Red Gold

This is a bit of a side ramble, but today in school I donated blood for the second time ever. It was really rewarding although I got a pretty nasty and very sore bruise! I think it's kind of fun to call blood red gold, because donating it is so vital to helping others.

I went to Ithaca College and I had the pleasure of meeting with 5 students to interview. I spent a bit of time getting to know and searching for a space that we could use to film. I wanted to be outside but there were lawn crews with loud machines and the smell of mulch was very strong. The next best option was a nicely lit room called the fishbowl in Campus Center but it was occupied. We ended up using another room and I didn't love the fluorescent lighting, but at least it was quiet.

I had two of the girls go together first and then the last three wanted to get to a 6:30 class, so I had all three of them sit in the frame and answer my questions. It was different than the way I originally had wanted but I'm very happy with their responses. I think I will be able to use a lot of what they say. The whole process did take a while and there is a lot of "junk" time that I will have to go through and cut from ~25 minutes of interview. In addition, I felt kind of weird interviewing and filming them, because some of them go to the Park school at IC and are much more skilled at interviews and filming than I am. It was still very fun.

I got some shots of Ithaca and Cayuga Lake from afar on top of South Hill on the IC campus. On my way back home, I stopped at Mulholland Wildflower Preserve which was absolutely stunning in the pre-dusk sparkle of the sun. I've never been there before but I definitely will return. For lazy days, there are benches or simply an open space to spread a blanket and the Six Mile Creek trail runs through the area. The wildlife of geese and so much greenery was perfect. The water is also very gorges and I think I captured it pretty well, because I'm happy with the results.

Overall, I've been having a great time working on my project lately. I even got to use the skills I've been working on with focusing and zooming.

Here's one of the pictures I got:

Mentor Meeting and Skill Improvement

At my mentor meeting with Mr. Cass, we worked on camera skills. I have been trying to use auto focus in my filming but sometimes it messes up the shot as it refocuses due to movement or zooming. I learned that a good way to go about shooting is to start zoomed in, then fix the shot with manual focus. Then, the shot will stay focused, and create a better product. Also, we discussed the importance of slow, steading zooming and panning. I need to work on using the tripod for a steady shot and keeping the pivoting movement of the camera itself more uniform (and less jumpy). I hope to work with these methods while I'm filming later this week. I have an interview with some Ithaca College students planned.

As far as the preview piece goes, I took a one minute section from what I've been working on so far to bring in for class to show to document my progress. I have it on my external hard drive which I'm counting as my "artifact" for Wise class. I really enjoy using the external hard drive but I also appreciate having a backup folder on the digital media computer, because I can't imagine what I would do if my work was lost or didn't save correctly.

Speaking of technology, I quickly want to state the importance of keeping all of the footage together. The Adobe Premiere Pro program that I load each time I go in to edit will only work with my saved project if all of the footage clips are available to use. This is why my external hard drive is so important. Although I've been primarily been using the same computer to back up and save my work to, I have to ability to use any computer in the school with the program on it.

Here's a shot I took in a local park near South Hill (it was so nice out today!!):

Wise Class

Today we read the introduction to an article entitled "Happiness Revisited." It's an interesting take on the universal ideas that happiness encompasses. People from all over the world and from a wide span of ages, no matter the wealth find being content involves mastery and participation. I would agree with this statement. In addition, I enjoy the quote "Happiness, in fact, is a condition that must be prepared for, cultivated, and defended privately by each person. People who learn to control inner experience will be able to determine the quality of their lives, which is as close as any of us can come to bring happy." It speaks to me in the way of taking initiative and responsibility for one's own self. The part I'm not super content with is how it talks about getting close to happiness. I believe it's not as difficult as this article suggests to be happy. Maybe it's me being idealistic but I hope for blissfulness to come often.

There is a flow chart that I will attach down below that goes along with the article. I'll draw a star where I think I belong on the chart. I think this place displays that I try to challenge myself and I hope to have a lot of skills in life but also face anxiety a bit. This is why I put myself higher in the box and on the edge of anxiety. 

The article also discussed flow- the state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience itself is so enjoyable that people will do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it. This seems kind of hard to do, because I find it hard to focus on one thing only. There's usually something that gnaws at the back of my mind or that brings my focus away from whatever is bringing me happiness. I hope to achieve flow by acknowledging these things but also being able to put them away.

Lastly, I feel most happy when I'm surrounded by people I like. This sounds weird, so I'll rephrase it. I enjoy being around good feelings and being able to take in the experience. It's less of a where I am or what exactly I'm doing and more the state of mind I'm in. Of course, the situation should be either neutral or positive and should be engaging. However, even though the place doesn't really matter to me, I wouldn't mind it to be out on the lake during a sunny summer day, or sitting with a blanket watching netflix and hearing rain pour against the roof outside.

Waste

I spent several hours last week sorting through my footage and putting it into Adobe Premiere Pro in the school's digital media studio. Here's a big shoutout to Mr. Cass for giving me some great footage to go through of aerial views and shots taken with a go pro. I now have some wide, sweeping shots of falls and the lake, which will add nicely into my documentary. Also, I have been freshening up my skills with the editing program. I hadn't realized I was putting my work in an odd area, like the secondary area for videos, and was informed it's typical to keep them in a slightly different spot. Overall, I feel pretty successful with the knowledge I've been able to use and apply.

The title of this post refers to the learning experience I've had figuring out that a lot of what I do, wont make it into my final product. There are many shots I've gotten that I don't think I can use the majority of, or even for some, not at all. This is a bit unfortunate. Some don't fit in/don't work, and others are not the type of quality I want to include, and others are too similar and don't create variety. Mr. Cass has said I should bring in my DSLR on Monday to work on my shooting skills a bit more, to get better footage. Additionally, with the editing I've done, the film is a bit slow paced and I need more interviews to incorporate along with the scenes.

Lastly, I have scheduled more interviews for the coming week, after previous ones haven't worked out. I'm a bit worried about getting the college student perspective before the students leave for the summer. I feel like my schedule doesn't line up well with theirs.

Here's a picture taken at a local restaurant, Gorgers, in town. I love seeing local art:

Task Force Response

First of all, I want to thank the community member who read through all my blog posts and gave me some fantastic and prompt feedback and encouragement! I appreciate it so much.

My reviewer says that "there is ample goal-setting, possibly more than can be realistically be done." I have started to realize this and come to terms with it. I am going to continue to stay positive and keep my goals high but set my base expectations below. I hope to gather a lot of my skills and footage, but I do realize that I'm not going to be able to do EVERYTHING that I want. Hopefully my enthusiasm will help me to maximize the amount that I get done. Also, just to clarify, I will be using both pictures and film that I shoot for my documentary.

The suggestions listed are the following: visit the places on your list and write about the storyboarding/steps in your documentary, write about the hardware/software you will be using to make the documentary, write about the nuts and bolts- how is this documentary going to be put together? 

Since the task force journal review took place, I've explained myself a bit more on most of these fronts. I will discuss the planning and storyboarding a bit more in a future post. 

This is a picture from my phone camera of Beebe Lake, a man-made body of water in town:

Editing!

It's been almost a year since I've used the editing software, Adobe Premiere Pro. I'm so excited to be seeing my work come together. It's crazy! I now am realizing how much time and work this is going to take to correctly place everything where I want it (and figure out where that is). I also have realized a lot of the camera work is quite shaky, either from times I was without a tripod, from wind, or from trying to smoothly pan (and only being semi-successful). Sometimes it's hard to see footage I've collected that I can't use, but I know that there is a lot that I can use, too.

I'm very excited to re-learn how to use the program, though. Initially, I had some difficulty uploading and formatting in the program, but fell into the swing of the work. I have a nice little nook in the digital media studio behind Mr. Cass's classroom. I can go in during my free periods and work. One problem I may run into is working while Mr. Cass is teaching and being unable to ask for help. This will give me the opportunity to gain more independence and to look up and research more on my own.

This is a picture that was taken in front of a mural on the Tioga Street parking garage:

Story-Bored

I know, I know, storyboard is not spelled like that. I just want to mention how much I dislike the idea of a formal story-board for creating my documentary. My project is constantly changing and I don't feel that a storyboard would be the best use of my time. It would be tedious and wouldn't end up matching most of what I'm doing, simply because the documentary is more like a goo than a solid. In other words, it is more adaptable and likely to change shape as I mold it. Other types of filmography the scripts and shots are much more organized to get the desired scenes just so, but I'm going for a more organic feel.

I already have a list of the places and people who I intend to include. As for the order, I feel that it would be better for me to play around with different audio and visual clips/pictures to see what fits the best.

Of course it's important to have a storyboard, but mine is more of an informal version. It's leaning toward a free-flow of ideas and how to string them together. I want my project to open with an intro of me explaining my project and switch into voiceover with pictures. Next, it will go to the title screen of "Why Ithaca?" And then a long series of interviews and footage that fits together by the mood of what people are discussing, with intermittent narration by me. I will probably end with a wrap up of how I feel. Of course, there will be a lot more "meat" to the film than what I have listed here, but this is just an outline of the direction I'm working toward. The format has changed a bit since I first started, but you can see more of that in my April 20 post entitled Mentor Meeting and Slight Changes.

Lastly, I know that we need to get a physical piece of work in to Wise to demonstrate what we've been doing. Hopefully I can get in and edit a little preview of my work so far, so I'm ready to show it on Monday. I think it will also be good editing practice. 

Here's a picture from Sweet Melissa's Ice Cream a few days ago:

Technology and Logistics

It's time for a technical post! I'm not very good at understanding logistics and once I do, I still have a bit of trouble explaining to others. Please bear with me.

I am using a DSLR Canon camera and a basic tripod. Unfortunately it doesn't have a level on it, but it's been okay to use so far. I am using a fairly basic microphone (borrowed from the digital media department--thanks Mr. Cass!!) that slides on top of my camera. It's been working very well so far.

Mr. Cass has given me a book titled Video Basics 7 by Herbert Zettl, which is actually used in some college programs. There are some sections, I won't really be needing to look at such as 'Talent, Clothing, and Makeup' or 'Tape-Based Video-Recording Systems.' There are some parts that I also already understand, such as information on the basics of framing. Because I have a background in photography and some experience in digital media, I understand how some of this works, such as the rule of thirds, where to place bodies, and even simply not cutting off people's heads.

In the editing process, I will be starting to use a program called Adobe Premiere Pro. I have a bit of background with it from digital media class last year, but hope to use it with more ease now. One struggle I face is only having access to it mainly at school in the lab. Mr. Cass also has laptops I can borrow and bring home when it gets closer to my deadline and I need to work on polishing off my product. In addition, Mr. Cass has offered to help me design a title template for people's names and other stylistic choices. I hope it will help my documentary to look nice and be unique and uniform throughout the video.

Here's a screenshot I found online of the editing program. I remember seeing it for the first time and being overwhelmed by all the tabs and options:

Mentor Meeting and Slight Changes

I had my meeting with Mr. Cass. We went over the importance again of naming and filing through my work. We will keep one set of files on the external hard drive, and one on a specific computer for me to use in digital media lab as back up. In addition, throughout my film, I want to diversify locations, age groups, etc. to keep it from being monotonous. This means that I should be splitting up scenes and interviews that are similar throughout the film, instead of, for example, putting all of the Ithaca Farmers Market interviews one after the other, in a row.

We also have started to think about how I want to proceed with the opening of the documentary. I know that I want it to both explain my project but also captivate people to make them want to watch. Therefore, I've decided to tweek the way I'm approaching the editing and continued filming process. As I've been progressing through shooting, I've decided that I want to make the documentary a bit more personal. It's going to be impossible to capture all the places and ideas that are pertinent to the culture of Ithaca. Instead, I'm still looking to answer the same question, but putting more of a personal twist on it, to interview others but also look through more of my own lens.

This also gives me a bit more freedom in script writing and storyboarding for myself. I can also find different sayings and mention them, although they might be a bit cliche, about what Ithaca is/means.

Also, I'm so sorry I haven't been posting exactly regularly. I'm trying to keep up but I was away this past Thursday through Sunday, without internet access. Anyway, here's a picture I found online of one of the pithy sayings about Ithaca (plus a bonus FLEFF sticker and an environmentally conscious one. So Ithaca.)

Disrupting my Comfort Zone

Today in Wise class we listened to an NPR podcast. Brian Grazer discusses meeting people who challenge his ideas about himself and the world. It took a lot of work for Grazer to get certain people to talk to him and when he did, he was was insulted. He also decided to start surfing in a very intimating environment. I really appreciated the quote from a biologist he used: "If you're not growing, you're dying."

My project is a lot of work that goes beyond my comfort zone. I usually keep to myself when I'm out in public and I don't know anyone. It's forced me to have conversations with people I otherwise wouldn't have talked with. In addition, I feel like I make myself stand out when I lug around a camera, microphone, and tripod with me. People stare and try to avoid it, even when it's not even on. I think it's benefitted me to care a little less about what strangers think about me in everyday life. 

Also, to push forward, I think it's important to get out of my own mindset about this town. I've been doing additional research by talking to people around town. I don't always have my camera on me, but that doesn't stop me from working on my project. I now am starting to talk to people, such as parents, prospective college students, and others I've met. I want to get a more global idea of how people view Ithaca, because staying narrow minded is something I'm trying to avoid.

Ms. Lord drew this visual for us in class:

Mentor Meeting

In my mentor meeting with Mr. Cass, we talked about the next steps in my project.
Here's a list of the main parts of our discussion, which I will continue to work on:

• Make sure to tell the interview subjects to talk to me, not directly at the camera
• Try to avoid both visual and audio distractions while filming
• More footage and interview questions are better than less
• I can find time to start coming in and working at one of the computers in the digital media studio during my free periods
• The importance of saving my work to the computer in a file too, to ensure I have my work somewhere if anything happens to the external hard drive
• Working on improving smoother shooting skills and panning shots
• I should move on from people I've asked to interview, who haven't responded well

Here's a photo featuring the grass beginning its spring transformation and the typical gray skies:

Motivations and Deadlines

"But what about assignments that don't have clear deadlines? Or projects that are so large that they must be done in increments, so that pulling an all nighter isn't an option? Or creative goals that no one much cares about, except you?"

-- Phyllis Korkki, The New York Times

"Need Motivation? Declare a Deadline"

In Wise class on Monday, we read an article that I relate to very well. In the past, I've had a lot of problems with procrastination and a lack of motivation to complete my responsibilities. I always manage to finish what needs to get done, but end up stressing myself out in the process. I put a lot of pressure on myself to finish tasks but I don't plan my time out well, especially when the deadline is far away and less tangible.

Hopefully I can inspire myself to continue to increase my workload, now that I've realized the time constraints I'm working against. With better weather and more people out in the streets, opportunity is calling. In addition, the college students are leaving fairly shortly and I need to get them in my filming. This will help with motivation. In addition, I'm excited to start the editing process, but want to wait until I have a bit more footage to work with, which will also push me to continue to work hard. 

Senioritis might be real in other aspects of my life, but I'm excited to keep working on my Wise project for the rest of the year.

Here's a photo of Ithaca Falls from Monday:

First Interviews

I went to a concert at the State Theater last night and tried to get some video footage of the music scene that Ithaca attracts there, but I don't know if any of it will be great quality. We'll see...

Anyway, I had a friend visiting in town today who is going to Ithaca College next year. We went to the Ithaca Farmer's Market and while we were there, I interviewed some venders about the market and their impression of Ithacans. Although I got three vender interviews, one customer interview, some b-roll around the market, and footage of a live performance going on, I was aiming for more. Many venders and customers who I asked to interview were busy, were too shy, or were too close to the drums of the musical performance going on. I was surprised at how many people turned me down because they thought they looked bad or they didn't want to talk. It was also pretty chilly, so that may have been a factor. I also got some great positive responses from those I did interview, so I'm pretty happy about that.

It was my first time using the microphone that Mr. Cass gave me. I was worried that the sound wouldn't work because there was so much background noise, but I previewed the videos and they seem fine. One thing I realized while interviewing was that I should tailor my questions to the situation. It's going to require a bit of thinking on my feet while also focusing on my camerawork. I hope to go back and talk to more people later on when it's a bit warmer and sunnier, and hopefully the people will be too.

Here's a picture of me and my friend Missy at Steamboat Landing

Gleaning From the Past

Over spring break, we were assigned a former Wise student's project (the narrative and journaling aspects) to look through and reflect on. I received a project that involved creating a musical by a girl named Ellen.

I think that Ellen did a great job showing reflecting on her reactions and emotions throughout the project. She was very open about her opinions. Furthermore, she included many pictures, videos, and gifs in her posts that were both entertaining to look at but also explained and supported what she was saying. She also builds up her ability to cope with stress and it shows. Ellen also used a very helpful mentor who she was close with, which I feel probably helped her move along with the project.

I think there were also a few minor weak points in Ellen's journaling, as well. She had some gaps and irregularities with posting (sometimes many on one day with an absence in others). She also often gives off the impression that she doesn't prioritize or feel like working on her project, too. I think we can all relate to this, but I personally probably wouldn't share this.

I appreciate her self awareness of the gap between what she accomplished (a script and two full songs, I believe) and a full musical (full script, ~18 songs, etc.). I feel that although I'm aiming high, if my documentary ends up not being quite as long as i expect, I will probably be ok. I'm creating it in much less time without all the crews and people that a professional, full length documentary uses. I'd like to borrow the relatable way that Ellen shares her information.

I think that Ellen learned a lot from her project and I know that she's interested in performing arts. I wonder if she would do something like this again in the future as a hobby or as a job.

Reflection Over Spring Break

Well, spring break is nearly over. I spent a week recovering from my getting my wisdom teeth removed and unfortunately wasn't feeling well enough at all to go out and film. I feel like I missed out, but I also had some time to spend time looking up some ideas and getting in touch with some people around Ithaca.

I have gathered some inspiration from videos made about Ithaca. I'm interested by the voiceovers and shots used. Sometimes I find it hard to find ways of showing motion in the videos of places and things I take. Maybe I can use a time lapse with people moving around as part of the scenes I shoot. Included in the short videos I found is this one about downtown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yVHvjpYqjg. Additionally, this one is mainly about Cornell, but still very relatable and useful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWXK4npGxKE. 

...and speaking of Cornell, I received my last and most anxiously awaited college acceptance letter! I am very excited to announce that I may spend the next few years here in Ithaca at Cornell University. The only hesitation that holds me back from immediately saying yes to my top choice is that I was accepted for January 2016. This leaves me wondering what I should do for the first semester. More information on the new program can be found here: http://admissions.cornell.edu/fysa#a. 

My main reason for including this information in this post is that it may color the way I narrate my documentary. I think the voiceover will end up being one of the last additions to my film, because my overall connections and impressions will probably continue to change right up until the end. 

This picture is a pretty good representation of the weather lately (wet and cold)

Connections

My Wise project has given me an enormous amount of support from the Ithaca community. Already, I have made some great connections that aren't just helpful now but I believe might help me later on in my career/hobbies.

Several weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Professor Bradley Rappa from Ithaca College. Not only did I get to hear his perspective in teaching documentary filmmaking and the technical aspects of that, but I also got to hear more about his experience out in the field as he produces, directs and more. In addition, I was able to get him in contact with Mr. Cass to possibly get his college students working with high schoolers next year.

The first Ithaca College professor I got in contact with from the Parks School was actually Dr. Patricia Zimmermann. Although I didn't end up interviewing her, she's the one who suggested I talk with Bradley Rappa. In addition, she plays a major role in the annual Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival, which is an internationally renowned event that I am so happy to now have a part in. Zimmermann asked me to be a social media intern for the festival. 

The process of getting high school students to submit nonfiction articles they wrote was a bit more difficult than I first anticipated. Overall, it was very cool to think about documentary filmmakers and opportunities that are so close to me. The festival itself will is April 6-12. I can't wait for the opportunity to watch the products of the film festival.

In addition, I now have a solid group of people who have agreed to do interviews with me, but I will need to work out schedule-wise the best ways to meet up with them. In addition, I'm very happy the weather has started to clear up.

Here is a short clip from a documentary about an Ithacan resident who has been inspired by the scenery around her. I hope to be able to talk with her!

that moment; film cue by robby aceto from robert aceto on Vimeo.