Introduction
The Narrative unit was probably the biggest unit we’ve had so far in Freestyle, as it started late in Semester 1 and wrapped up midway through Semester 2 – almost a 5 month process. This unit was special because it took what we had already learned with basic storytelling and technical skills, to the next level with more planning and collaboration.
Story
The Narrative unit kicked off in English with our Flash Fiction story. As a class, we read a couple of famous flash fictions and had discussions about them, then created our own unique flash fictions story. After I completed my flash fiction, I headed over to Digital Media to narrate the story, like it was an actual audiobook.
In the photo above, you can see my Album Art for my Flash Fiction story. I was introduced to Adobe Illustrator during the time of the Narrative Unit, which is what I used to make my album cover for my Flash Fiction. The person is supposed to be my main character, Simon, with crosses reflecting in his eyes. The crosses are supposed to symbolize the resurrection of Jesus, and the truth that Simon wrestles with throughout the story. You can listen to my Flash Fiction with the link above, or read it below.
No Token Prayers, No Compromise
The staircase leading up to the church’s youth room felt like a good place for Simon to hide and get away from everyone else. Simon sat on the staircase, all alone, slouched down, staring into space as long as he could. Stuck in the nice collared shirt and khaki pants his mom picked out in the morning, he thought about the times he had seen people in a praying position.
He started to get on his knees, but sat back down again. He wasn’t sure he even believed anymore. It had been years since he had felt a sense of hope and love in his life. All that was left was doubt, worry, and defeat.
He sat in silence for a while longer, until he heard a familiar tune – one that he had been surrounded by for years. For a second, it was soft, and unrecognizable. It just had a nice sound to it. But as he continued to listen, it became louder, as the youth group had joined together in worship, praising God.
Simon closed his eyes and attempted to ignore it, but the voices and piano together sounded so beautiful, and hard to disregard. They were singing a worship song he recognized from when he was little: “Make My Life a Prayer to You” by Keith Green. The simple but powerful lyrics seemed to reach somewhere deep, pulling up memories of simpler times when he’d believed without question, when faith had felt like something real and alive, and he had no worry for where his faith was.
He tried to catch his breath, feeling the tears well up in his eyes. “It’s so hard to see, when my eyes are on me”. Did God really see him, a man full of doubt, anger, and regret? How did God find him, after he had run so far away?
All of a sudden, a ray of sunlight shone through the glass window. Simon got up, and looked out from the window. All he saw was the rays of the sun, and a beautiful blue sky. It was simple, but somehow felt like a reminder that there is someone out there, and that he wasn’t alone.
As Simon took a deep breath, he felt the weight lifted from his shoulders. He wasn’t ready to believe again. At least for a little bit. But he wasn’t ready to give up either. After years of putting faith to the side, Simon gave God a chance, as he asked:
“God, if you’re there, reveal yourself to me in ways I didn’t know were possible.”
He sat in silence, not even sure if it counted as a prayer. If anything, it felt like a question rather than communicating with God. He slouched down again, as his broad and athletic stature was now hard to recognize in that position. His tough hands and strong arms collapsed, as he began to wonder what God would do – if he’d respond at all.
Then, Simon heard footsteps coming up the stairs. It was an older man, with a coffee in one hand and a bible in the other. Simon couldn’t help but feel recognized by the older man, as his kind face seemed welcoming. He asked the older man, “What gives you faith in that book? It’s all written by man, not God.”
“Who else is going to write it?” the man laughed and replied. “God himself?”
Simon shrugged his shoulders, and the older man sat down next to him.
“I recognize that face. Are you struggling to have faith?” the older man asked.
“Kinda”, Simon responded. “I just don’t know why he’d allow such horrible things to happen if he rules the world”.
The older man tilted his head, looking into Simon’s eyes. “I spent a long time angry at God. I lost my grandfather to cancer. He was my best friend and mentor. I thought if God would take him away like that, then there wasn’t a purpose for me to continue living. I felt like God didn’t care about me”.
Simon grew a little more curious, and built up the courage to continue the conversation. “So how did you find faith again?”, he asked.
The man smiled, and replied “I never figured out why God took my grandfather away from me so quickly. But if there’s one thing I remember my grandfather telling me before he passed away, it was that faith is not about having your life figured out, or being perfect. Instead, it is about trusting in what you cannot see, and continuing to move forward.”
“I don’t know if I can do that right now”, Simon replied. He didn’t know which way he should go. He felt slightly encouraged by the man’s words, but still felt lost regardless.
“You don’t have to do it alone”, the man answered. “God didn’t intend for life to be one we walked alone. We need one another”.
Simon looked back at the window, as the sun rays were growing stronger, and heard the lyrics “I guess I’ll have to trust, and just believe what you say”, as he had a small glimpse of hope fill his mind and heart. He didn’t have to have everything figured out before he came to God. He could come to him as he was, and allow God to help him rebuild his faith and life.
One prayer at a time. One song at a time. One step of faith at a time.
The main thing I learned from this process is that audio editing takes a lot of patience, just like video editing. However, I learned many shortcuts in Pro Tools along the way that helped speed up the process, and with the help of a few senior Freestyle students, I was able to complete the Short Story, and it was a lot of fun.
The main struggle I encountered was editing in grid mode. Once I realized that and I switched to slip mode, everything was a lot easier… other than that, trying to fade out my audio in certain sections was tough, but using the pen tool to create transitions and learning new shortcuts were extremely helpful and solved my main problem.
I think I’d change my pacing throughout the narration, as I tend to speak pretty quickly, and mumble my words at times. I think I’d also have someone play the role of the older man – maybe my dad or one of my friends do an impression to fill the role.
I’m most proud of the story I told. Based on a true story from my faith journey, I’ve had a lot of fun creating new characters to reflect my personal experiences in the Christian faith. This was something I really enjoyed, and remembering all my memories from my early middle school days at church inspired me to keep writing and editing.
The story I told and adapted can be used in future projects, as I was able to describe the event from different perspectives at any moment in time, while the patience I had with technical issues and the editing process as a whole will help me in the future for my projects at Freestyle. In addition, I can help my dad with his audio productions and voice overs in the future.
This project changed the way I appreciate other audio productions, especially my dad’s. He has been doing narrations for different audio dramas in the past few years, and his dedication and passion inspire me to improve my audio editing skills. Besides, I have more fun teaching my dad my new skills and doing it with him, rather than doing it all on my own.
(Insert pro tools photo)
Illustrations
Adobe Illustrator was the app we primarily used in Digital Media during the Narrative Unit. Although I wasn’t too fond of it at first, I learned to enjoy using Illustrator, despite the many tools and complexities it holds for someone like me, who isn’t drawing or designing art 24/7
In the photo above, you can see the Corpse Project that me, Emma, Mia, and Elaine all worked on. I had the second drawing from the left, which was a recreation of an iPad from a parody video I saw years ago – a knock-off of Apple: Pineapple
In these two photos, you can see my friend Mason wearing the hoodie I made for the Illustrator Choice Project. After experimenting with Adobe Illustrator for some time, we were given the choice to make just about anything we wanted, and turn it into a physical object. The result: a hoodie design that I plan on turning into a clothing brand:
Alpha Omega Vision
This clothing design represents the significance of Jesus Christ and his unfailing power. The three crosses represent Jesus’s crucifixion and the fact that he rose from the dead three days later, solidifying himself as Lord and Savior of the world. The focus of this piece is to show that he is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. It’s important to understand who he is, that he loved us enough to die for us, live the perfect life that we never could, and rose from the dead so we could have a second chance.
I encountered some grouping issues in Illustrator, but once I was able to get everything more organized, things became much easier and I was more efficient. Using a drawing pen and tablet was also interesting, as I’m a left-handed writer, and the tablet wasn’t really made for lefties. The digital pen tool became more helpful over time, rather than running the risk of not being able to draw efficiently. This project was similar but also different from other projects I’ve done in the narrative unit because I had full control over what I wanted to do in terms of drawing, and there were no boundaries. It was different, however, because I had to do more drawing with the pen and brush tools, rather than using shapes for the majority of the artwork.
I grew technically through this whole process by understanding Illustrator one tool at a time, one function at a time, etc. Although it is a simple design, it took me a long time to get each bit of the “ground” to be precise and what I wanted, and the Alpha and Omega symbols to be the right size. I needed to make measurements to make sure they didn’t overlap each other, but also that the design was centered and wasn’t going to get covered by a hood on a hoodie. I learned that I am a somewhat picky person and want everything to look a certain way. Hence, being patient and finding the settings that looked the absolute best in my opinion were some of the mental barriers. Still, I’m very proud of this project and that I was able to make something that honors my Lord and Savior. I’ve always wanted to do something like this, but I didn’t know how or where to start. Everything happens for a reason – and in God’s timing. With enough patience and with a little help from some friends, I made something I’m very pleased with and have even more ideas for future choice projects!
Film
In Film, we’ve learned a ton of key skills and fundamentals. Now, it’s time to tell a story. From creating your own universe and rules, to drawing everything out bit by bit, to being as efficient as possible on set, my partner Landon Qizilbash and I had to make sure we got it right. Each video you see below displays a different skill of film that led to the final product of our Narrative.
Griffifth’s Pattern is seen in the openings of most tv shows, movies, and just about every video you ever watch. It helps the audience understand the location and setting of the story, before transitioning into the action.
Suspense Scenes – made famous by Alfred Hitchcock – are very unique, as they build tension and an emotional connection with the audience as if they are experiencing the same thing as the character on screen, with no clue when the surprise will come up.
Chase Scene: Primarily used to build excitement and get the audience at the edge of their seats. Our main focus was to get a wide range of unique shots, while not breaking the 180-degree rule, keeping the shots and story consistent.
Fianl product: Gym bros
Man, was this a fun project! Starting all the way in November 2024, with countless filming days, hours of storyboarding, hundreds of miles our actors had to travel to participate, all for a 10 minute film. With the help of Landon Qizilbash, and a one-of-a-kind opportunity from Stan Bush, we were able to make a product that I am extremely proud of. Hope you enjoy: Gym Bros!