, luggage, birds, dog

Location: photos posted below of church and house. I do not have a map of the church, but below is posted the map of the house as well as it's lighting sources. The beach and car scenes will be sunlit.

Days of shoot: approx. 5 (not including pickups)

Saturday 3/12: apartment, car/ driving sequence, and kitchen; early morning, afternoon, sunset, and night - Actor: girl
Sunday 3/13: parent's house - kitchen and sunroom flashback scenes; afternoon, kitchen sound effect of mother's voice during dinnertime; Actors: Mom and Dad
Monday 3/14: living room, dining room (if birds need to be reshot), bedroom; afternoon and night; Actor: girl
Tuesday 3/15: beach; early morning; Actors: girl, Mom and Dad
Wednesday 3/16: church; afternoon (2-3 pm); Actors: Mom, Dad, and girl
Thursday 3/17: pickups in house, or reshoots; all day; Actors: Mom, Dad and girl
Saturday 3/19: pickups in car and apartment or reshoots; all day; Actor: girl

Contact:
Church: 843-884-4612

Breakdown of Script:

Apartment scene: establishes the main character, her habits and where she lives, and that she is going on a trip
Car scene: establishes how far she is going and a change in mood from a crowded city to more open spaces and a more historic community

Parent's house scene: contrasts her apartment with lots of open spaces and emptiness as well as the past with the present. Her parents are not there to greet her like they did before, and she is on her own

Kitchen scene: shows how she must take care of herself now, and how the "warmth" of her parent's presence is gone. She feels out of place coming home now.

Dining room scene: she finds the birds that are her responsibility and the reason she came to take care of the house. Like the birds, she was trapped in her apartment and must reconcile with these open, empty spaces that are no longer like her home.

Bedroom scene: she is still a traveler with her bags, and her childhood bedroom is no longer a place of comfort but more like a place to look at neatly placed relics. Sitting on the bed, which used to be comfortable, draws her back to the church.

Church scene: again she returns to a place she used to frequent in the past with her parents. She remembers them there through a home video and how she used to belong. She is alone there now and it is just an old empty space, but she has to figure out what has changed since it was the same as she remembered it. She goes through the front doors like one does in a dream, opening to a bright light and appearing into a new scene.

Beach scene: another place that she would frequent with her parents, the beach is a place to enjoy, but now it has become a place for her to contemplate. She sees her parents again in a home video memory, this time walking ahead of her. There is a sense of distance now. She sits alone and thinks.

Living room scene: she sits on the burgundy couch "looking into her past" so to speak as she imagines another home video while staring into the sunroom (facing the living room where she is sitting).

Sunroom: a home video of her parents, her father playing and the loud dog contrasting with her mother's quiet demeanor. This is how she remembers each of them. It is brightly lit, but shot like a home video so it is both real and dream-like.

Dining room: she feels now she is able to confront these birds after reconciling that it is actually herself that has become different. She tests the bird, it comes out and flies away like she did by moving away, but then returns to it's cage by instinct.

Bedroom: she now comes into the bedroom, but unable to sleep in the cleanly made bed, she approaches the mirror and truly confronts herself. It becomes a kind of out-of-body experience where she is truly able to see herself from the outside, but she also finds that she has been in control this whole time, both actor and observer. With this realization, change becomes possible.

Her parent's serve not only as a memory but also childhood comfort.

the church!

Finally I was able to find a church willing to let me film in there! It's almost exactly how I pictured it!

edited script

This is what I've changed so far. If anyone happens to read this before Wednesday, please give me an opinion! I'm going to keep working on it, but any advice would be greatly appreciated!


Girl - in her twenties, wearing a light jacket and sweatpants with hair pulled back.

INT. APARTMENT LIVING ROOM- EARLY MORNING
A light comes on in the bedroom
We see her packing and picking up her luggage

CUT TO:

EXT. IN THE CAR - SUNRISE
We see the girl driving and the changing scenery
She travels from city to country, from tight to more open space

FADE TO:

EXT. CITY - EARLY EVENING
We see the sunset as she drives through the town, historic and spacious

CUT TO:

EXT. PARENT'S HOUSE - SUNSET
She pulls up to her parent's large, white house

EXT. PARENT'S HOUSE - SUNSET - FLASHBACK
Her parent's greet her.

CUT TO:

EXT. PARENT'S HOUSE - SUNSET - PRESENT DAY
She gets out of the car alone and stands for a second, regarding the empty house.

CUT TO:

INT. PARENT'S HOUSE - EVENING - FLASHBACK
She goes into the kitchen, hearing her mother's voice indistinctly

FADE TO:

INT. KITCHEN - EVENING - PRESENT DAY
We see her walking into the kitchen alone. She sets her bags down and turns some lights on. She goes up to the fridge and sees a note. She picks it up:
CUT TO CU OF NOTE:
Have all the food you want, don't forget to take the birds out.
Much love,
Mom and Dad

CUT TO MS:

She sets it on the counter and looks in the fridge. She pulls out a container of leftovers, smells it, sighs, then sets it back.

CUT TO:

INT. DINING ROOM - NIGHT
We see her walking into the room and hear birds chirping. Cut to her regarding the birds. She looks at the birds and opens one of the cages. The bird bites her. She closes it quickly.

CUT TO:

INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
She looks around the room, holding her luggage. She sets her luggage down and sits on the bed. She sits with her arms and legs tight together, looking around the room. CU: We see her eyes shifting in thought.

FADE TO:

INT. CHURCH - DAY
GIRL- Now wearing off-white dress
We hear her parents talking indistinctly while watching her sitting calmly.

CUT TO MS:

INT. CHURCH - DAY - FLASHBACK
Parents and girl in church attire
We see her parents sitting in a white pew in the church, we hear the girl laughing softly as her parents talk quietly.

CUT TO:

INT. CHURCH - DAY - PRESENT DAY
We see her wandering through the church looking at the stained glass windows. She stares at an imposing image of Jesus in one of the windows, then backs up. She opens the front doors of the church to bright sunlight.

FADE TO:

EXT. BEACH - DAY
We see her walking along the beach, watching the seagulls, she folds her arms and looks at the sand as she walks.

CUT TO:

EXT. BEACH - DAY - FLASHBACK
We see her parents walking ahead of her talking indistinctly. We see a shaky camera shot running up the the parents. They smile into the camera and continue walking.

CUT TO:

EXT. BEACH - DAY - PRESENT DAY
We see her walking alone again. She sits on the sand watching the waves.

CUT TO:

INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY
GIRL- in casual attire
She walks into the living room and sits on the burgundy couch. She sits upright, then leans a little forward with arms folded on her knees while looking into the sunroom.

CUT TO:

INT. SUNROOM - DAY - FLASHBACK
Her dad plays with the dog on the floor, laughing while her mom sits calmly by a window flooded with light. The dog tries to play with the camera and we hear the girl laugh.

CUT TO:

INT. DINING ROOM - EVENING
She enters the dining room and looks at the birds. She opens the cage hesitantly. The bird comes out calmly, then flies away. She watches, unsure, then the bird comes and lands on top of it's cage, watching her.

CUT TO:

INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
She walks towards the mirror slowly, looking around the room at her old things. She goes up to the mirror slowly. As she moves closer, we see her eyes shift, almost in fright. We see in the mirror a reflection of herself holding a videocamera. Cut to black.

beach pictures

Here's the beach I hope to use for my midterm project, it's called Folly Beach. I'm hoping to get there early so there won't be a lot of people around, mostly to avoid legal issues if I get someone random in the shot. Since there's the time change, I'll try and get there by 6 or 7, I'll have to see what time the sun rises, but I do want it to be bright enough, so maybe just after sunrise.

Crit-on-crit

Midterm project

I unfortunately didn't get as much feedback as I'd hoped because we were short on time, but I really appreciated Jill's advice. There were a lot of things that I was unclear about and I also felt like my story would be flat since there isn't any real conversation or conflict, except an internal one which doesn't really become clear until the end. If I can shoot this right, hopefully I can evoke some type of feel into the viewer, since this whole piece is like a self-reflection. If I can get my old video camera to work, I could definitely have two obviously different styles with the flashbacks/ home videos and the "reality" or present-day. Either way, my dad also has a video camera I could use to get two different feels. I really hope that I'll be able to use one of the old-school churches where my parents live, but if not then I can always try and fake it by filming my parents in a pew then using my friend's church out here in Memphis for all of my scenes. Jill's right that it'll be hard to film myself, but I've been doing this for past projects as well as the ones for this class, and my dad is also good with video cameras, so I'm sure with his help this will turn out well.
I'm looking forward to it!

timeline

wasn't exactly sure how to work this, there doesn't seem to be a real climax until the end

Script

Girl
INT. APARTMENT LIVING ROOM- EARLY MORNING
A light comes on in the bedroom
We see her packing and picking up her luggage

EXT. IN THE CAR - SUNRISE
We see the girl driving and the changing scenery
She travels from city to country

EXT. CITY - EARLY EVENING
We see the sunset as she drives through the city

EXT. PARENT'S HOUSE - SUNSET - FLASHBACK
She pulls up to her parents house and her parents greet her

EXT. PARENT'S HOUSE - SUNSET - PRESENT DAY
She gets out of the car alone

INT. PARENT'S HOUSE - EVENING
She goes into the kitchen, hearing her mother's voice indistinctly

INT. KITCHEN - EVENING
We see her in the kitchen alone. She goes up to the fridge and sees a note. She picks it up:
Have all the food you want, don't forget to take the birds out.
Much love,
Mom and Dad

INT. DINING ROOM - NIGHT
She looks at the birds and opens the cage. The bird bites her. She closes it quickly.

INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
She sets her luggage down and sits on the bed. We see her eyes shifting in thought.

INT. CHURCH - DAY - FLASHBACK
We hear her parents talking indistinctly while watching her sitting calmly. We then see her sitting with her parents in the church

INT. CHURCH - DAY - PRESENT DAY
We see her wandering through the church looking at the stained glass windows. She opens the front doors of the church to bright sunlight

EXT. BEACH - DAY - FLASHBACK
We see her walking along the beach, watching the seagulls, her parents walking ahead of her talking indistinctly. We see her walking alone again. She sits on the sand watching the waves.

INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY
She walks into the living room and sits on the burgundy couch looking into the sunroom.

INT. SUNROOM - DAY - FLASHBACK
Her dad plays with the dog on the floor, laughing while her mom sits calmly by a window flooded with light.

INT. DINING ROOM - DAY
She enters the dining room and looks at the birds. She opens the cage hesitantly. The bird comes out calmly, then flies away. She watches, unsure, then the bird comes and lands on top of it's cage, watching her.

INT. BEDROOM - DAY
She walks towards the mirror slowly, looking around the room at her old things. She goes up to the mirror. As she moves closer, we see her eyes shift, almost in fright. We see in the mirror a reflection of herself holding a videocamera. The sound of the camera rolling grows louder, then cuts to black.