What I've learned so far...

...
1.List at least 3 things you've learned since you started working on your senior project.
1. The Academy is really the American Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, and the Academy is not only the oldest ceremony in media but it was created by MGM boss Louis B. Mayer.
2.  The first award winners were notified three months in advance, that then changed in 1930, when newspapers were given advance copies of the winners list to publish. In 1940, the announcement method was once again changed, after the Los Angeles Times published the winners early. Since 1941, the Academy has used the sealed envelope.
3. Starting in 1950, the Oscar statuettes have been legally encumbered by the requirement that neither the winners, nor the statue's heirs, may sell the statue without first offering to sell it back to the academy for $1. Oddly enough, this agreement does not extend to the other seven awards presented by the Academy.
4. To date, Walt Disney is the only person to win multiple Academy Awards in a single year, 1953 with 4 wins.

EQ

EQ: What is the most important quality of an Academy Award nominated film?

1. Define possible terms in your EQ (e.g. successful, effective).  

• Quality: something that stands out, makes viewers take notice.
• Nomination: An acknowledgement from the Academy, although I will only be viewing nominations and winners.
• Film: a feature length film, no shorts or mini-series. 
• Important: most outstanding

2. So far based on your research, what are possible answers to your EQ? 

• A possible answer could be experience. Most nominees and winners (Directors, Producers, Actors, etc.) are recognized later in their career.

3. What has been your most important printed source and why?

• To date, my most important source is The Art of Technique: An Aesthetic Approach to Film and Video Production by John S. Douglass and Glenn P. Harnden. This source has taught me to recognize different story structures, types of characterization and conflicts, though that is not the extent of what I still have yet read. A close second is filmsite.org, written and run by Tim Dirks, an online publication of articles essays on all topics found under the umbrella that is film.

Second Interview Questions

1. How many years have you worked in this industry?

2. What was the moment that you realised you wanted to be what you are today?

3. What was your first job? Was it different than what you are doing today?

4. How has the industry and the technology changed over the course of career?

5. Why did you decide to allow me to shadow you?

Interview One Reflection

What is the most important thing I learned from the interview and why?

I think that the most important thing I learned from my interview, is that I need to be ambitious, as well as a people person, to gain access and entry into the exclusive event that is the film and production industries. I need to be able to network and communicate my ideas to be noticed. This information has only made me more determined to work twice as hard than anyone I may come across on this journey.

Five Minute Presentation Reflection

1) What would you say stood out about your presentation performance and why?

I would like to think that my pictures, and the process by which they were acquired, stood out the most. I think that they were the most interesting aspect of my presentation.

2) What was most challenging to do and why?

I would have to say the most challenging part would have to be deciding what I learned from my research will be used in my presentation and being able to condense it in less than five minutes as well as do the check for understanding. (Which unfortunately ran out of time to do.)

Presentation Rough Draft

Objective: Students will learn about American Film and how it has defined our culture in a mini lesson.


Procedure:
1. A short Q and A, with myself asking the questions, to help me understand what my peers already know about the subject. Est. time - 1 minute.
2. A short summary about how film changed in its early days and how it became an integral part of our culture. I will also present a few events in history that are connected to the invention of film in the US. Est. time - 1 1/2 minutes.
3. Explain what my end goal is and how I plan to achieve it. Est. time 30 seconds.
4. Close the session with a Q and A, a mixture of myself and the students asking questions. This is how I plan to check for understanding. Est. time 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Materials Needed:

• Visual ( TBD)
• Small bag of Hershey's kisses. To reward students how answer questions quickly.

Interview 1 Prep

Who do you plan to interview and why?
I plan on interviewing Mr. Jerram Swartz because he is a person that could be used as an excellent starting referance. Mr. Swartz is an assistant director who has worked on a plethora of Hollywood films and productions. Through his expirence, I hope to gain many contacts that I can use, in both my senior project and later on in life.

You've been assigned 5 questions. What more do you plan to ask?
Besides asking Mr. Swartz many follow up questions, I also want to ask him for advice regarding working in this difficult industry. I also wish to ask if he could recommond any ways a high school student can complete her service learning as well as an independent task.

Topic Choice

What is your topic?
My topic for my senior project is American Film and Culture.

Why did you choose this topic?
I chose this topic because for as long as I can remember movies, and the process in which they are created, have fastinated me. When I entered Ipoly as a freshman, I can distinctly recall the day in Mr. Strand's class when I decided that I was going to do my senior project on my first love, movie making. Mr. Daly's Film Studies class only strenghened this conviction. I narrowed my topic from Film to American Film and Culture because I was quick to learn that my original choice was to broad.

What do you wish to accomplish after studying this topic all year?
I wish to accomplish two things; one to deepen and better my knowledge on the topic, and two, to study the topic as a future college major and career path.

Introduction

The introduction to senior project