Cultural Event #5: "Lessons I Learned in the Peace Corps" by Dr. Carrie Messenger

For my final Cultural Event, I attended a Leadership Lounge Workshop titled "Lessons I Learned in the Peace Corps," a lecture by Shepherd English professor, Dr. Carrie Messenger. The lecture started off with Carrie describing how her family had always been into the Peace Corps, what it is all about, and how she got involved. I learned that it is a two year commitment. The Peace Corps works in countries from Central America to Asia and Europe to Africa. In each set countries, volunteers work with schools, entrepreneurs, governments, health, business, information technology, and environment. When Dr. Messenger joined, she committed to teaching and wasn't sure which country she would be placed in. She described how at 22, she hadn't had any previous experience speaking any other language than German and got placed in a village in Moldova, a republic located in between Romania and the Ukraine. She mentioned how the language was the most difficult part about the experience, but that there were not many other ways to experience travel with someone else paying the way Peace Corps does. In the village, Dr. Messenger taught students who took onto her quite well. She mentioned funny stories of how she was kind of like a celebrity of the village she was placed in as her students were interested in her as an American willing to help. 

Flyer in front of the Rumsey Room

Dr. Messenger explained how she received a living stipend for her village and how she got by on a little over $300 each month. She explained how it was exciting to do simple things like purchase stamps, take villagers out to have a Coke, and find oranges because they were rare and expensive in the market. She explained how she used to save up to buy oranges because she disliked potatoes which are richly loved in Moldova. When asked how much of an impact she thought she had on her village, she mentioned how Peace Corps actually made more of an impact on her than it did the village she served in. She mentioned how she is also still in touch with her host family and students in Moldova even though she served over 12 years ago. Carrie even explained how most teachers only got paid in sugar, so they would stop teaching because they couldn't pay for anything.

I was handed a note card in the beginning so that I could ask her the following question: Were there any things that you found to be universal or true for all people based on your experiences? Dr. Messenger kindly answered my question by telling me how she would attempt telling jokes in the Romanian language and how humor can connect the humankind. As many life lessons were learned, Peace Corps is commonly known as "the toughest job that you'll love to do." Dr. Messenger's lecture changed me in a sense that I have considered joining Peace Corps in a means to give back to the world. She mentioned how much of a privilege it was to have become so fluent in the Romanian language simply by experiencing it for a full two years. Dr. Messenger also translates Romanian literature now. She mentioned how she wouldn't have been able to do that without the experience.

Cultural Event #4: Music of the Jazz Age-Midnight in Paris with Zelda, Scott, and Ernest

As my fourth Cultural Event for Capstone, I attended a Jazz concert titled Music of the Jazz Age-Midnight in Paris with Zelda, Scott, and Ernest. The music was set to allow the audience to explore the two most significant writers in the Age of Jazz, both American expatriates of the early Modernist period: Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway.The audience was also asked to consider Fitzgerald's wife, Zelda Fitzgerald as prototype for the Flapper and inspiration for Scott's best written fiction. As many do not know, the legacy and origin of the Jazz Age is defined by the sound of its music of the 1920's. In that time, there was an idea of letting go of the old ora and rising to a newer, different style of music. Jazz played a significant part in wider cultural changes during the period, and its influence on pop culture continued after.

With the women's suffrage at its peak in the 1920s and the entrance of the flapper women, it began to make a statement within society and the Jazz Age-also known as The Roaring Twenties was not blind to these new ideals. With women now taking part of the work force after the end of the First World War, there were many more possibilities for women in the terms of entertainment and social way of living. The ideas of Free sexuality and equality were thriving and women capitalized in this time. Fitzgerald's writings often portrayed people who became successful in the social and financial worlds, but did not share the same prosperity in their morals. 

My view of the quartet performing

In listening to this fine quartet, I noticed how the idea of syncopation defines the personality of jazz. Syncopation is, of course known as the displacement of the usual rhythmic accent away from a strong beat onto a weak beat. The presence of improvisation in jazz affects the entire performance. The subtle wilt of it makes jazz what it is. In between songs, the pianist explained the roots of jazz and how the blues notes are related to many used within the genre.

In this time, music was a big part of the film industry. The Importance of The Jazz Singer film marks the affects of just how significant the music was to the video. The Harlem Rennaissance affected the music as well as other art forms of poetry, literature, and art. I recall the quartet playing a tune from the Harlem Renaissance titled "Caravan"by Duke Ellington. The song is meant to sound like you are on a camel in the desert and defines the ragtime feel of the jazz age.




The quartet ended with a piece titled "Don't get around much anymore" which is easily recognized not only by fans of the jazz age, but also those today. The piece is originally performed by Duke Ellington as well, but commonly known as being performed by Nat King Cole. The quartet did not perform it with lyrics, but the instrumental was easily recognizable with its smooth yet creative feel. I found myself very relaxed after listening to a few pieces such as this.



I am very glad that I attended this event as I learned a decent amount about The Jazz Age and how it influenced American culture and society. The legacy of women during that time was very interesting to discover as I listened to great music that reminded me of that time. It was great to be able to experience something like this completely free of charge and gain so much knowledge and insight.

Cultural Event #3: Celebration of Storer College

On Monday, February 25th; I attended A Celebration of Storer College. It featured a documentary film by Midge Flinn Yost titled Storer College: A Legacy of Light and Learning. A discussion was also led by Dr. Dawne Raines Burke. I learned a lot about Storer College which was set i Harpers Ferry, WV from 1867 until it closed in 1955. The college's legacy remains and represents a movement as it educated newly freed slaves.

The film featured lessons about how education was important to the blacks as this school was the only one around that they could attend back then. In 1867, John Storer offered $10,000 to fund the school. Education proved intelligence for blacks and that blacks could learn and truly wanted to. Storer was an important place to the race as if it hadn't existed; segregation might still exist today. The film featured lessons of self determination and how it helps us realize our greatest humanity as existing beings. One of Anne Dudley's students wrote a poem that glorified the free black legacy. A memorable quote from the film was her quote itself. As the student noted "Before I'll be a slave, I'll be carried off to my grave."

Me and Midge Flinn Yost, the filmmaker.

Many of the teachers experienced cruelty as well as they were referred to as "negro teachers." The local newspapers even included derogatory articles about the teachers of Storer College. Storer started with two locations: one in Bluefield, WV and the other in Charlestown, WV. In 1921, the college was granted Junior College status and was granted another two years in 1934. Many blacks aspired for positive goals for a career that would be productive. Families gave up much more to go to Storer as they struggled immensely. Retired teachers from Ivy League schools helped out at Storer. The diverse, intense spiritual training  took place as Chapel services were held every Sunday morning for blacks to engage. Their gymnasium was even a barn, but they enjoyed it very much.

At the time, blacks couldn't protest because they had no support. One interviewee mentioned that it would've been like committing suicide because they were not welcome. Storer alumni continue to have reunions every August as it is meaningful not only to their heritage, but to themselves as graduates. It gives them a sense of personal empowerment as the campus is still open to visitors year round in Harper's Ferry.

Following the film I was privileged enough to meet the film maker, Midge Flinn Yost as well as many spunky and fun loving alumni that actually went to Storer. I recall one of the spunky women who went there stood up and mentioned how depressing the video made it look compared to how much fun she used to have. I didn't get her name, but I'll always remember her sweet smile and her funny sayings. She mentioned how they used to go up on hills and drink wine on weeknights. Overall, the event was a great way to engage with the community as well as fellow Shepherd students.

Finalizing Capstone

After several laborious weeks of bringing this documentary film together, I have finally come to a point where the project has finally come to a stopping point. I will definitely need to spend some more time working with the audio levels as there are several issues that have arised. I will therefore spend the remainder pof this semester working it to a point where it can be the best cut possible. This past week, I had a lot of trouble editing as I had lost many transitions and edits due to a computer crashing in the lab.  Over 12 hours of my footage were lost which demanded me to go through and piece together every clip all over again.



This week, I will be presenting what I have to the faculty of the Communication Department. I feel that I know what I will be critiqued on as I have mentioned the audio does have some issues. I may also need to add a bit more voice over to keep the piece more interesting and understandable. I have started brainstorming ideas for my poster board, but I am not quite sure exactly which design I am going to go with. Overall, I feel very proud of what I have accomplished so far with this project. I feel like I have it to a point where I can say I have the shots I like. My biggest fear for this project is that it might be considered too boring or maybe uninteresting for some people as it is a very specific subject matter. I still hope to bring out various audiences other than just history buffs because I feel that what I have to say in this film is important when it comes to cultural communication theory.

I'm looking forward to hearing a variety of critiques on the cut that I have produced. This week will be a lot of tweaking edits and finishing up finalized copies of my script, outline, etc. I hope that this project is something that the faculty will find interesting and that they are proud that I went out and took a risk on something I haven't really seen done.

Capstone progress

Working through Capstone this past week has been quite a heavy load as I continue to produce this documentary. I have basically been searching through font types and music in order to see what works best in the final product. I continue to look through the theories brought about in Alexander Cook's The Use and Abuse of Reenactment as it focuses on critiquing how reenactments romanticize nostalgia and help us to understand a different kind of culture. I've been able to work through the footage better with an outline in hand as my director suggested it to me. I've learned how to merge several sequences into a master sequence as many tapes had been logged in separate areas. I am not a master of Final Cut Pro, but I will say that working on this has helped me in becoming better at three point editing software.

Battle of Sunken Road (Bloody Lane) Reenacted

As I have mentioned before, video editing is a very time consuming task. I've spent hours simply trying to pick out certain shots over others. The trick is finding what is relevant to the research I have in hand. I'm learning a great deal about which kind of dissolves might work over others for particular kinds of films. A consistent use of dissolves can be what makes or breaks video through edits. I have a lot of battle footage that I'll be using. Underneath the footage will be Civil War music that I've recently discovered for free. Some of the raw sound bytes that I have from the event itself will also be used as some is in fact music while other is ambient. I cannot stress how important ambient noise does for a project such as this. It's elements such as raw sound bytes that make can bring a documentary film to life.

I'm really focused on what the viewer will think as this project is intended to be for every audience.  This upcoming week is going to be very strenuous as my presentation to the faculty is coming up very soon. I really need to have some kind of copy of this completed for them by next Monday, March 4th. I'm curious to see what they will think of it as I am expected to represent the Communication Department professionally.

Advancing forward in Capstone

As my Capstone project progresses, I find myself learning more and more each time I look at the content. Discovering how the art of reenactments romanticize nostalgia, glorify wartime, and  improve our understanding of their world has been a very interesting task in itself. So far I have some clips that I really believe fit the theme. This past week, my director Jason and I discussed creating an outline as opposed to only an AV script to aid me in my research. We also discussed what Motion Graphics could do for me in using a specific civil war themed font in order to fit the atmosphere of the film.

My director encouraged me to keep with the documentary idea instead of switching to a trailer. The film may not be as long as I originally intended it to, but I believe that I will still be able to produce something great (even if it is only 5 or 10 minutes long). Creating an outline makes the process a lot more manageable and understandable as I will have a beginning, middle, and end theme to work around. Among the raw sound bytes that I have from recording the event, I have also discovered some free Civil War music to use as background. Having an outline in mind really helps my artistic vision of where this film will go and the journey it may take the viewer on. I'm really excited about putting everything together and running through a few decent cuts of the film once I finish my editing process.

Though it has been a challenging journey so far, I am very proud of what this project is becoming. I never thought I'd be able to bring across communication theory as effective as I plan to. Even through just scrubbing through the footage that I have, I found so many ideas that I can stream off of and use in the actual video. I've been learning a lot just by fooling around with Final Cut Pro a little bit more. I feel that a consistent use of cross dissolves in between sequences will make a difference. Although it may not be a 20 minute film, I believe that this project will be very informative as well as unique in context.

Capstone progress

The whole reason why reenactment is an interesting representational form is because it is a performance that is conceived by invoking a supposedly closer simulation of past realities than other forms can offer. It ambiguously appears to be closing off the past which suggests that the representation is how it was in real life. In attending this reenactment, I found myself questioning whether the exercise of attending one can help to improve our understanding of a different world and the behavior of its inhabitants. As Alexander cook suggests, there are ways of exploiting the genre to provide something of value for both participants and audience. For the fore-seeable future, reenactment is here to stay as a form of public history.

As I have learned within my college career, time is a crucial factor in being able to produce a clearly convincing video project. I've continued researching and working on my AV script. I've broken it down to a few approaches to this documentary. I know that if I cant produce it on time, I may have to make a really good trailer for it. That being said, I'm not sure that there will be enough time to produce a full on documentary film without the appropriate amount of time to edit through a couple of cuts. As this is a learning experience, I've still been messing around with Final Cut Pro to edit through the footage that I do have. I've found that I might be better off by simply making a 5 minute trailer that will bring together all of the components that I've mentioned above. I still believe that I will be able to bring across my ideas effectively, it will just be a shorter video.

Although the video may not be as long as I intended, I still believe it will make a really nice Capstone project as good trailers still represent good student work. I plan on discussing this with my advisor during this week so that I can keep on track. I feel that I can make a trailer project work a lot more effectively as I am still brushing up on some of my editing skills. The most difficult part has been the fact that I have so much footage to go through and track which shots will work best in one sequence to the next. I'm trying to keep myself up to date on the progress schedule that I made earlier. If time allows, I'd love to incorporate some graphics from Adobe After Effects into the titles. It's surprising how quickly an idea can change from one thing to the next. Again, I believe it is more reasonable to create a really good project instead of either something that looks mediocre. This week I will be finishing up the VA script and continuing to edit through the footage.

Onward

So far, I've really enjoyed discovering shots that I may not have noticed while actually shooting this documentary footage. I've basically been running through the footage tape by tape while continuing to research various concepts and ideas relative to cultural communication. This past week, I met with my advisor, Jason McKahan to discuss my progress with the project so far. We discussed the origins of creating a VA script, and the necessary elements to how it will work with a documentary film. I'll be using a Celtx VA script template in order to complete this variable.

I recently was assigned to create a schedule that I turned in this past Tuesday. I am still trying to figure out the whole Gannt chart scheduling process, so I just went with creating a Word document that lays out a weekly schedule. This will benefit both myself and my advisor in seeing which points in time certain deliverables may be due. I will be able to complete things much easier this way as it allows me to complete tasks at certain intervals. At this point, I am just working to pull in various ideas and theories in coordinance to my research. The challenge will be selecting the correct footage to match the voice over and overall idea of the project. Jason and I also discussed the necessity of including a basic log sheet as it will guide one through time intervals and points within the fully completed video.

Reviewing Final Cut Pro has been very strenuous and time consuming so far. I'm fairly comfortable with the basics (as I've edited with it before; but this project is definitely going to need a good amount of attention between editing audio and video transitions. During the meeting, my advisor (Jason), brought up an episode of The Cleveland Show which features a comedic approach to how America (as a diverse nation) perceive cultural events such as reenactments. It was interesting to watch the episode, so I am considering including a scene from it in order to illustrate some ideas. Even so, this merely serves as a portion of the research I have constructed. I am still working to find exactly what it is that I really want my audience to see in this documentary. I think that the most difficult thing so far has been trying to get it to a point where it will relate to more than a few kinds of audiences.

Capstone research and development.

As my research quest for the "Reenacting Antietam" documentary continues, I am awaiting some responses from a few of the people who ran the event. I emailed and called Barbara Mowery once again as she was the media coordinator for this event. I have not heard any sort of response from her quite yet. I was thinking that maybe I could get some more interview footage with a few of the staff members. If not, I'm sure that I can still work with the elaborate amount of footage that I already have. The content that I have is a variety of shots including leisure, speeches in a few of the tents, activities, and of course, battle scenes. I am still working to prepare an actual script to the voice over I plan to produce for this project.

As I scrub through the footage that I have fully logged and captured in Final Cut Pro, I'm noticing some audio issues that I will eventually need to edit as there are some pops and scratches. Obviously, reenactment events are not the quietest of the sort. When I shot the footage, it was a bit windy outside and that affected the ultimate turnout of the audio. Hopefully what I do plan to include with voice over can overshadow the damage. I've also been researching various cultural communication theories throughout the resources I have been provided with. I have discovered various theories in my research thus far. There is much to be said as I continue the process.

As Vanessa Agnew suggests,

" Reenactment’s central narrative is thus one of conversion from ignorance to knowledge, individualism to sociability, resistance to compliance, and present to past. These conversion experiences take the form of testimonials: reenactors attest to profound experiences that are markers on the hard road to knowledge. They begin as novices, undergo trials, acquire skills and experience, and are finally inducted into a community of dedicated reenactors." (What is Reenactment?)

Here, Agnew is describing the process in which one may take the form of a reenactor. To become part of a reenactment community such as the community I practiced filming; one must accumulate knowledge in  "becoming" a part of who they portray. They must also gain a decent amount of experience mastering what they do in order to be a part of such a dedicated community.

As Alexander Cook states, there are oppositions in the art of reenactment. Hence, no matter how long and hard one may study to "become" for example, a Yankee soldier; it will never transform them into that exact figure.

"It is fairly obvious that it would be folly to expect any direct equivalence between the psychological experience of modern lab rats and that of the original historical actors whose situations are being mimicked. We can never be Them. Even the crudest kinds of behavioral psychology or material determinism acknowledge the importance of cumulative personal history in determining behavior." -Alexander Cook (The Use and Abuse of Historical Reenactment)

There is no doubt that reenactments have a powerful affect on American culture as it is used among so many memorialization resources. As Vanessa Agnew suggests, reenactment is almost everywhere we turn in living art forms.

"Reenactment thus spans diverse history-themed genres—from theatrical and “living history” performances to museum exhibits, television, film, travelogues, and historiography. While there are important differences between these genres and their respective practitioners, they are linked by common methodologies, modes of representation, and choice of subject matter."-Vanessa Agnew

As I continue to research these theories among many more, I have started brainstorming more ideas for my voice over. I'm working to decide which theory to focus on as there are many directions I could go with this film.  Although the process has been difficult so far, it has been very interesting. There are so many options I have with so much footage and information. This upcoming week I will be working to create an official working schedule for this project. I plan to set up due dates for myself in order to keep up with time needed to complete the film.

 My production notebook has been underway ever since I shot the footage back in September. I happened to dig up some of my notes that I used as well as a map of the farm that I shot the footage on. I continue to look forward to completing the final product of this film. So far, it has already taken a big chunk of time and dedication. There is still a decent amount of research that needs to go into it before I develop a final script for voice over. I aspire to do well and make sure this project brings forth the life of the event and people of the reenactment community altogether.

Cultural Event #2: "Give A Damn?"

Last night, I attended my second Cultural Event for Capstone. I went to the Shepherdstown Opera House on German Street where Program Board showed a documentary film entitled "Give A Damn?" The film featured three guys who take on the challenge of living in poverty across three continents, on only $1.25 per day. The journey takes a traumatic turn when two survive a deadly plane crash in Africa. Following the plane crash, the guys fight to complete what they began. 

Dan began the idea in 2005 when he travelled to one of the largest slums in Africa. He came back inspired to make the film and in 2007; invited David and Rob. In Kibera, Kenya; the average person lives on $1.25 a day; there are no paved roads, no indoor plumbing or sewage control, and the houses are made out of mud, sticks, and scrap metal. Each of these men got to experience this first hand as they travelled across the continents. After the crash in Africa, Dan and Rob were in too serious of condition to return which left David and his brother to continue the journey. The film continues all three of the guys' journeys as Dan struggles with his health and Rob struggles through post traumatic depression. 



The film was beautiful. It was funny to watch activists Dan and David stay positive while Rob, the skeptic kind of just went along for the ride. I recall having to catch myself crying during the devastating plane crash scenes. There were also some pretty stomach turning scenes when the guys would basically live off of food from trash cans and, even eat dirt when they were in Africa. They interviewed various Dan, Rob, and David risked their lives trying to make a difference in the world and learned that even though people in Africa are in poverty; they can still live happily. It really got me thinking. Maybe it doesn't take much to make one happy. I have always been inspired to go to Africa for myself and experience life there. In a way, this film did exactly that. I was able to see what it would be like to live in that culture through the beauty of documentary film.

"Give A Damn?" event poster

The goal was to make an adventurous, yet funny and compelling film that would focus on the ability of young people to make a difference in the extreme poverty and unfairness of the world we live in. The documentary film takes sincere, candid approach to  indigence that reveals itself to both the activist and the unconcerned. Their overall aim is “to connect those who need something to live for with those who just need something to live.” The great thing about this film is that it challenges the viewer to ask themselves two questions, 'What Breaks your Heart?' and 'What Makes you come alive' and brainstorm ideas to conjoin the two. At the end of the film, there was a sequence that interacted with the audience when it projected both of these questions onto the screen. 

Me with the Give A Damn guys: Dan, David, Me, and Rob

Following the film, the three came to the front of the Operahouse and were loudly applauded by myself and the rest of the audience. We were all able to talk to them and ask them questions about their journey and the miracle that they stayed alive after the plane crash, but each continued on in their own way. I found myself inspired by their bravery and compassion for those in need. I gave each a hug and even got my picture taken with them after the event. Documentary films such as these can really empower both youth and adults. Viewing this film allowed me to become a part of their journey and think about what really matters.

Cultural Event #1: Lessons from Little Rock

Last night, I attended my first Cultural Event of the semester.  "Lessons from Little Rock" was a lecture featuring Terrance Roberts. Roberts was one of the Little Rock Nine, a group of African American students who were the first, in 1957; to attend classes at Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.  He and the other eight of the Little Rock Nine were awarded with The Congressional Gold Medal by President Bill Clinton in 1999. 

The presentation delivered by Roberts told a chilling story of the nine teenagers who fought back against forces of discrimination in 1957. Roberts talked about the intriguing events of that frightful time inside Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. On Sept. 25th, 1957, the nine black students, including Roberts, risked their lives by integrating into Central High School in Little Rock, which officially desegregated its public school system. Their bravery that day would live on forever. They were admitted based on exceptional grades and attendance after the U.S. Supreme Court declared a ruling that would make all segregated schools unconstitutional. On the first day, the nine were met by a hostile group of segregationists that physically blocked the students from entering the school. 

Dr. Roberts was a sophomore at Horace Mann High School when he volunteered to integrate Central High. He then moved to Los Angeles, during “The Lost Year," and graduated from Los Angeles High School in 1959. Roberts then attended California State University, Los Angeles and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology in 1967. In 1970 he then obtained master’s degree. 

Later, Roberts earned a Ph.D. in psychology from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He served as a  professor at Antioch College in Los Angeles and as co-chair of the department of Master of Arts in Psychology Program. During Dr. Roberts' lecture, he discussed his experiences of Little Rock Central High and his his journey to figuring out how to overcome segregation. He explained to the audience that blacks basically had to survive by forming "the village." 

Me and Dr. Terrence Roberts after the lecture.

The experience gave him a solid grounding as he was told to get an education. When Roberts was young and before was able to attend school, he would constantly read books in the library so that he could learn independently. He mentioned that by fourth grade, he was a prepared executive learner. He also discussed our importance not only as students, but as people of the United States. Roberts warmly told the audience that what we do matters. Some people don't realize that for 335 years, it was constitutional to discriminate by law. The Supreme Court ruled in the Brown decision of Brown vs. The Board of Education. This favored that it was no longer constitutional to discriminate against blacks.

The event flyer.

Although the law changed, people would still discriminate. Dr. Roberts discussed that during this time, he was often kicked, thrown down stairs, and beaten badly. During that time, blacks weren't even allowed to participate in extracurricular activities. Roberts mentioned the importance of reaching out and making connections because it may take you further than you think. It didn't seem to be as uncomfortable for him to talk about these times as most expected. He mentioned that after his experience, he came to a point of understanding the historical context of these times. Sadly, 335 years of lawful discrimination was something that people got used to. He explained that accepting it to be unlawful was difficult for non-blacks to adapt to. He then brought up his theory that race is nothing but an artificial construct. Hence, there is no such thing as race after all. 

“In Little Rock, every possible decision had a racial component: where you could live, where you could to go to school, whether you could work or not, whether you could get a bank loan… who you could marry. This made no sense to me, especially as I discovered there is no such thing as race.”- Dr. Terrence Roberts

As he spoke to the audience, we were encouraged to ask multiple questions. Many asked advice on how to "be the change" and make their cultural environment a more open minded atmosphere. He discussed how one may attempt potentially getting rid of the idea which we refer to as "race." Hence, if everyone thought that there was no such thing; maybe there wouldn't be such thing as racism. I had the privilege of shaking this honorable man's hand last night. I am so grateful to have been part of his inspiring lecture and hope that Shepherd University welcomes him back in the future. I learned a great amount from this event and would love to attend more just like it. It was great to go to an event so close to Black History and Martin Luther King Jr. day. 

Capstone Advancement

As I progress in the production stages of my documentary, "Reenacting Antietam," I have come across a few extra deliverables that I may need to include. In my proposal, I already included a list of deliverables which included the schedule, supporting research, location notes, credits for materials used, the final authored DVD, the final version in .mov format, and a VO script if I decide to do a voice over.  I recently met with my Capstone director where we sat and discussed a few options that may make this project a lot more professional.

 In order to make this documentary clear and convincing, I will need to make sure that I research my subject matter elaborately. My director and I sought out over five academic sources that I will use to document my findings. After a decent amount of research is conducted, I will then move onto writing up some kind of a script so that I can include voice over. I discussed using voice over with my director, and he thought it would be a great idea. He also suggested that I try to get back in contact with the advisor of this event and possibly back in touch with a few other re-enactors. I've contacted a few of them, but they have not responded to my messages. I will continue to try and get a hold of them as I progress.

Currently I am working on thoroughly researching through the sources I have been provided with. I have officially completed logging and capturing the six tapes full of raw footage from the event. It was quite a time consuming process as Final Cut Pro captures in real time. With the amount of footage I have, one can imagine the amount of hours I spent reviewing the correct ways to go about logging. It took me a good 8 hours to get it all digitized so that I may now cut and edit. The good thing is that I no longer need to worry about all of my footage being trapped on mini DV tapes.

My next plan is to continue researching cultural communication theories and weave them into my video through voice. I need to begin the actual editing process by scrubbing through my sequences and finding the exact shots that I want to use. I really need to obtain a vision in that sense. I already have the footage. It seems simple, right? But where do I begin? To some, it really doesn't matter. For example, it might be a good idea to start logging my credits and making sure I have each and every single name that I used. I could then move onto creating the actual credits sequence if I wanted to. Sometimes starting in the middle is the best way to go about editing. The middle could then be followed by creating the beginning and ending titles. To me, there really is no wrong way to go about completing the edits. I will say that throughout my career as a Communication and New Media student, I find it easiest to go about editing a video without a set plan. Some of my best work has been composed by simply playing with the material I have and then taking it from there.

In order to produce this project, I will need to master a variety of skills and technologies. Not only will I need to continuously re-familiarize myself with video/ audio editing software (Final Cut Pro, Soundtrack Pro, Garage Band, After Effects, Photoshop), but I will need to make sure that I efficiently communicate my theories through. The goal is to ultimately make this project interesting to a wide variety of audiences.By documenting my experience, teachers, students, and community members young and old will be able to view this project as if they were experiencing the nature and art of reenactment.

 Digging through my location notes, I recently discovered a few still images that I snapped at the event with my digital camera. Although they may not be the clearest images, I believe that they still may be of use in my documentary. For now, I will  continue my strenuous research while editing the actual footage in Final Cut Pro. The labor of editing will be tough as I really need to refresh myself on the software. I have found that search engines such as Google and CreativeCow are the most helpful.The editing will definitely be difficult as there are so many shots that I would like to use. I realize that I may not need to use all of them as captivating as the experience was to me. As for research materials, my director suggested quite a few legitimate sources that discuss the realism of Historical Reenactments and how they affect culture. The reading has been quite interesting so far and I look forward to what Capstone has to bring me further into the semester.

Capstone Origins

In Shepherd University's Communication and New Media Department, there comes a defining moment for every "comm. kid" to embrace what they have learned in span of their studies. This moment all comes together in a class commonly known as Capstone. Throughout my student career at Shepherd University, I have produced many projects. Whether they be music videos, political campaign advertisements, websites, or motion graphics projects; they have all required me to sacrifice quite a bit of time and effort.

As we all know, many softwares take an extended amount of time and commitment for one to consider themselves proficient. That being said, I am willing to do anything and everything it takes to show the University and Department of Communication that I can be professional by meeting deadlines while producing a completely original project that will not only leave a lasting impression, but keep my audience wanting more.

photo by: Christine Walters

In Capstone, I will embrace the resources that are available and take on the challenge of creating a clear, well produced, and professional project. Not only do I want to show everything I have learned in Communication and New Media; I want to project that I am indeed someone who is dedicated to becoming an employable candidate for a potential job.

Luckily, I had already been streaming through
 various ideas as to what I would like to produce as a Capstone project. I thought it through in previous semesters. As I took the trail to discovering what I really enjoyed throughout my career here at Shepherd, I found that there really wasn't anything in the Communication and New Media that I wouldn't enjoy doing. I truly enjoy each and every kind of project that I have been assigned to do. That being said, I enjoy each project in its own unique way. But then one day, it hit me. Even as a teenager, I always wanted to produce some type of documentary film that would explore a particular area of study.

Early last semester, I rooted through events that took interest to me in the daily newspaper. A few of them were cheesy, while the others were just plain boring. One day, I was driving to school past the Antietam Battlefield and stopped for a coffee. In the shop, I found a local paper for Sharpsburg, Maryland that featured previous pictures for this reenactment event that occurred a few years back. I grazed through and found an advertisement stating that there was an upcoming Reenactment of The Battle of Antietam which would occur on a local farm field minutes away from where I live. That's when it hit me. I have always found not only the people, but the culture of reenactments to be very interesting.

For the next few days, I worked on contacting Barbara Mowery, the Media Coordinator of the 150th Battle of Antietam Reenactment which was to take place in September. She was very sweet, but also strict as she originally intended to charge me $760 just to document the event as a spectator. I nearly gave up, but then remembered that there was always my good friend and teacher, Todd Cotgreave from WSHC (the campus radio station). He and I worked with Barb through email and negotiated getting me a press pass as he offered advertising the Reenactment through the station. To my surprise, Barb agreed to make my presence as a videographer free of charge with one stipulation. All I had to do was write her a two page proposal stating how and why I wanted to document this event. She was truly impressed and embraced the idea that I wanted to study the Reenactment and make a film about it.

On the days of the event, I went alone to Manor Church Farm. The farm was literally only a few minutes from where I live. For those days, I documented footage on my experience. The event was literally like being in a completely different world. Not everyone in this world gets that close to re-living a realistic, historical event. I feel very privileged to have experienced what I did those two days. I have over 6 tapes (hours) full of footage that I will be using to document my research. I want it to focus on the semiotics of reenactments and how these semiotics generate meaning. It will basically be a project involding reenactments as memorializing or cultural communication theory.

Not only will this project appeal to history majors or civil war buffs, but also to those of you who do not know what it is like to experience a Reenactment, yet alone talk to a reenactor. The culture is truly captivating and so far I have learned quite a bit. The challenge for me will be going through all of this footage, logging and capturing, and figuring out exactly which clips I would like to put to use. I also want to include some type of voice over.