Documentary

Introduction

For the documentary project, I was asked to research and gain new perspectives on an important person, group, place, idea, or interesting issue in my community. Specifically for my junior documentary project, I was able to gather different primary and secondary sources to show unique perspectives and ideas about my subject’s importance in our community.

In each of my classes, I was able to incorporate my own interests into all of our projects. In English, I decided to research how working moms can become successful entrepreneurs because I value women’s empowerment immensely. In digital media, I wrote an InDesign Magazine article about my interviewee, Paula Su, who created her own company. On the other hand, in film, a new interest sparked in my mind. One of my favorite aspects of my life is living with my grandma, who gives me so much happiness in my life. This sparked me to create the film “Happy Hearts,” which is about happiness in the elderly community in my neighborhood. Overall, the documentary unit has given me various perspectives and life advice for myself in the future.

English

In English, I decided to research more about women in the working world, specifically becoming their own independent entrepreneurs or small business owners. I researched a woman named Paula Su, who founded her own card-making company called Petite Lemon.

My main research topic for this unit was, “How can women manage to have a successful occupation while simultaneously still getting the opportunity to be a mom?”

Su had interesting perspectives and opinions on this and explained how corporate America may not be the most sustainable option for all people. I overall chose this topic because I value women’s empowerment, and wanted to see how it is possible to care for a family while also becoming financially happy and prosperous while still following one’s passions.

I thought it was interesting to hear how becoming your own boss can lead to a more flexible lifestyle.

I was able to incorporate this essay into an InDesign assignment, where I was able to use my abilities to visually design a magazine article that could be published in a physical magazine. I really enjoyed capturing Su’s life in a visual way. This is shown to the left.

Film

To kick off the documentary unit in film, we learned how to create a mockumentary. For this project, I wanted to incorporate humorous aspects, while simultaneously learning proper angles when filming a documentary, how to get light in a person’s eyes, and more. We decided to do a mockumentary about what Freestyle could look like in the future. My group and I took turns both filming and being the actors. This short film gave me the skills to create my documentary, “Happy Hearts.”

My favorite part about the documentary project was creating a film called “Happy Hearts.” My inspiration to create this film came from my grandma. I have had the privilege to grow up living with her, and she has brought so much wisdom and inspiration to my life. I started thinking about the topic of happiness because I wanted to create a film that was uplifting and had inspirational messages. I started thinking about the elderly community where I live, and I thought that my grandma, along with 4 other people who live in my neighborhood, could give their unique perspective on, “What gives you happiness?” This was my favorite project that I did this year in Freestyle because it made me feel inspired to follow my passions and do what makes me happy. I heard perspectives about special education and how that gave people happiness, which is something I am inspired by because of my relationships with kids with special needs, and I loved hearing all of the people’s advice on what to do to be happy.

I worked with Premiere Pro to create this film, and I now feel like I am very confident with using this platform. On the left, you can see the process of editing “Happy Hearts.”

One of the most challenging, but interesting, parts of creating this film was matching the audio to the film. As I interviewed each person, I attached a microphone to them to record their voice with an audio recorder, and then I had two cameras to capture different angles. To make sure I had sound bites that obtained good quality, I had to match up the audio perfectly with the video so they were in sync. It was very satisfying when I got them to match up. I also made sure to have a list of interview questions, so I was thoroughly prepared for my interviewees.

To the left is an example of the interview questions I asked. I tried to keep them broad so I could get unique answers for every person. I loved this project because it gave me inspiration about how to live a happy life, and I just loved talking and interviewing all of these people.

Interviewee Bios

Thank you

This documentary unit has given me countless new perspectives, inspiration, and takeaways that I can apply to my own life, as well as new skills that I will continue to use in the future. I am so grateful for the number of people who were so open to being interviewed and helped my projects flourish. I am additionally very thankful that Freestyle offers a lot of freedom in general, particularly with the documentary unit. I have learned an extensive amount of information that I will continue to apply in Freestyle, and to other projects.