Final Projects Part I

In class last week, I presented my project and was really, really pleased by the response to it. I worked really hard on it (it was probably the hardest project, but also the most enjoyable and interesting project, I have ever worked on), and it was really great to get good feedback and know that I was not alone in thinking that this story was an important one. It was also nice to hear that people were glad I ended up only talking to the one source. I was nervous since everyone kept suggesting others I could talk to, like Clayton's dad or doctors, but I really wanted to keep it in his eyes only, and I was glad that everyone ended up liking that approach.

I was also really impressed with everyone else's projects that were shown last Wednesday. I really liked seeing Sylvia's, since we had all seen the rough draft. Because of that, I was able to see a lot of changes in it, and was really impressed with how well it had all come together. I really liked that she kept the voices heard in the audio to only the couple, but still included the words of the psychologist on some slides. It was a great way of including vital information that pertained to the story while also keeping the romantic, nostalgic feel to the project.

I also really enjoyed Mike's project on the reunion of the band, The Press. It was really well done, and I liked his use of photos that, while he may have not actually taken them himself, really added something to the project. I think it was important to see pictures from the past, because it gave the audience some of the memories that members of the band have themselves, which in turn, helped us to better understand why the reunion was so important to them. I also like the mix of pictures and video and thought that it was really thoughtfully done.

AJ's project was also really great, and I think contained a lot of emotion. I really liked that she talked to so many people at the Pease Greeters gatherings, and I think she did a really great job of telling the story. I liked the use of music in this project and almost wish there was a bit more of it, I think it really tied the various pieces of the story together really well. She had some really great video of the soldiers walking through the door and being greeted, and I think just the emotion on their faces helped the audience to understand how important the Pease Greeters are.

Cam's project was also really great. Like Mike, he used a lot of photos that he did not actually take himself, and also like Mike, they were used really well and really increased the quality of the project. I think it reall demonstrates a good use of outside resources. I also really, really liked how he made pictures black and white but then made him and his dad color in order to help them stand out. I had been trying to do this in my project for one picture and could not figure it out, so it was nice to learn out to do it finally. I thought that using testimonial-type interviews with him and his dad also really made his project so much better than the first time we saw it in class. These video clips really helped to demonstrate the kind of relationship the two have, and also helped to show how training for and running this race together changed and developed that relationship.


I am really looking forward to seeing the rest of the projects this coming Wednesday and am sure they will all be really great!