My Project

Project Summary/Components:

Inspiration

Film studies have always been an interest of mine. In my free time, I often will explore Vimeo – a social platform for sharing independent films and videos. It was the beginning of my junior year when I first came across this short narrative film called ReMoved (https://vimeo.com/73172036), which evidentially planted the seed for my senior project. Though I found this film over a year ago, I still find myself continuing to share it with others, as well as going back to watch it over on my own. As I think about it, I cannot give a true explain as why I find myself doing so. Of course, I admire the artistic aspects of the way this film was made, but there is something much deeper that has caused me to feel so a strong attachment to the message the film is sending and the weigh it carries. I realize that with all the of today’s media and advertising, rarely do people feel a personal connection drawing them in. Of course, I could go on and on about technology and how it should be used instead of the way we currently use it, but that is not my point. My point here is that the point of this film is not for the viewer to pity the young girl in the film, but to expose her perspective and internalize how her hardships influence all things in her life occurring after. Whenever something bad happens, people often sympathize the person it happens to and want to be there for them, but rarely do they truly internalize the psychological affects of trauma. With that, I found this video to be unlike others for that reason. It is meant to tell a story, inform the viewer, and uncover the feelings that are often overlooked. In doing so, the filmmakers did a truly beautiful job. If I were to read this story in a book or hear it from a friend, I really would not be able to comprehend the fundamental importance of what is being addressed in this film.

Key Components/Learning/Worthwhile

As previously stated, film has always been an interest of mine. I had the opportunity this summer to get my feet wet during my paid internship with the film crew of PBS Kids. With that, pursuing this senior project would allow me to not only apply what I have learned from my previous experiences, but also experience the process of filmmaking from an entirely different from an entirely different perspective.

I hope to not only learn more about filmmaking and new techniques; I also hope to learn how to get the message across to people through visualization – which in this instance is film. My interest for film is not the only attraction to the idea of this project. As I have previously touched on the technical aspects of filmmaking – I plan to gain more insight and experience on filming and the process as a whole. But it is not just the artistic part that I am going to be pursuing. I think the personal connection and goal that I have manifested in this idea will be the most rewarding outcome in pursuing this short narrative film. Many people misunderstand struggle, they think it means weakness, but there’s always a deeper root. That is where I come in to expose it. I believe that confronting an issue can help people struggling feel more supported by others around them. We are all vulnerable without our support systems. While my voice is small, film is a phenomenal way to voice one’s thoughts. It speaks louder than my voice could ever do alone.

Outcome/Product

I think there is so much to gain from pursuing this particular senior project. The process as a whole, would be particularly rewarding for me because it would also include the opportunities to write, which is another thing that interests me – especially when it is something I am passionate about. In a way this is not a project for me, it is for the well being of the community, by giving them all an opportunity to better understand a point of view that they would not otherwise. With that, informing the viewers is a large component of the project as well. What makes pursuing this project such a rewarding use of my time is the fact that I would be exploring multiple areas of interest that I would not have otherwise been able to explore in my school curriculum.

The final product of this project would be my on-going blog and a short narrative film. I would have the opportunity to show a portion of it to the community when I present my senior project at the end of the year. I would also hope to have a screening prior to my presentation so that anyone who was interested could experience my work as a whole. Blogging is something I really enjoying doing. It is a way to log my time and my progress. It allows others to be in on my progress as well.