My Beliefs

- Dogs are better than cats
- You should always do your best
- Busy work sucks
- School should inspire students to think independently
- Being true to yourself is the most important thing that one can do
- Family forms the foundation of every person

"Dogs are better than cats"- Dogs seldom make you earn their love and affection. They give it unconditionally and that's exactly what I want in my pet. I have to deal with HUMANS that have human emotions all day, the last thing I need is a pet that behaves in the same way (cats for instance). One of the only things that could make me change my belief is a traumatic experience with a dog. If I was injured by an animal, I may feel differently about them.

"Schools should inspire students to think independently"- This should be the main function of schools and very few embrace it. Lessons learned in the classroom will seldom be remembered, but an institution that can teach a person to think, reason critically, and form their own opinions, leaves a skill with the student that will last a lifetime. This idea formed because I feel that our University doesn't always do the best job of this. Going through a year and a half of education here has made me realize that if you want to be inspired, you have to find the source on your own. A dramatic change in the way business classes are taught would help me to lessen this belief, but until then, I feel very strongly about this issue.

Responses to Reading Questions

1. Arguments can definitely be any text that one sees day to day because every piece of text that is written has a bias. Even with the most disciplined individual attempting to write an unbiased opinion on something, their subconscious opinions about the subject slip in. It can be argued than any form of communication is an argument because everything from the words one uses to tone in which they speak the words reflects a certain opinion that source harbors. Even when answering simple yes or no questions, things such as facial expressions show a deeper feeling about the subject than the answer can ever signify.

2. I use language to make decisions everyday. When meeting people as a college student, everyone subjects a counterpart to a kind of verbal interrogation that establishes a "feel" for whether or not the two personalities are compatible. In my most recent experiences, I have used language to communicate how I feel about certain subjects. Putting your personal opinions out into the open only helps an individual to discover more about himself and the world around him.

3. Editorials are the most obviously biased pieces of writing that exist in mainstream media. I believe that editorials are a horrible way to voice one's feelings because feedback on those thoughts are limited to when the next paper is published.

4. USDA label- Safety and a reassurance of quality; this idea is very easily refutable with any research
Nike swoosh- Performance; sweat shop labor
Golden arches- Greatest supplier of unhealthy but delicious food in the world
Sean John Label- Class and elegance

Presentation and Distribution

THe biggest flaw that I observed in my piece were the lack of quality on much of the action footage, and the poor rendering that obviously occurred, causing the audio to not match the movements of Scott's voice. Strength wise, I believe that I made several critical style decisions that help me relay the message that I was attempting to create. Having said that, the choice of message is always an element of the work that can be a point of contention. However, for the footage that I had obtained, I believe that the choices I made were critical to the movie coming out as it did. It is definitely a challenge to communicate only through the actions and words of another. The situation created by this dliemna lends itself to situation where authors misconstrue the words of their subjects to push a personal agenda.

I got a very positive response from the audience, especially after I was able to explain all of my style choices to them. A few peers would have made different style choices, but after explaining why I did the things I did, I am still confident that I did all I could to effectively relay my message.

Other than planning to show the piece to the subject of the interview, I have no plans to distribute the work on a larger scale.

Post-Production

Throughout the process of creating the actual film, my ideas were constantly changing. THe real dilemna that I seemed to be constantly confronted with was what message I wanted to portray given the large amount of footage that I had. I could have made into a piece about golf with a great golfer speaking, or I could have made it into a piece about all of his accomplishments, but I settled for something that was right down the middle. I allowed him to express what he felt about the game, and how that effects the way that he plays it at such a high level. My hope was that the film would leave individuals with a better understanding about how dynamic of a game golf is, and the thoughts that go into competing at the very highest level. I felt privelaged to be about to talk about a game that I love and with an individual who is one of the best in the country at playing it.

Moving into Editing

I have captured some action footage on my subject and have begun to examine how that footage will fit into my interview presentation. After reviewing the film material, I have found several angles I can take on the subject in order to make it interesting and entertaining. Editing varies greatly from the filming aspect of of the project because once I am able to review footage that I have actually captured, it is much easier to come up with what my specific direction will me during the formative portion of the project. I am excited to see how the footage that I capture through the interview will fit with the action footage that I have collected.

Form and Content

Content is dependent on the form that that it is presented in. In many ways, it is the form that makes a well documented story into a great piece of visual art. Form incorporates all of the nuances that give a piece of work its character.

In my work, I plan on accentuating the content that is captured with action shots to give the words more depth and character. By highlighting Scott's account of being a golfer with shots of him actually playing, I believe that I can create something that will truly present the aspects of the game that I wish to capture.

Pre-Production Journal

1. I am going to be interviewing a golfer which is inspired by my love for the sport. He has played many of the courses that I dream of playing and is very accomplished as a player.
2. My video will capture the competitive nature of golf and the superior degree of concentration that is required to be a great performer.
3. I know anything and everything about golf and a large amount about the college game. I am sure that there is much that I will learn from talking to an individual who has competed at a high level for many years.
4. I worry that I wont be able to capture enough footage of Scott actually playing golf. This involves getting out to the site and filming in an environment that is not conducive to third parties.
5. A video about an individual's quest to become the best collegiate golfer in the nation, and fulfill his dreams of playing on the PGA Tour
6. The difficulty of becoming a collegiate player...statistics behind it (voice over)
7. Main and only character for the time being is Scott the golfer
8. MAN VS. HIMSELF; Golf is a largely internal game that is won and lost within one's own self.

Journaling Template

1. I have a long and storied interest in golf and am contemplating interviewing an individual who I know that is on the golf team. If I decide to interview my other potential subject (the security guard at the undergrad on the over night shift), I will have little more than curiosity driving me.
2. The main theme of the security guard interview would be something related to the saying "men lead lives of quiet desperation." Why does that guy walk around the undergrad every night, pretending that something horrible is about to happen?
4. Interviewing a random person makes me nervous because I might get turned down. I have very few nerves about interviewing the golf guy.
8. I imagine the central conflict of the guard interview would be MAN VS. WORLD(NATURE); possible about the bad cards that he had been dealt that lead him to work in a basement library.
9-14. I need to focus my effort much more before I can answer these confidently.

Reflection on Shiva's Dance Floor

America's priorities have been aligned in a way that is so disconnected from when our nation was founded, that many of the things that used to symbolize nobility in our nation can no longer be said to do so. New York City can be used as a metaphor for what our nation values, and the lack of soul that our United States boasts. In the place of something that epitomized this lack of soul, build something that transcends the superficial needs of our country, and embraces what the heart of a nation should be, its people.

10 Question Interview

College's affect on future:

How did you decide on your major?

Are you still committed to that field of study?

What value will that degree truly have for you?

Will a career in that field bring you the happiness that you want out of life?

How do you imagine your final year of life?

Would you send you children to the U of I?

What's the most valuable experience that you've had here at school?

What do you believe is the most important part of being a college student?

Does being at school make you happy?

Do you believe any of your current friends will be friends for the rest of your life?