CCR

Here is the link to my CCR:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15NyyG2aIaM_q3er-Vfu64TFto-mgsXd_/view?usp=sharing

FINAL PRODUCT

Without further ado, here is the "This Is Me" package:
Website:
https://valenviglia.wixsite.com/thisismedoc

Poster:

Excerpt:
For anyone who may not be aware, please keep in mind this is an excerpt from what would be an episode.


https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mNdYSPxbe85w9jwIyiu-xhH4sM4DdER2/view?usp=sharing

Final Details

 Before I post the final product, I just want to mention a couple final struggles I faced. As I was editing the website and was halfway done with it, Wix decided it would be a great idea to stop working and not have the auto-save feature save my website! I was so close to calling it quits because so many things had gone wrong already that I was just not having it anymore.

  One good thing that did happen though, is that my friend Tomas let me use some of the pictures he took at my sister’s quince for my project! Like I mentioned in some past blog posts, we are now allowed to use archive footage considering the circumstances. Even though I bought the pictures from him, I still asked how to give him credit (if he wanted to watermark them, etc). I simply sourced the pictures and they were ready to go!

Project Reflection

   The process of creating this project was definitely different and I would day tougher than the AS Level project last year. Besides the fact that my strong suit is print design, the circumstances we were given this year made things tougher on everyone. My first choice for the project was the music promotion package, and I was beyond excited to create an entire campaign basically for my friends who have a band together. After some consideration regarding my ideas for the project, I changed it to the documentary because I thought I'd be better at it, keyword: thought. 

    It was a no brainer for me what to do my documentary on. I am constantly preaching about how to treat people with special needs which is normal. I knew that I had to make the documentary excerpt with the goal of exposing how teenagers with special needs essentially have the same routines as those of us without any needs, but of course, they also face their challenges, but we do too! An obstacle I faced from the beginning was trying to not be biased. My sister is one of the subjects (only subject for the excerpt) and I had to try and be as authentic as possible. During the filming process pre-COVID-19, I had planned what to film. I obviously knew what her daily routine is like and what things she MUST do every day, so I followed her around with my phone for 2 afternoons in order to get as much raw and natural b-roll as possible. 

    After quarantine began, so did the stress. I had a block for weeks, I didn’t know what to make of this doc anymore. My teacher recommended I simply compare her routine on a normal day, a routine she is used to, to her altered quarantine routine. Such a simple idea can deliver my message perfectly! So I did exactly that! In those weeks that I didn’t film anything I got a feel of her new routine and tried to think of things, I could compare. Just like I did before quarantine, I literally had my phone on me at all times and filmed anything I could! At times it was hard because either the lighting was off, or it started to rain, or my phone died, but luckily the routine is a daily thing!

    Once I had lots of b-roll, it came time for the interview. This was definitely the hardest for me simply because trying to find a quiet time and place in my house to film during quarantine was tough. I planned ahead with my family so that I could have at least 40 minutes of complete silence. Once I finally get everything set up and we start to film, the sprinklers go off, making so much noise that I had to restart and redo some of the interview because you could hear it even though I was using a mic. After all the struggle I finally interviewed my mom. Just like I would have done with anyone else, I sent her the questions in advance so that she could at least have something prepared to say. The interview went smoothly. 

       The editing process was not as tedious as I envisioned. First, I edited the interview, which is the narration for my doc. Then, I moved on to adding b-roll. I decided to not add any music since my excerpt would be in the middle of an episode, so the music wouldn’t fit. The only tough part for me was figuring out the right light settings and undertones, but thankfully I figured it out along with some help from my friend. The poster and website were an easy task, once I was able to figure out how Wix works. I kept everything simple since clutter is not the best for branding.

      Overall, I am content with how my project turned out, especially considering the extreme inconvenience we all faced.

Interview Questions

 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

General:

-What does Vera’s regular after school routine look like?

-What does her routine look like now that she is no longer in school?

-How have the changes in routine affected her attitude, behavior, mood, etc?

Veronica (mom):

-Since you spend the most time with Vera, how important do you think her routine is for her behavior and also to develop her independence?

-How has having a dog helped Vera become more independent?

-What is the most important task Vera has learned since gaining more independence?

As for me, I decided I am going to talk about the topics in the question and also “fill in” any gaps in the narration that my mom or sister might not have mentioned. 

Progress

Hi, welcome back! I finally went through all my footage and pictures in order to narrow down my options for b-roll. Let me tell you, I have a lot more than I thought, so hopefully, the interviews will be a great narration. I sent the pictures back to the other kids’ parents just to be 100% sure they approve of everything that will be going on the website! Today I am going to focus on continuing to go through the footage and edit anything if needed and crop certain clips that may be too long. This blog is a little short but I’ll leave you with a little sneak peek of the cutest moment: Vera and Linda doing online school together. 

Deadline is Approaching

The deadline is getting close fast and I am nowhere close to finishing. I hate not being proud of my work but unlike most of my classmates, my talent is not in the video, but rather digital design and other kinds, which is why last year I thrived during the process of creating my magazine. Not being able to go through with the photoshoot broke my heart because I knew the pictures were going to be the best part of the project and were going to make me feel so proud regardless of what the video looked like. Ok, now that my little rant is over, let’s get to business. I got more b-roll of my sister doing her online school and I captured the most adorable pictures and videos of my sister and my dog together, which was one of my goals. I still have one more concept to film, which is how my sister’s main motivation to do her school work is that after she gets to play and go to the pool. That is just something simple that I can film and add at any time because it is a daily activity. What worries me right now is the narration. I am still planning on relying on interviews but I am having trouble thinking of an entire list of questions that will meet the 5-minute requirement. I’ll be interviewing my mom, sister, and myself because my dad works all day so the lighting and everything would be off. My mom is also going to be sending me as many pictures as she has of my sister and her friends so that I can also start adding those to the website and also start narrowing them down for the poster.