Documentary

Throughout the documentary unit, I delved into various creative projects aimed at showcasing significant aspects of our community. In English, I authored a profile article featuring my immigrant grandfather’s journey from the Philippines to the US and his experiences in community college. Transitioning to Digital Media, I transformed the article into a magazine page using Adobe InDesign and Illustrator. In collaboration with Nate K for Film class, we produced a documentary spotlighting our lacrosse coach, Greg Hoberg, a pivotal figure in our school’s lacrosse program. This interdisciplinary approach, spanning Digital Media, Film, and English, integrated assignments that complemented each other. The unit emphasized the art of representing subjects through non-fiction mediums, Conducting interviews for each project provided valuable insights into diverse perspectives and narratives within our community.

Interview Bios: I interviewed Franco Aquino, my grandfather. He had immigrated from the Philippines in the 50s and had grown up in Hawaii and California. We discussed how his participation in community college has positively impacted his life.

Immigration Education: My profile documentary focused on the impact community college has on immigrants and lower-income citizens. What I enjoyed the most about this project was that I was able to create a deeper relationship and understanding with my grandpa. Which I truly value, and my respect for him only went up from then.

Click photo to read full documentary.

Before we could even start our documentary Mr Taylor had us practice our skills on a short in-class mockumentary.

In our film project, we applied storytelling techniques from English class and interview skills taught by Mr. Taylor to create a documentary. Our subject was our lacrosse coach, Greg Hoberg, known for his extensive experience in the game. We aimed to capture his wisdom through interviews, supplemented by player insights and relevant footage. While pleased with the overall narrative, we encountered audio issues during Greg’s interview due to a microphone error, impacting subsequent interviews. Despite this setback, I am satisfied with the final product, though improvements to the audio quality would have enhanced the viewing experience.

Reflection

I think this unit helped me with developing my skills in terms of both writing and filmmaking. In English I developed my writing skills by conducting my interviews and incorporating them into my writing. I learned how to properly interview people, which helped me in both English and Film as I needed to conduct interviews in both classes. I learned how to properly orient the two cameras to get the most out of an interview. So if I were to ever consider this as a field of work, I’d be more than prepared.