Yay Senior Year! It has started with enthusiastic teachers, excited students, and interesting classes. I have been looking forward to AP Research all summer! In all seriousness, I have.
I started this class thinking I wanted to do research on film. Why?
It all started with my Netflix subscription. With an almost unlimited access to tv shows and movies, I started developing my taste. I really enjoyed independent films or movies that left me thinking. For this reason, I have developed an ever growing interest for film, but have never had the opportunity to actually DO something with it. So I am taking advantage of this project to learn more.
I have two options in mind: theory and technique. Ideally, I would like to create my own short film or music video or something. I am particularly interested in stop animation. However, I would also love to learn more about film theory.
I am having some trouble getting a grasp on the academic conversation of film. I think some of that may stem from me looking in the wrong places, but as of right now much of the arguments I have seen have been content analyses to show racism or sexism in modern films. I tried looking at film journals but got a little overwhelmed by the expertise it seemed was needed for the things being featured, like directors and such.
However I did see something that piqued my interest: a recently released music video by Cut Copy that had an interactive element to it. Not only was the idea of the music video amazing, stop motion glow in the dark figures, but it also included code to 3D print a set of figures for yourself. From this, I started researching interactive music videos because I did not realize that was a thing. The results were fascinating, but unfortunately seem to require a lot of coding knowledge that I do not have.
I decided to look more into Stop Animation, but I have found little research. I will continue looking because I am drawn to this technique. I also think I could create something of my own using the technique, especially for a music video or short film. I do not want to force a project though so I am still searching academia with an open and inquisitive mind.
Word Count: 389
Grace, I really like how you've honed in on a particular field, and I think your project in film will be really rewarding for you. I'm hearing from your blog that you're maybe feeling a bit overwhelmed, either by lack of research or intimidating articles. If you're not finding much, you may need to take a step back in terms of specificity and look for more broad things that can be applied to your specific field. If the articles seem intimidating, it's okay. You're not an expert in your field, yet! I promise, though, that you'll start to learn a lot, and the articles will be more readable. At the beginning, though, you'll likely have to do a lot of supplementary research to understand basic terms and concepts.
ReplyDeleteI want to start by saying that I am super excited to see where you go with this project, as you seem very passionate and interested in film, and I think there are a lot of creative and unique avenues you can take with it (probably why it is so hard to hone in on a specific topic!). After reading your post, it seems to me that you are interested in films that make people think, or films that have almost a literary quality and make a strong impact on viewers. Do you think it may be most valuable for you to explore the emotional reactions or opinions people have to the ideas presented in film? Or, perhaps the better question is what did the films you like leave you thinking about? Perhaps if there is a specific topic that came up, you could look into how that topic is presented in film and its effects on the viewer. You also seem interested in experimenting with creating your own film, which I think is awesome. Perhaps, if you had time to create two, you could present a topic differently in each and compare people's reactions. As for being overwhelmed, don't worry because I totally feel the same way (we are all in this together, right?). It's definitely difficult to narrow things down, but I think with more reading and us starting to compile sources into annotated bibliographies, we will all find our own research paths fall more and more into place. Good luck continuing the preliminary research process! You totally got this! :)
ReplyDeleteGrace, I think Audrey made some EXCELLENT suggestions that will help you think about how to narrow down your topic. I love this!
DeleteI am really glad you brought those options up because the idea was floating around in my head! I think that would be a good path because I can do some more tangible research with possible data that can be discussed to come to a conclusion. Thank you for the comparison idea too! I think that would depend on the topic but definitely a great idea!
DeleteWhile it seems like you have a very broad idea on what you want to do with film, as Audrey said it you seem to focus a lot on emotions that are evoked from film. Try focusing on that to help find and refine your research topic. You mentioned that a lot of articles are focusing on sexism and racism, would you want to go down a route similar to these and focus on a specific issue that many individuals face in indie movies? You could look into the struggle of the youth, portrayal of certain groups, sexism for a particular age group, sexism in a particular time period of when films were made, etc. Another way I think you would be able to find more information are film blogs. Even though blogs do not have the same credibility as journals they are usually more colloquial and easier to read. Additionally, they may spur some new ideas in your mind. Even websites like reddit, online forums, and movie reviews may help you find a topic. I think once you hone in a particular and specific topic to research you will be able to find more sources easily and your path for AP Research will revile itself. The most important thing now is for you to find this specific topic. Your enthusiasm for this field is apparent and this enthusiasm will help you find this topic.
ReplyDeleteWhile it seems like you have a very broad idea on what you want to do with film, as Audrey said it you seem to focus a lot on emotions that are evoked from film. Try focusing on that to help find and refine your research topic. You mentioned that a lot of articles are focusing on sexism and racism, would you want to go down a route similar to these and focus on a specific issue that many individuals face in indie movies? You could look into the struggle of the youth, portrayal of certain groups, sexism for a particular age group, sexism in a particular time period of when films were made, etc. Another way I think you would be able to find more information are film blogs. Even though blogs do not have the same credibility as journals they are usually more colloquial and easier to read. Additionally, they may spur some new ideas in your mind. Even websites like reddit, online forums, and movie reviews may help you find a topic. I think once you hone in a particular and specific topic to research you will be able to find more sources easily and your path for AP Research will revile itself. The most important thing now is for you to find this specific topic. Your enthusiasm for this field is apparent and this enthusiasm will help you find this topic.
ReplyDelete