Independent Study: Avant-Garde Film

I did an Independent Study on experimentalism in filmmaking because there's a different wonder and mystery to the making of films that excites me. I love artists like Andy Warhol, Yoko Ono, Stan Brakhage, and Jonas Mekas because of how they tell stories with a camera. Jonas Mekas especially makes me feel at peace when I watch his films. His writing is filled with nostalgia and memories that allow us to look into his life as a creator. Avante-Garde filmmaking introduced me to a brand new world. It showed me that I have a strong voice and I can present that in any shape or form. It made me think about everything critically while also allowing me to observe society. After this study, I created a film called "Home". I moved to Chicago a year ago and felt alone every day. Chicago never felt like home to me until I learned to appreciate what I have in the world. I have a camera, a pencil, paper, beautiful friends, and a crazy imagination.

What’s Your Meaning of Life?

This assignment is focused around photography and how it is used in Journalism. We used four different camera techniques for this project which include lighting, aperture, shutter speed, and the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds can either make or break a picture, depending on how visually appealing it is and how you’re trying to focus or center you subject. Through these photos and the interview we are having with this person, we are answering the question, “What’s the meaning of life”. Through this interview, my friend answers the question along with other ideas about his meaning of life.

Chicago's Youth: The Eccentric Party Scene

In Journalism, we were asked to write a story about something happening locally. I wrote an article about rave culture in Chicago and how it has evolved overtime. I decided to write this because I have a lot of friends that go to these events and dj at raves. I also am really into how rave culture began. I love the style a lot of ravers had in the 90s and I noticed that overtime the culture has shifted. Raving basically began in Chicago and I wanted to write this to show people that it isn’t dead in the place where it was born. I also wanted to inform people about Chicago’s youth and how they connect with people in different communities. Learning about Chicago’s gay club scene in the 80s really inspired me to write this and talk about the change in the culture. I interviewed a lot of people who attended raves both young and old. I not only got a lot of different perspectives about raves, but I got a chance to ask some questions about a culture I’ve never really immersed myself in. Although, I’ve always been into the rave scene, I’ve never actually attended many raves. I was just close to people who did. Writing this really opened up my eyes about Chicago youth and how the culture here is different than any other city in the world.

The Perfect Projecting Clock

In unit 3 for Light, Sound, and Time we focused on time and its effect in our daily lives. We learned a lot about space time as well. One topic we learned about was the twin paradox. The twin paradox is when one twin goes to space and the other stays on earth. Time moves slower for the one who goes to space due to time dilation. Once the twin goes back to earth, they both will be different ages. A Field Experience that we went on that related to this unit is The Planetarium. When I was there, I learned about different time telling devices like the sundial and how other cultures and religions told time or measured the Earth's rotation. The time telling devices that we learned about was the sundial, Foucault Pendulum, and the Chronometer. We also learned about time's relation to light. My favorite part of this unit was getting to know how people told and used time back then. Candles, Incense, Water, and more was used to tell time. For this Action Project, I invented my very own clock. The clock is called The Projecting Clock and it's inspired by a film projector, except it will play your favorite songs, movies, or videos to wake you up in the morning just like an alarm.

In conclusion, this is my favorite unit because I really enjoy space time and theories that relate to space time. I wanted to base my invention off of the film projector because I love cinema and learning about the people who made it what it is today. I really invented something that I know I would use and love as well as my favorite filmmakers. I had such a fun time filming this video and making an original clock that has never been made before. I wish I could really make this clock because it would be easier to wake up. Also, I wouldn't have to open my computer or turn on the TV to find something to watch. Not to mention, the fact that all movies aren't free. I wanted to bring something old fashioned back while making alarm clocks easy and fun to use everyday. I learned that there are so many ways to tell time. We didn't just start off with the traditional clock. There's so much more in the history of time telling.

Cited Sources:

Christos, Papandreou. “Cinema Projector.” YouTube, YouTube, 6 Dec. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=gznn9k4X0SE&t=62s.

Siyanure. “The Lumiere Brothers' - First Films (1895).” YouTube, YouTube, 22 Dec. 2006, www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nj0vEO4Q6s&t=108s.

The Life Cycle of a Vinyl Record

Our last unit in Biomimicry focused on decomposition of different products and Linear/Closed Loop Systems. We started this unit off by doing an experiment with different food. As a class, we brought in different food products and placed it on a Ziploc bag. Over Winter break we left it at school in a plastic bin for 2 weeks. The experiment was supposed to show how each food product decomposed differently. We then did a Lab Report about which product decomposed the most. After that, we went to a Field Experience to The Plant in Chicago. The Plant was a building filled with several different businesses. A lot of the businesses made alcohol and they had a facility full of plants, fish, worms, and waste. We learned about Closed Loop Systems and biodegradable products. While we were there, we built our own system and got to a Shark Tank style pitch to try to sell our product. We also got to see worms and how they break down trash, which gives soil to plants and feeds animals and bugs. Everything then leads back to us. A guest also came into our school to teach us about the different ways worms can help the earth. In this unit, we learned about Fungi as well and how it can also save the world, especially mushrooms. Mushrooms can be used for things such as antibiotics. Like worms, they also give back to the soil, making our world a better place for all organisms. For this Action Project, we had to choose a product an explain its Linear and Closed Loop System. We also had to create a new model of that product that is more sustainable. I chose to remodel a Vinyl Record's sleeve because when sleeves are made, trees are cut down to pulp. Records are also not biodegradable so I talked about different ways that they can be reused. The new model is a sleeve made from recycled cardboard. The record itself is also made from useless and old records by being grounded up. I wanted to prove that there are so many sustainable ways to reuse and remake records rather than throwing them out because it's bad for the earth.

In conclusion, This was my favorite unit because I feel like I got more out of it. I thought it was really interesting that some products take over 1 million years to fully decompose. It made me think more about everything I saw everyday. Before this unit, I knew nothing about Closed Loop Systems. I also didn't even know that Mushrooms are fungi. I thought that it was cool that every product has a different Linear System and is manufactured differently. I learned more about vinyl records as well. I chose to speak about records because they've always been a big part of my life. I've always been fascinated by them and curious about how they actually play. I never knew that you couldn't just throw them out. I also didn't even acknowledge the fact that so many records are wasted on a day to day basis. Since they don't last forever, people usually keep them in storage or give them to record stores. Some records never get played again. I wasn't aware that they could be toxic to the earth too. Now, I want to start donating records I don't use to companies so they can make new and improved ones. I think that every product should give back to the earth in some way instead of being treated like waste. It would change the world and the human's relationship with nature.

Movie Review: Kill Bill

This term I am taking a course called Ollywood. In this class we study the art of film making. In our first unit we talked about the Pre-Production process which includes the screenplay, the storyboard, location, costume design, props, and more. We discussed screenplays and their different components. We also learned about storyboards and how they're made. Next, we talked about location scouts and how they find the best spots for shooting a movie. Lastly, we studied production design and how production designers make decisions on what props or costumes to use. One Field Experience that we went on was in Lower Wacker. In Lower Wacker we took pictures of different locations while we were assigned a specific movie genre. We had to create a storyboard based on the pictures we took. I created an action movie that had a chase scene. In Ollywood I also wrote a movie review. For this Action Project, we had to choose a movie and analyze the costumes, props, locations, dialogue, and more. I chose to do a movie review on Kill Bill because it's a sick movie. Although this was my first action project in Ollywood, it is so far my favorite. I got a chance to write about one of my favorite movies and be in Roger Elbert's shoes.

In conclusion, I'm glad I got the experience I did during this unit. I've never written a movie review before so it was very challenging at first. Overall, I had so much fun writing this paper because I watched the film several times during the drafting period. I hope I have the opportunity to write many more in the future.