Introduction
For the Documentary Project, we had to profile a subject, capture their unique perspectives, and highlight their significance in our community. To achieve this, we conducted personal interviews and collected secondary research sources which we then used to write a profile article about our subject. The profile article was the basis for a documentary book I created in Design as well as a magazine article I created in Digital Media. My final products for this unit are a culmination of research, interviews, photography, and graphic design.
When I first began working on the documentary, I knew I wanted to profile a person making lasting impacts on their community, but whose work may sometimes go unnoticed. This is why I chose to profile my wonderful orchestra teacher, Jo Nilsson! As a member of the Mountain View High School orchestra program, I already had an idea of the incredible things Jo was doing for her students, but interviewing and writing about her helped me understand the lengths she goes to support her students and the amount of thought she put into her teaching style.
Composition of a Classroom
Composition of a Classroom is a documentary-style book I created about Jo Nilsson and her approach to education as a high school orchestra teacher in Silicon Valley. I used photography and illustration to visually represent Jo’s personality, and the written contents of the book come from the profile article I wrote in English.
I used Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign to create my book. I edited photos and made illustrations, then compiled all the components into one big file to design the book for publishing.
I also created a magazine article using Adobe Photoshop and InDesign. Similar to the documentary book, it utilizes photography and illustration to present its message.
The foundation of the book and magazine article is my profile article, a research-based paper that was developed by synthesizing personal interviews with secondary research sources to convey Jo’s impact and perspectives. The personal interviews consist of interviews with Jo as well as an interview with a former student of hers, and they took place in Mountain View High School’s music hall, Packard Hall.
Gallery
Jo Nilsson is a high school orchestra teacher in Silicon Valley. She has been interested in music since she was a child and was involved in various ensembles and music programs as a high school student. Today, she finds joy in spending time with her students and helping them reach their full potential.
Final Thoughts
Through this project, I got to explore narrative-style journalism and documentary-style book design. My favorite part was interviewing Jo and learning about various steps educators can take to support their students, especially in the unique academic environment of Silicon Valley. I also loved studying graphic design and creating my documentary book, though it was not an easy task! I hope that through this book, other people can learn from Jo’s perspectives and characteristics. After completing my documentary project, I am looking forward to further developing my skills in photography and publication design.
I would like to thank Freestyle Academy for giving me the opportunity to create a documentary and for providing me with the tools and resources I needed to do so. I would specifically like to thank Ms. Parkinson and Mr. Greco for advising me throughout the process. Lastly, I’d like to thank my fellow Design students for motivating and supporting me!
