Over the course of this unit, I feel that I’ve grown as both a storyteller and a visual artist. I’ve learned about narrative structure, character creation, and visual storytelling. I also became more familiar with Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and Pro Tools audio editing software. To summarize, this unit has given me the tools to craft an engaging, creative, and overall well-made story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Short Story: English + Digital Media<\/h3>\n\n\n\nCharacter Questionnare<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Tell me about yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- What\u2019s your name?
- June Carpezzia.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- How old are you?
- 19.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- What are your two<\/strong> most physically defining features that cause people to recognize you?
- I have really dark hair and I\u2019m sort of skinnier than most people. <\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- How do you typically dress? What do your particular clothing choices \/ accessories say about you?
- I wear a lot of black and grey. I have this coat from Mona Mom that I wear over everything because it has a lot of pockets.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Empty your pockets. What\u2019s there?:
- Lint, a couple bills and some change, rosary, some dirt, my Edgar Allen Poe book, and my letter opener.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Where were you born \/ where have you grown up?
- I was born in Fresno with my moms. I was homeschooled until I got to high school. I went to Locale School for the Gifted for 4 years.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Where do you live now? (give a location and type of living space, for ex: renting a room in a mansion in Los Altos Hills):
- In the shack by the graveyard.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Where are your favorite places in the world and why?
- I\u2019ve always wanted to go to New York and meet my grandfather. Apparently he was a famous actor or something.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- What\u2019s your primary mode of transportation?
- Walking.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- How do you make a living (what\u2019s your source of income?)
- I tend the graveyard for Mr Tellings.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Who are your parents?
- Mona Carpezzia and Olivia Lawrence.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Do you have any siblings?
- Not that I know of.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Are there any other family members\/relatives that are of special significance to you?
- My uncle took care of my housing while I was going to Locale.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Did you have a happy childhood? Explain:
- I guess so. My moms were really nice but after I got the letter from Locale I didn\u2019t see them again until Liv Mom\u2019s funeral.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Where have you attended school? (And are you in school now? If so, how\u2019s it going?)
- I went to Locale School for the Gifted for 4 years.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Are you religious? Why\/why not?
- Sort of. It kind of comes with the territory.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- What do you like to read? Watch on TV? Favorite movies? Music? Other art\/entertainment?
- Mona Mom gave me a copy of Edgar Allen Poe\u2019s short stories that I re-read a lot. I really like Chopin, so I tend to spend my extra money on tapes of his music.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- How do you best express yourself?
- I play the violin.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Do you have art\/music talent?
- See above.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- What is your taste in art\/music?
- Classical, simplistic, sort of gothic.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- What is your most prized possession?
- Mona Mom\u2019s coat or my letter opener. I can\u2019t pick.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- What is your greatest achievement?
- I kept going.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Relationships:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Are you in a romantic relationship? With whom? Describe them by choosing several of the details listed above.
- No.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Are you satisfied with the relationship? Why\/not?
- I\u2019m not in a relationship.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Do you want to be in a relationship? With whom, and why? If not, why not?
- Not really. There\u2019s no one that I\u2019m interested in.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- How did your last relationship end?
- Mona Mom died and then I had to leave home.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- What kind of friends do you have?
- A cat and some of the dead people (I just talk to them sometimes).<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Name your best friend. Why is he\/she your best friend?
- Nellie is my best friend because she follows me around without me having to tell her.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Name the friend with who you are the least satisfied. What\u2019s the problem?
- I can\u2019t think of anyone that I\u2019m dissatisfied if.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Do you have enemies \/ rivals? Name them, and briefly indicate the conflict you have with them.
- Mr Tellings sometimes yells at me and tends to under-pay me for work, but I don\u2019t really care most of the time. I don\u2019t need too much money most of the time.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- What conflicts among your friends or enemies concern you the most?
- Sometimes I do want to speak up against Mr Tellings.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Look deeper:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- What\u2019s weird or quirky about you? Why do you think you have this weirdness \/ quirkiness? Is there a story behind it others don\u2019t know about?
- I work in a graveyard. That\u2019s pretty quirky, I guess. I work there since it\u2019s a good way to get money and I can survive off of a pretty meager salary.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- What do you wish others would understand about you?
- I\u2019m not creepy or a loser.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- What don\u2019t you want others to know about you? (This could be a painful or embarrassing secret):
- I talk to the dead people sometimes.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- What do you worry about? Why?
- I don\u2019t want Nellie to die and I don\u2019t want Mr Tellings to fire me.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Do you think you are a leader or a follower? Why?
- I think I\u2019m a leader because I lead my own life. If I was a follower, I don\u2019t think I would be tending a graveyard.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Are you practical or a dreamer? Why?
- I\u2019m a practical dreamer. I take care of stuff but I\u2019m able to dream every once in a while. You have to be flexible with what life throws at you. <\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- What\u2019s your greatest fear \u2013 what\u2019s terrifying to you?
- Losing my job.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- What\u2019s your greatest regret in life?
- I regret leaving to go to school.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Who has let you down? Have you told them? If you haven\u2019t, what would you say to them?
- My grandpa hasn\u2019t contacted me ever. I want to tell him that he\u2019s the only family I have left.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- When have you let yourself down? Explain:
- I left to go to school and left Mona Mom and Liv Mom alone.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Who do you need to stand up to? Have you ever stood up to anyone, or have you tried to stand up to this person? How did it go?
- I need to tell Mr Tellings to stop cutting off my wages. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve stood up to anyone else.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- What do you want most out of life? (By the end of your life, you want to have\u2026?)
- I want to be comfortable.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- What do you want most this year?
- To get by.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- What do you want most this week?
- To buy a new book.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- What do you want most today?
- To relax.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Choose at least 2 of the last 4 questions and explain: What\u2019s stopping you from getting what you want?
- I have work so I can\u2019t relax and I need to save up to buy a new book.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- How do you think you need to change?
- I need to talk to others more and speak up.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- How do others think you need to change?
- I need to reach out to them or leave them alone. Most people only want one thing or the other from me.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- How do you feel about at least one of those people who thinks you need to change?
- I think that they\u2019re right. I want to reach out to people more.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/freestyleacademy.rocks\/~AshP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Screen-Shot-2020-02-12-at-11.28.34-PM-1024x350.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nI was heavily inspired by young adult novels relating to ghost hunting and Victorian England when writing this story. Obviously Undeniable<\/em> takes place in present-day Fresno rather than Victorian England, but I still felt a strong desire to create a story that revolved around a lonely or unhappy teenager connecting with ghosts. I was also reading The Graveyard Book<\/em> by Neil Gaiman as I was writing this, and you can see the inspiration bleed through a lot in the style, setting, and tone of the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Undeniable by Ash Prodromou<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
June Carpezzia frowned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She poked restlessly at her face and tugged on the edge of her nose. She\u2019d always hated the chubbiness that seemed to stick stubbornly in her cheeks, no matter how much she grew and shed baby fat. Liv Mom often joked that she got her baby face from her and her skinny, skeletal frame from Mona Mom. June, on the other hand, thought it only made her look bloated and puffy. Her drooping dark eyes and downturned mouth didn\u2019t help in creating the look of a sagging corpse. She made a face to prove her point, sticking out her tongue and crossing her eyes.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nA knock on her door made her jump and turn away from the mirror. She shucked off her coat and dodged around her tabby Nellie as she made her way to the door. Even before she got there, she could see the top of Mr. Telling\u2019s head through the window. The sight of his stupidly gelled combover caused her blood to boil, but she swallowed her rage and cracked open the door. \u201cWhat do you want?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\nMr. Tellings grinned, splitting two bloodless lips to reveal stained and yellowed teeth. \u201cJune, darling, so happy to see you\u2019re home. I\u2019m actually here on business, I\u2019m afraid. You see, there have been\u2026complications with the old stomping ground and I will need to be making some cuts to your pay. My deepest apologies.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cWait – cuts to my pay? What are you saying?\u201d June exclaimed, pulling the door open the rest of the way.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cYou may be missing some\u2026electricity in the next few days. I sincerely apologize, my dear, but I\u2019m afraid there\u2019s not a lot I can do at this point. I\u2019ve got to get back to work, but I felt it important to inform you. Good day, dear!\u201d Mr. Tellings spun on his heel and stalked away before June could get a word in edgewise.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cListen, I think I ought to know what the hell you\u2019re going to do with my power!\u201d June shouted after him. Tellings ignored her, slinking back into the fog as his cane rapped on the pavement next to him.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cShit.\u201d June slammed the door and busied herself with switching off all the lights downstairs. She paused at a picture frame on the wall, straightening the frame a bit. Smiling, she touched the faces of the two older women in the photos, their arms around a young girl with a pudgy face and a slim, boyish frame.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nNellie brushed between her legs and the moment passed. June shook her head, grabbing a cookie from the table near the door.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nShe stuffed it into her mouth, spitting out crumbs as she yelled. \u201cCome on, Nellie!\u201d The cat padded expectantly to her side, whatever it was in the living room long forgotten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As she shoved her favorite oversized cap onto her head, June couldn\u2019t help but grin a little. \u201cThe graveyard isn\u2019t gonna take care of itself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
— — —<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In typical Fresno fashion, the graveyard was gloomy. Fog draped over each tombstone like forgotten silk as weeds clung to family names and aliases. June tapped twice on Old Gabbie\u2019s tombstone, a grave that she had always been fond of. Instead of the traditional Mother, Daughter, Wife style of engraving, Gabbie\u2019s stone simply read See You Soon. An eerie but somehow uplifting message, June thought. It always reminded her of her mothers.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nShe made her way through the rows of stones, tapping on some and simply brushing others. Any amount of physical contact was enough to make her feel like she was connecting with whoever was under the shriveling dandelions.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWithout warning, she felt a tap on her back. A cold, smooth arm slid around her shoulders like a snake moving to strike its prey. June spun and jumped back with a shriek building in her throat, but the figure in front of her didn\u2019t move.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThey were small, slight, and vaguely human. Wisps of fog drifted off of their glowing blue frame and wrapped around their ankles. June noted that although they were her height or smaller, they seemed\u2026older, somehow. Perhaps it was the way they carried themselves; their chin was held straight and high and they seemed perfectly balanced as a whole.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nDespite the vividly terrifying visage that the figure in front of her cut, June felt some sort of sympathy rising inside her. She felt it important to ask something, some sort of small talk question to familiarize herself with this thing standing in front of her, and in her frenzy settled on, \u201cWho are you?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe thing moved its hand silently to point at the tombstone beside it. June hadn\u2019t noticed it before, and she bent down to read aloud the letters etched carefully into the granite. \u201cUriah Lawrence. That\u2019s\u2026my mom\u2019s maiden name. You\u2019re-\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The figure placed a hand on her shoulder and June rose to face it. Inexplicably she realized there was a familial resemblance in the face she had just previously feared. With a start, she noticed the figure\u2019s puffed cheeks, at odds with their leaner frame. As she rose to face the figure again, she saw tears streaming down from where their eyes might be. They pulled her into a hug, warmth suddenly radiating off of them.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nJune saw over the ghost\u2019s shoulder (because it was a ghost, she realized) other shapes rising suddenly from underneath the earth, coming to rest with their feet firmly on the dirt. She spotted Old Gabbie, a shawl wrapped around her form. The older woman winked at her and waved a shrunken wooden cane. Nellie darted between pale blue legs, mewling.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nAs June watched, dozens of blue figures rose out of the earth, greeting each other, laughing and talking. Gabby tugged at threads on her shawl as she chatted with a mustached gentleman. A small translucent cat made its way over to Nellie and meowed inquisitively.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nJune smiled as Uriah grasped her hand and gave her a look of absolute satisfaction.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nShe was home.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nJune Carpezzia smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Illustrations: Digital Media<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Geometric Light Cover<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/freestyleacademy.rocks\/~AshP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/AshP-Light-Cover-1.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/freestyleacademy.rocks\/~AshP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/AshP-Light-Cover-2.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/freestyleacademy.rocks\/~AshP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Screen-Shot-2020-02-11-at-10.35.41-AM-1024x552.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAlthough my light cover may seem nonsensical and odd at first glance, looking closely at the symbols can provide a clue as to my true intentions. The odd mixing of colors, when used in tandem with the Anarchy and Freestyle symbols, creates an explosion of creativity that I feel is Freestyle\u2019s ethos: unconventional art via rebellious ideas.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe first design that I had in my head since this project was announced was the Anarchy symbol. I found it simple, but effective, something that would take an appropriate amount of time to trace without being too complicated. From there, I became interested in tracing the Freestyle octopus as well, mostly because I thought it was a cute design and I wanted to replicate it. I knew that these two design didn\u2019t exactly mix, so I felt the need to choose one.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhile I was deliberating this, Mr Florendo was in the process of collecting everyone\u2019s color preferences. On a whim, I picked the two colors that I liked the most (since I still hadn\u2019t chosen a design): orange and blue. I immediately regretted this. Orange and blue?! What was I thinking? No matter which design I chose, the cover would look weird. The colors wouldn\u2019t mix, the design would look randomly chosen, it would all just be –
<\/p>\n\n\n\nChaos. The cover would be chaos. An idea struck me. What if, instead of freaking out about the weirdness of my light cover, I leaned into it? What if I chose to make the designs not match and the colors look odd? What if that was my thesis? What if I made my art\u2026unconventional? After all, wasn\u2019t that what Freestyle was all about? With this idea in mind, I chose to use both designs to represent the anarchy of Freestyle\u2019s creations and pushed the boundaries, as I had so many times before in my other projects. I\u2019m proud of how the light cover turned out and I think it captures my thesis perfectly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Illlustrator Project<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/freestyleacademy.rocks\/~AshP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/AshP-Illustrator-Stickers.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/freestyleacademy.rocks\/~AshP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/AshP-Illustrator-Stickers-Setup-1024x553.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe title of my piece is \u201cParental Guidance Discouraged,\u201d a name that ties in with the tagline listed around the edge of the sticker: \u201cLive for yourself, not your parents.\u201d I was walking into school a couple of weeks ago and noticed some graffiti on a metal box outside of campus. Large handwriting scrawled onto the blue metal said, \u201cLive for yourself, not your parents.\u201d Underneath the statement was a smiley face with the eyes crossed out. I was struck by this exclamation and took a picture of the graffiti to remember it. It made me think about the extreme expectations placed on students in this area and how many students don\u2019t really have any activities that they do for fun, or because they want to. So many kids around here have had their lives tailor-made by their parents in order to produce success, without room for personal enjoyment. This idea inspired me when the time came to choose a subject for our Illustrator Project, and I chose to replicate the graffiti I had seen as a sticker.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nI learned a lot about Illustrator during this project. I would often encounter problems and have to figure out how to solve them on my own. For example, when the time came to map the text of my sticker around the smiley face, I had trouble figuring out the right size of the circle so that I could fit all of the words. My solution to this was to copy the smiley face and then paste it multiple times, editing each copy to be a different size and mapping the text around the different sizes until I found one that fit. I also enjoyed making a physical piece of media that I chose the colors and the design for. It was really interesting to see everyone\u2019s plans and choices. My personal favorite design is Midori\u2019s glasses engraving. I never would have thought of engraving one\u2019s glasses (even though Midori\u2019s glasses are not prescription), and I love the moon and stars design.Overall, I\u2019m really satisfied with how my project turned out and I\u2019m excited to use the stickers on binders, water bottles, etc.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nNarrative Film: Film Production<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Context, prompt\/challenge, values from this project (acknowledgements)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Griffith Scene<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Our first scene assignment of the narrative unit was to create a scene that used the D.W. Griffith pattern of exposition: a wide shot of the setting, closer shot of the exact place where the scene is set, establishing shot of the characters, and finally a close shot on one of the character’s reactions. My group and I wanted to also poke fun at the overly dramatic plots and scenes of the era. Because of this, we used dialogue cards to convey spoken lines and wrote the plot of our film to be very dramatic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- I think that they\u2019re right. I want to reach out to people more.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- What\u2019s weird or quirky about you? Why do you think you have this weirdness \/ quirkiness? Is there a story behind it others don\u2019t know about?
- Sometimes I do want to speak up against Mr Tellings.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Are you in a romantic relationship? With whom? Describe them by choosing several of the details listed above.
- I kept going.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n