The Visual Narrative Project gave me the opportunity to explore storytelling through writing, digital media, and film. Across all three classes, I created stories and brought them to life through different forms of media, learning how each medium can communicate ideas in its own unique way.
What I valued most about this project was getting to see my stories come to life in different ways. Taking an idea from a written narrative and turning it into visual and multimedia projects helped me think more deeply about character development, conflict, story structure, and emotional impact. It pushed me to create stronger character arcs and more engaging narratives while considering how an audience would experience the story. The project also helped me grow as a digital artist by strengthening my skills in Adobe software, where I learned how to use editing, sound, design, and visual effects to support and enhance the stories I wanted to tell.
For English we were assigned to write a flash fiction which is a really short story that still has a full, emotional arc. We did a lot of revisions and a symbolism workshop where our peers read each other’s stories and gave feedback on things like characters, the story building, effective use of symbols, and smooth pacing. It was kind of surprising how much thought and revision goes into something so short.
What mainly inspired my story was thinking about what it really feels like to let go of something, and not be stuck in the past. I tried to make it feel less dramatic and more like a quiet feeling where you’ve been holding onto something that is holding you back without realizing it. I wanted my main character, Naya, to chase something she couldn’t even really name, get close to an answer, and then not take it. I left the ending kind of unresolved on purpose because what it really means to let go is to stop the chase for answers even when they’re right in front of you.
I produced the audio version of my story in Pro Tools by recording my voice reading it aloud, and then adding in intro/outro music and various sound effects that fit the vibe, pacing, and timing of my story. I kept the music and effects on separate tracks, with some overlapping at certain moments for added effect. Everything was intentional, picked to convey themes of mystery, suspense, eeriness, and finally acceptance towards the end.
The morning bus Naya took to work every morning smelled faintly of cheap coffee and cigarettes. She usually sat near the back by a window, headphones in, watching the city blur by in streaks of gray without really paying attention. She liked sitting where no one bothered her. She almost didn’t notice him, a man sitting in the second row aisle seat, wearing a dark jacket that looked too thin for the weather. He turned to smile at her. Not in a creepy or flirtatious way…or like he was asking for anything. Just a calm smile, as if he’d recognized her somehow.
Naya smiled back politely immediately. She frowned right after, annoyed at herself for doing so. She turned away and back towards the window, thinking if maybe she had seen him before. It wasn’t strange, rather slightly…comforting, almost. She wrapped her fingers around her keychain tightly, not loosening her grip. She checked his reflection through the window once, and then again, pretending to adjust her headphones or fix her hair. Her thoughts lingered for a moment before she brushed off her doubts, using overthinking or being tired from staying up the night before as an excuse. She got off the bus, standing on the curb for longer than she needed to.
After her long day at work, Naya headed back to her dorm building, shivering in the cold of the night. She stopped at the building entrance, reaching into her bag for her keys, in which she accidentally dropped at her feet. She sighed before bending down to grab them, seeing a dark figure in the corner of her eye. She froze with her keys still on the ground, hesitating to look up. The figure was blurry, out of focus. She stayed crouched for a little while longer before slowly lifting her head. She squinted her eyes for a better look, revealing the same man from the bus, standing a couple yards away. Bewildered, Naya fumbled for her glasses, knocking her bag against her leg, then shoved them onto her face. However, as soon as she looked back at the crosswalk in what seemed like mere seconds, the man was gone.
The encounter kept Naya awake all night. That afternoon, she had finished work early and headed to the library to clear her head. She sat at one of the tables and pulled out her favorite book when suddenly, a loud, cluttered noise was heard from right behind her. Her ears flinched before she spun around to see what the commotion was. The same man from the previous two encounters was hunched over, picking up a couple books, papers, and pens he had dropped. He looked embarrassed, trying to keep himself hidden to avoid attention. Naya stared at him, perhaps wanting him to notice her like she had been noticing him. She waited for him to look up. He didn’t. He left the library shortly after, leaving Naya curious. She sat there for a moment, silent, a million thoughts running through her head. She snapped out of it and turned back to her book, pausing for a moment before quickly packing her things and rushing out of the library, following the stranger without thinking. Her heart raced as she ran out of the building, eager for answers. How was it that this strange man kept appearing someplace in her daily routine? Is he stalking her? Does she know him? Does he know her? She kept going as fast as she could before finally reaching just a couple steps behind him. She kept her distance and followed him down a couple blocks until he finally made a turn into an alley. She stopped at the corner in which he entered, wondering if she should keep going. She took a step forward, then back again. She wondered if there was even a point in all of this. She shut her eyes tight as her head spiraled, fighting back her inner voices. However, before she could realize, the man had left her sight while she was lost in her thoughts. She quickly continued forward, hoping she could find out where he went. She made it through the alley, seeing a sidewalk leading both right and left. She huffed in disappointment, thinking she had lost him. That was when she heard a bus’s doors opening. She looked over, suddenly spotting the stranger stepping into the bus, the doors about to close. Naya’s eyes widened and she sprinted down the sidewalk, weaving through pedestrians. She tumbled into the bus seconds before the doors closed, her heart racing. As she caught her breath, her eyes met the stranger’s, and she quickly looked away. She sat a couple spots ahead, looking seemingly calm although her stomach twisted inside. The ride felt endless. Every stop made her jump, every turn gave her chills down her body. She wanted to ask, to demand an answer, but she waited, telling herself she would do it once the moment felt right. When the bus began to slow down, however, she opened her mouth, then closed it. When it stopped, she stood and stepped off without looking back. The doors shut. The bus pulled away, taking the stranger with it. She was regretful for a moment, standing still while she waited for a feeling that something had been answered. Nothing was. Her keys slipped from her fingers. She picked them up, laughed quietly at herself, and walked home.
This is a screenshot of my “behind the scenes” Pro Tools session, showing the different tracks I used for music and sound effects, as well as the cool panning feature that lets you control which ear the audio comes out of.
This is a screenshot of my created album art in Adobe Illustrator, showing the different layers I used to draw and color my illustration!
I think I told my story with music and SFXs pretty well. Although it was challenging because my story is through a 3rd person perspective, I tried to add as many SFXs as I could to make it more dramatic, interesting, and engaging for the listener. I also took time to carefully pick each one, and the music as well–especially–to make sure it fit the vibe of my story, giving a more realistic feel.
Something I am most proud of in my Short Story Audio Production is being able to overcome small challenges with the software Pro Tools as I edited. I am not super used to using applications like these, and often find myself struggling with small things, so I’m proud I was able to achieve creating a piece I am happy with, although I faced hardships along the way.
Something I value and appreciate from producing an audio only story that includes music and SFXs is its ability to connect with and engage the audience on a personal level by creating a “cinematic” experience even though it doesn’t include any visuals.
This is the Exquisite Corpse project I made with my group, where we each drew a section of an image without seeing what the others drew, only where the previous person’s drawing ended so we knew where to start. The idea is that when you put it all together you get something unexpected and super cool to look at!
For the audio version of my story, I also designed album art to go along with it. I drew this in Illustrator, and wanted it to capture the opening scene of the story, Naya sitting on the bus at night, headphones on, watching the city go by. I included her keychain in the corner as a nod to the symbol I used throughout the story, and added the scattered colored dots on the city below to give it a slightly surreal, dream-like feel that matched the overall vibe.
For our Illustrator Project, we got to choose basically anything we wanted (sticker, clothing, tote bag, etc.) to make a design for. I chose to make a T-shirt graphic with a jellyfish design and the phrase “Just Keep Swimming”. I picked it because I love jellyfish and have a personal connection to them.
This is the graphic of the jellyfish and text I made to put on the T-shirt that I made through Illustrator.This is a “behind the scenes” screenshot of my process in Adobe Illustrator, showing the different layers I used to draw and color the graphic.
Using Illustrator for image creation was different from using Photoshop because it allowed me to create clean, scalable artwork using vectors. While Photoshop is better for editing photos, Illustrator felt more precise for creating original designs and graphics that could be printed onto a physical product.
For this project, I designed a T-shirt featuring a jellyfish with the phrase “Just Keep Swimming” underneath the graphic. I chose clothing art because I’m really interested in fashion and clothes, and liked the idea of creating something I could actually wear. My inspiration came from both my love of jellyfish and a childhood memory. When I was around eight years old, I got stung by a jellyfish while swimming at the beach in Israel, and it became a family story that still gets told or brought up to me today. In my T-shirt production, I included the phrase “Just Keep Swimming” because it connects to both the ocean theme and to the idea of pushing through challenges and reminding yourself that everything will be okay. This production is important to me for its personal connection to a painful, yet still memorable childhood experience and my interest in creating wearable art. Overall, this Illustrator project helped me improve my design skills while creating something meaningful to me.
▶ If Only
⏸ If Only
The Music Recording Project was really fun because I got to sing and record karaoke to a Descendants song with my friend Lulu! The process was also very interesting as I got to see Mr. Flo work with and teach us about all of the different tools and equipment in the Recording Studio, which is overall a really cool room.
Recording in the studio made me realize how much actually goes into even a simple vocal track. The room, the equipment, the mixing, all of it makes a difference and I had no idea before this! It was my first time doing anything like that and it was honestly really cool, even just in terms of how I think about music now.
▶ Bounce
⏸ Bounce
For the Experimental Music Project, we basically got to make whatever song we wanted in Pro Tools, so I chose to make a house/EDM style inspired song. Most of the process was playing around with timing, different instruments, beats, and effects until it started sounding and feeling like an actual song. A lot of it was just experimenting and seeing what sounded good together, which was honestly the most fun part!
My biggest inspiration for my piece was house music artists like John Summit, FISHER, Zedd, and more. I chose them as my inspiration because house music is definitely my favorite genre!
In my Experimental Music Production, I am most proud of myself for being able to learn the basics quickly, which allowed me to apply my favorite parts of house music into Pro Tools by ear.
Something I value about learning how to use MIDI Virtual Instruments for music production is that you don’t need to know how to actually play the instrument, which opens up a huge door for people that can’t or don’t know how to play yet can still produce their own music.
This is a screenshot of the “behind the scenes” of my Experimental Music production, showing the different notes, tracks, and instruments I used to make it.
Music production was probably one of the most new things for me this year. I had never used Pro Tools or really thought about how music gets made before this, so both the recording project and the experimental music project were pretty eye-opening. The recording studio experience showed me how much the environment and equipment actually matter, and working on my own track in Pro Tools taught me how much patience goes into building something from scratch. Even just figuring out how loops and timing work together took way longer than I expected, but it was really satisfying when it started coming together.
In my film class at Freestyle Academy, I was challenged to write, shoot, and edit a short narrative film completely from scratch. Going through the whole process, from coming up with the story to actually filming it and putting it together in post, was a lot more involved than I expected, but that’s also what made it so rewarding. I learned a lot about how much planning goes into even a short film and how many small decisions affect the final product. I also couldn’t have done it without my two, very flexible, actors and my partner Lulu!
This is a “behind the scenes” screenshot of my timeline in Premiere Pro, which is where me and my partner created our film. The bottom part is where all of the music and video clips are placed and moved around, the right is the color grading tools, the top left is the audio control tools, and the bottom left is where all of our media is stored.
