Documentary

Introduction

Welcome to my Documentary Project! This is one of the most meaningful projects I’ve done all year because it let me explore something I truly care about, car culture. What made this project so different is that it wasn’t just about doing research or writing a paper. It was about telling a real story that matters today. I learned how to conduct interviews, dig deep into a community topic, and craft something that feels both personal and relevant.

At the start of this unit, we were asked, “How do you creatively and truthfully portray a significant person, group, place, idea, or issue in the community?” The goal was to tell a true story that raises awareness about a person or topic through primary interviews and secondary research, and to show why it matters today.

That question really made me think about the people and ideas around me that are part of my everyday life but might not get the attention they deserve. I considered several topics, from local businesses to mental health awareness. But then I thought about my friend Soma and how passionate he is about cars. I realized I had the perfect subject right in front of me.

My Documentary Subject

My documentary is about Soma, a high school student deeply involved in Bay Area car culture. But this project isn’t just about cool cars or engine mods. It’s about identity, expression, and community. Through Soma’s story, I explored what draws young people into car culture, how they build friendships through their shared interests, and how working on cars becomes a form of art, creativity, and self-discipline.

Soma isn’t just a car guy, he’s a mechanic, a designer, and a friend. He spends hours building and improving his car, learning skills from YouTube and mentors, and sharing what he learns with others. Through him, I learned that car culture isn’t just about vehicles, it’s about building something bigger than yourself.

The Process

We started the unit by analyzing professional documentaries and books like Baking a Difference and Seeing Silicon Valley. These helped me understand how visual storytelling works and how interviews and research come together to tell a compelling narrative.

I began by taking field notes and photos during car meetups Soma attended, and I interviewed both him and his father to get personal perspectives on his journey. I also did secondary research on how car culture has evolved, especially for young people, and how it plays a role in self-expression and identity.

Before the actual interviews, I practiced using a Tascam audio recorder during a mock interview with a family member. Then I conducted real interviews, recorded and transcribed them using Adobe Premiere Pro, and annotated my transcripts for key themes and emotional moments. This helped me focus my writing and figure out which parts of the interviews best supported my story.

Writing the Paper

With my interviews and research in hand, I organized my paper into three main sections: how Soma got into cars, how the process of building his car became a passion, and what it means to him today. I used detailed quotes and specific anecdotes to highlight not just what Soma does, but why it matters. I opened the paper with a vivid scene of Soma pulling up in his car and made sure the voice was engaging and true to real life, like Baking a Difference.

Digital Media

In Digital Media class, I designed a two-page magazine spread using Adobe InDesign. I edited my photos in Photoshop and created a gritty, mechanical-inspired texture to match the aesthetic of the car scene. I played with layout and text wrapping to make sure the design didn’t just show the information, but felt like part of the story. I also learned how to use paragraph styles, grids, and spacing to create a professional look.

Design Class

In Design class, I expanded my magazine spread into a full book. I used the principles of CRAP to create a clean and consistent visual style throughout. I built a mood board inspired by urban car culture, street photography, and industrial design to shape the overall aesthetic. One of the biggest challenges was making sure the visuals added to the story without taking away from it. I played around with photo placement, line spacing, and white space until everything came together. In the end, the final design felt like an honest reflection of the car culture I was capturing.

Reflection

This project helped me grow as both a storyteller and a listener. It taught me how to bring research, interviews, and visual design together to tell a meaningful story about someone else’s world. More than anything, it gave me confidence—confidence in talking to people I didn’t know well, and in building something from the ground up that I could take pride in.

In the beginning, my original subject stopped responding, which forced me to change directions. That challenge ended up being a turning point. I chose to focus on Soma Kohaya, a classmate with a deep passion for cars. Before starting the real interviews, we practiced with a mock interview where we asked a parent about something personal. This helped us learn how to use Tascam audio recorders, how to be thoughtful with our questions, and how to make people feel comfortable while sharing their experiences.

Once I finalized my questions, I sat down with Soma and later interviewed his dad, Yas. In our conversation, Soma described the moment everything changed for him: “I saw a shop with 20 or 30 RX-7s. I fell in love with the body lines and knew right then that I wanted one.” That moment stuck with me because it showed just how strong a single experience can be in shaping someone’s passion. Through his story, I also saw a bigger issue unfolding—the slow disappearance of car culture among teens today. Yas mentioned how most young people don’t work on cars anymore, and how modern vehicles are too complex for beginners to get into. This helped me understand the cultural context behind Soma’s story.

After recording the interviews, I used Adobe Premiere Pro to transcribe the audio. I listened closely, cleaned up the transcript, and highlighted important parts—personal stories, research connections, and ideas for deeper exploration. This process made it easier to organize my thoughts and plan the structure of my documentary.

Then I expanded my research, diving into articles about teen driving trends, electric cars, and the history of car culture. These sources helped me refine my research question: What does it mean for a teenager today to be part of a car community, and why is that still important? With that guiding question, I was able to combine personal storytelling with larger social issues.

In the end, this documentary became more than just a school assignment. It became a way for me to explore how people find purpose through hands-on work, and how one person’s passion can build a sense of community. Even in a world that’s constantly moving toward screens and automation, Soma’s story shows that real connection and skill still matter.

After shifting focus to my new subject, Soma Kohaya, I interviewed him to learn about his journey into car culture. He shared how a trip to Japan first sparked his obsession with the Mazda RX-7, and how that interest led him to start a mobile bike repair business to fund his first car. I was especially interested in how hands-on mechanical work gave him a sense of purpose during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how his passion quietly influenced his friends to join the car scene as well. I also spoke with Soma’s dad, Yas, who offered insight into the broader decline of car culture among teens and how Soma stands out in that shift.

With my interviews complete and sources collected, I began writing my documentary. I started with an introduction that framed Soma as someone who challenges the trend of declining interest in cars among his generation. I structured the body of my paper into three main sections: the roots of Soma’s passion, the cultural decline of hands-on car work, and the community he’s helped build. Each chapter combined research, interviews, and personal observation to show why this topic still matters today.

Digital Media

After finalizing my documentary paper, I used Adobe InDesign to transform it into a magazine-style article that featured the bulk of my research, along with original graphic design and photography. I created custom design elements in Adobe Illustrator using tools like the pen tool, live paint, and various texture effects. Before placing the photos into the layout, I edited them in Adobe Photoshop to enhance their visual quality.

While working in Adobe InDesign, I learned key layout techniques like paragraph styles and text wrapping to keep my documentary clean and readable. For the background and graphic elements, I used Illustrator to create visuals inspired by car culture—gritty textures, bold lines, and subtle references to engines and roads. That idea was sparked by a suggestion from Mr. Greco, and it helped tie the design back to Soma’s story. As I built the layout, I experimented with photo placement, custom fonts, and graphic accents until the pages felt balanced and visually connected to the culture I was documenting.

Design

IIn Design class, I created a complete book about my documentary subject by applying the principles of design known as CRAP. These principles helped me build a professional and polished layout. To get started, I practiced by sketching simple illustrations and designing a poster. As I grew more comfortable with these skills, I put together a mood board for my book, collecting color schemes, graphic elements, fonts, and layout ideas inspired by car culture.

Next, I began building the actual book in Adobe InDesign. I learned how to download useful plugins, set up text layers, margins, and paragraph styles, which helped me get more comfortable navigating the software. Similar to the magazine article I made earlier, I designed custom textures and graphics in Adobe Illustrator to bring the car culture theme to life.

One of the biggest challenges I faced was working with photos—especially getting good shots of Soma working on his car without distracting him or his friends. Another challenge was fitting all the text from my documentary paper into the layout. Sometimes the text would overflow, so I had to adjust photo placements, tweak spacing, or add extra pages. After several months of steady effort, I finished the project and felt proud to see the story and visuals come together into a cohesive book.

Reflection

What started as a school assignment became a real passion project. I learned how to tell someone else’s story, truthfully, creatively, and respectfully. I learned new tools, from recording interviews to designing full books. Most importantly, I gained a deeper appreciation for people like Soma who keep analog skills alive in a digital world.

This project made me want to explore more topics like this in the future, whether it’s science, school clubs, or subcultures that are often overlooked. It also taught me that there’s more than one way to tell a powerful story: with writing, with images, with design.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Mr. Greco for guiding me through the writing process and giving valuable feedback along the way. Thanks to Ms. Parkinson and Mr. Florendo for teaching me Adobe InDesign and pushing me to be bolder in my design work. And a huge thank you to Soma and Yas Kohaya for sharing their stories, time, and car parts with me. I couldn’t have done this without them.