Mandalas
Overall, what I valued the most about making Mandalas was how peaceful and relaxing it was! I enjoyed making such detailed art in a way that felt minimal pressure. If I could do one thing differently for the Mandala Productions, I would have made slightly less complicated designs. I really valued learning about this kind of art form- it is very unique and almost meditative to draw mandalas. I honestly really love the art part of the media class here at Freestyle, and I really love how we can learn about different forms of art through this class. I think it is great that we got to learn about Mandalas, considering that there probably isn’t another class in this school district where we could.
Digital Paintings
I valued learning how to recreate photos through Photoshop! It was really cool how you can make it look as unrealistic or realistic as you want. Now I know how to create a painting of literally anything, so this could be useful in the future for gifts or projects I want to create. I learned that I certainly have a unique style of drawing that I should continue to practice! I really enjoyed this assignment, and I think I will be doing this as a hobby. Maybe in college I will participate in a painting class, because this was really fun.
Senior Video Essays
In the Reflections unit of Freestyle, Film Production 2 students create a personal, under-two minutes video reflection essay. This could be used for college portfolios, but it was also a way to put together a reflection of our own internal monologue. It was a really interesting prompt, because each person’s reflection shares unique ideas and interpretations of the assignment.When I make videos, I’m usually playing characters or creating stories or making documentaries that focus on other people- not myself. It was interesting to try and represent my opinions in a film, as I have never done that before. I am pretty satisfied with my final product, but I am also extremely proud of myself for opening up and being able to create an honest video of my own views.
Podcast
With this project, we as a class aimed to understand what a powerful medium podcasts can be. An audio-only format is unique, as it is a step up from text, but also doesn’t have visuals, like a movie, allowing the listener to use sound to create an image in their head. It is also unique in that it is accessible, both to produce and consume. Some podcasts we enjoy are Emergency Intercom, TMG, Unf*ck Your Brain, and Smartless.
For our podcast, though, we took inspiration more from things in our real lives than from other podcasts. The original idea for a podcast about music criticism stemmed from our experiences with self-proclaimed music critics we know, and developed into a more nuanced discussion of art criticism and the way people tend to try to fit music into quantitative boxes with numerical ratings.
Both of us had a lot of fun with this project, and are proud of how it turned out. We did a great job of collaborating and building off of each other’s ideas, and we hope that this comes across in our finished product. We initially struggled a bit with writing a script for a podcast since it was a new medium, but it eventually began to flow and came together very well. Group or partner projects can sometimes be difficult, but we didn’t have much trouble working together and compromising!
If you’re a first time podcaster, we’d suggest making sure that your script flows and feels natural, kind of like a conversation (with other people on the podcast, or even with the listener).
Humor Project
The most important takeaway we had was that it is crucial to read our audiences. Beyond what is appropriate for the ages one is targeting their humor towards, it is an excellent idea to write about what connects most with our viewers so that one’s work is relatable and makes a lasting impression on them. One of the main reasons Waterson and the co-founders of The Onion were capable of becoming so successful is because they are particularly good at incorporating both the relatable and the ridiculous into their work. As described in the analysis, The Onion poses as a ‘reliable’ news source and Calvin and Hobbes is a cartoon about boyhood. But by incorporating ridiculous themes such as alien invasions or silly political headlines, the consumers of these works can enjoy a multifaceted comedy piece.
We hope to use the wit and situational humor that we were so inspired by to create quality satire for our peers to enjoy. We also aim to take our multidimensional view of blue humor and do something positive with it. Humor without acknowledgment of human error and imperfection is lacking, so being able to address it positively is critical to the success of our project.
Work From International Film Festival
This summer, I had the pleasure of being the Co-director and head of Art Dept. for a short film called Girl, Imperfect at BVAC. Our short film ended up receiving an honorable mention at an international film festival in Atlanta, Georgia this spring!