Introduction
For the Documentary Unit, students portrayed an interesting group, person, idea, place, issue. We gathered primary and secondary sources to develop a distinct perspective of the subject’s significance in the community and world. The research-based documentary paper in English serves as a base for the magazine article we produce in Digital Media. This unit emphasizes narrative-style journalism to tell the true story of your chosen subject.
For English class, my documentary subject was Bayer Ballet Academy. This is the school that I grew up dancing at, and I had not been to the school since stopping dancing due to my injury. This project was a way for me to return to ballet with new perspective, and reconnect with the people that I hold dearest to me. I studied the question: how does Bayer Ballet maintain ballet’s significance in the modern world? I conducted five interviews, and researched several secondary sources to support my claims.
For Film class, I made a documentary about Pets in Need, a local animal shelter. I didn’t know anything about PIN before this project, so this was an opportunity to learn as I went and see things from an audience viewpoint. I conducted five interviews of people who have varying connections to the organization. The film emphasized the importance of Pets in Need to the local community, and their impact on animals in the area.
The documentary project was an amazing way for students to go out into the world and document real life issues. I got to meet new people and hear their thoughts about a topic. I learned how to conduct an interview, ask relevant follow up questions, and connect their words to the topic in a way that preserves their honesty and represents them truthfully.
English & Digital Media Class Production
In English, we started the writing process with brainstorming our subject, preparing interview questions, crafting an angle, and researching current conflicts related to our topic. Over the course of three months, I interviewed three people from Bayer Ballet: Inna Bayer, the Artistic Director and founder; Chloe Helimets, a student who plans to become a professional dancer; and Maya Belomoina, a student who plans to go to college and continue dance recreationally. I also conducted two follow up interviews for Bayer and Helimets, so I did five interviews in total, each taking about an hour. I wanted to explore the idea that Ballet has seen a steady decline in the past few years. With the rise of modern dance, and the Covid pandemic, classical ballet has been becoming less appreciated and desperate for funding. I researched the ongoing debate of whether ballet is dying and will eventually disappear. As a dancer myself, I wanted to know what makes ballet matter. What right it has to continue to exist. I wanted to answer the question: How does Bayer Ballet maintain ballet’s significance in the modern world? Through this project, I discovered many different things that make ballet meaningful and beautiful.
The magazine article project in Digital Media was an incredible experience. I got to see my essay with fresh eyes, and from a new perspective: that of a reader at exhibition who would open up my article in one of the magazine volumes. I had to cut down my essay significantly to fit it in the required six pages. This forced me to be more concise, direct, and careful with my words. There were many things that I said in my research paper that did not fit in the article, but this is how different mediums vary, and I knew that my magazine article would have to be much shorter. I had to take pictures of my interviewees and the school, and draw several GDEs (Graphic Design Elements) using Adobe Illustrator. I formatted it keeping in mind the rules of design and balance. Seeing my physical, printed magazine after all of the hard work and time that I put into this project was extremely rewarding.
Interviewee Bios
Inna Bayer
Inna Bayer is the Artistic Director of Bayer Ballet Academy, a highly regarded ballet school in Mountain View. She danced professionally for over thirteen years and has been teaching for thirty three years. She received a Master’s Degree, with honors, in Pedagogy and Choreography from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. Under Inna’s guidance, BBA students have been accepted into prestigious programs, including those of the Vaganova Ballet Academy, Paris Opera, American Ballet Theatre, Royal Ballet, Princess Grace Academy, and Bolshoi Ballet. Inna Bayer’s students have gone on to dance in prestigious dance companies worldwide.
Chloe Helimets
Chloe Helimets is a Day Program student at Bayer Ballet Academy, meaning she is homeschooled and trains in ballet full time. Chloe is a Bloch Young Artist, which means that she represents the Bloch ballet supply brand. This year, Chloe was a finalist of the Prix de Lausanne, an international ballet competition held annually in Switzerland. There, she received a scholarship to attend the Paris Opera Ballet school, where she will begin studying in the fall. Chloe is also an ABT national training scholar, which means she has close ties with the ABT Jaqueline Kennedy Onasis school and has done summer programs there for several years. In 2024, Chloe received the Youth Grand Prix Award at the Youth America Grand Prix, a large international ballet competition. In 2025, Chloe received the Youth Grand Prix Award and she won the Shelley King Award at YAGP finals.
Maya Belomoina
Maya Belomoina is in the Pre-professional program at Bayer Ballet Academy. She has been doing ballet since she was five years old but has been dancing for longer. Maya does not plan on becoming a professional dancer. She is currently a high school Junior. Her goal is to go to college and continue her passion for dance there. She would like to be a part of a dance program or club in college. Maya has played several lead roles in Bayer Ballet’s winter, spring, and summer shows; including Little robber and Lead crow. She has participated in local competitions such as the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP), and the California Dance Classics (CDC). In 2024, she received 1st place for National Character Solo at CDC. Maya has been a part of the BBA community for over a decade. Maya is kind, caring, and fun to be around. She is beloved by many at BBA.
Final Magazine Article
Film Class Production
The documentary unit in film class was interesting because we focused on showing real experiences and peoples’ truth. We learned by watching and analysing several documentary films, including Exit Through the Gift Shop and White Earth. I learned that no documentary is without its biases, even if the documentarian tries to be as accurate as possible. We learned about the different types of documentary films, and how to frame and conduct interviews with quality sound and video.
Mockumentary Film
The mockumentary film was a fun way for us to become familiar with the documentary. It eased the transition from our Narrative unit to our Documentary unit by allowing us to be creative and incorporate elements of fiction. We learned how to do talking head interviews, and how to light the subject using natural light with reflectors and diffusors. My group partners and I first wrote a script, and then filmed it and edited it. This project was very fun to make. I hope to further explore the mockumentary style in the future.
Documentary Film
My Documentary Film is about Pets In Need, a local animal shelter with a locations in Palo Alto and Redwood City. My group partner Aidan and I interviewed employees, clients, and volunteers from both locations and took many B-roll shots of the animals, the clinics, and the general goings-on of the shelter. We focused on all of the different events, clinics, and aid that Pets In Need provides for the community, and how audiences can give back to the organization. This collaborative project was very challenging. However, going out and meeting all of the incredible people of PIN was very rewarding. PIN has a special atmosphere of passion, community, and love. Every person we met loved animals, loved PIN, and genuinely cared for the people there.
Reflection
Creating a documentary essay and magazine article was one of the most challenging and exciting projects of this year. I spent a lot of time outside of school finding people to interview about my subject, interviewing them, transcripting their interviews, pulling the best quotes. Then, I researched further into my topic and found secondary sources with data and statistics to back up my interviewees’ claims. I learned that as the documentarian, it isn’t my place to insert my own personal testimony or opinions. I had to document my subject as accurately as I could, remaining as neutral and unbiased as I could. This process took almost five months, but it was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had.
Filming a documentary was very different from writing one. After studying several documentary films, we used what we learned and went out and made our own. Through the documentary film project, I met many passionate, hardworking people and got to hear their thoughts on their work and the shelter. It was heartwarming and fulfilling to create in an environment where all of the employees loved their work, and took pride in what they did. We watched as the pets we grew to care about were adopted into better homes by loving families. I feel very grateful that I got to follow and explore these two very different but equally intriguing documentary subjects.
I would like to thank everyone who was involved in the creation of my documentary essay, magazine, and film. First, I would like to thank my interviewees, Inna Bayer, Chloe Helimets, and Maya Belomoina. They gave up their time for this project, and I appreciate their support and the wonderful insights that they shared during the interviews. I could not have done this project without them. I would also like to thank Don Horak who drove me to BBA to perform the interviews and helped me with their feedback on my essay and magazine. Thank you to my parents and brothers for their endless support and love. Thank you to all of the staff at Pets in Need for accomodating our project: making time for our interviews, letting us take the animals out, and involving us in the events so we got to now the place, the people, and the animals. Lastly, thank you to my project partner Aidan, who put in a lot of hard work and remained patient and dedicated to our documentary film through every obstacle.