Project Selection- My Decision

I am still unsure of the type of project I would like to do. My group has multiple ideas, both film and magazine, that we have not decided on yet. I am personally hoping for a magazine, as I feel that this project would fit my skill sets. Our magazine idea is for an environmental magazine. I think this project would work since my initial teammate and I are both passionate about the environment, as we are both in environmental club, and we live in an area that we would have many resources available to us to gather information about environmental preservation efforts. This idea is still up for debate since we now have two extra members in our group, one of which is indifferent to which type of project we do and the other is not only very adamant on doing a film, but also is only interested in doing one genre of film that I feel would not work for the format of this project.

I have decided to go ahead with doing an environmental magazine. My main partner has been repeatedly absent so I have not had a chance to consult with them about a final decision, however I can no longer prolong giving a decision. I will discuss this decision with them next time I am able and hopefully they will agree with my decision. If they don't we will more than likely have to part ways on this project.

I am now back to being no longer certain of what project I will do. One of my group members has convinced me that her film idea would work, however I don't know if a film project is really the best for my skills, and I also have other concerns about my group members teamwork skills. I feel annoyed that it is taking so long to form a decision, although I know it's really up to me what I do. I'm stuck between doing what I know best or venturing outside of my comfort zone into something that I might have more fun doing. A magazine would be easier to put into the project format that I know how to perform, but my team member really wants to do their idea for a film. I do have one main concern that I don't want to mention to my teammate, which is that I fear that they will be too controlling of the project if we do a film. My team member is very much a leader and loves being in a leader position, and that's not a bad thing, however in this project format every teammate is meant to have equal input into the final product, and a fear that any ideas that I or any other teammate have that this member disagrees with will be disregarded. I will move forward for now as if I will be doing the film project, however in speaking with my teacher he has assured me that if I feel that the film project won't work for me, I can switch over, however I fear that once I'm in it I won't want to get out even if I see signs that I should. In the end, although a film project is out of my comfort zone, I think it could be enjoyable.

Project Selection- Film

A film project appeals to me because I take interest in what elements of film influence the audience to affect their understanding and appreciation of the film. I find it interesting how minimal elements in a scene or cinematic effects can completely change the audiences perception of a character, scene, or the entire movie. In class, we studied the movie "All the President's Men," and within this movie a shot that stood out to me was when the main characters are in the library checking receipts. This shot comes from above the main characters sitting at a desk and slowing goes higher, showing a view of the entire library from above. This shot subtly gives the audience the impression that the main characters have a lot of work to do and were in the library for a long time. The audience is probably not even aware of this effect being put on them. This sort of subtle cinematography is fascinating to me and makes me want to attempt something similar. This project could be a good fit for me since I would be able to be especially creative with film genre and plot, which sounds exciting to me. I would be specifically interested in a science fiction film; I feel I could get especially creative and have fun with suspense and cinematography. This project could be difficult for me since I have no experience with filming or editing before, however I have group members in mind that would have a better understanding of editing and could help me.

Project Selection-Magazine

Print journalism interests me because I appreciate the exposure of real-world stories that print journalism allows. With print journalism, people are able to learn information about the topics they are interested in to keep up-to-date with that topics news and learn new information to better their understanding of the topic. People can keep up with the communities and hobbies that interest them, or they can find out new information about topics they wouldn't have known about with it being supplied in the form of print journalism. Print journalism helps keep the public informed on any possible topic, from politics to gardening. During my analysis of the magazine Nintendo Power, a video game magazine, I became interested in the magazines drive to keep those who enjoy video games educated on not just recent events within the community, but also the importance of the history of video games and how it is still affecting video games today. This model of informative print journalism drew me into the idea of doing print journalism for my project. I feel this project could be a good fit for me since I feel I am proficient in writing to inform the reader. I have scored well on projects that have required me to do this before and I feel I can replicate such results by doing a project with the same goal in mind; writing to inform. This project may be challenging to me since I become quickly anxious around strangers and could possibly have a problem with interviewing others for my article, however I think in a professional environment I would be able to interact with strangers without an issue.