Pre-Production

Personal: I have a firm belief that it is of critical importance to remain healthy at all times, both through a balanced diet and plenty of exercise. The United States mass culture seems to support the exact opposite in its citizens, and because of that, illnesses such as heart disease have become the leading killers of Americans.

Hypothesis: I believe that it is vital to the health and sustainability of the United States that its citizens take a much more active interest in remaining physically fit and healthy. I intend to show the disturbing trends that should persuade people to stay healthy, and the benefits of just a few hours of exercise a week.

Research: I have done much research about the different theories on diet and exercise and feel qualified to give a comprehensive overview of what it means to be physically fit and what one needs to do to attain that goal.

Anxieties: As always, the the fear that people will be unwilling to participate in the interviewing process. The fear that the piece will not have the intended impact that I am seeking.

Background: The amount of people that die from CVD every year will be a powerful statistic to have. The pain that being obese can cause many people and why they don't choose to get fit.

Conflict: Being myself vs. taking control of your life. Many people use the excuse that they are happy with who they are but how do you establish the difference between being genuinely happy and lacking the motivation to take control?

Video Project Goals

My goal is to highlight the disconnect between what education does, and what students and professors think it should do.

It is my opinion that the majority of students are not inspired to learn, but are instead trained to do a job, and I believe that this is a problem in American Higher education. The goal of my film will to be highlight both viewpoints on this dilemna......Is American higher education broken or not?

Responses

Although I did not get a chance to interview anybody on film, I did talk to several of my classmates and it seems to be a universal concern that education fails to inspire students, and concentrates more on training in classes that will never be remembered. I want to explore this issue with a variety of faculty and staff and see what they have to say about the issue. I believe that this piece has the potential to be very enlightening for all.

Dreaming Phase

I imagine a project that incapsulates all of my views on the education system in America. I don't believe that the current system inspires students that we encourage to much vocational training when we should be training people's minds to think. That would include interviews with faculty and students form both sides of the issue. (Assuming the issue is how successful and relevant the current system is)

Being a college student I feel very strongly about this issue and would love the opportunity to further explore my own ideas and beliefs in regards to it.

I could also continue my own route of exploring the american political process and how it fails to put the best people in office. That idea would require a great deal more planning because I would want interviews with elected officials of different kinds and people with opinions on them.

This I believe

I believe that honesty, integrity, and competency should be the values that we cherish in our elected officials, and that the most powerful men in our country should be winners of their offices, not buyers.

I have been in the middle of political battles for my entire life. I have become the person I am today because I had to endure things as a young kid that most people never have to deal with their entire life. Until you have someone you love get unjustly smeared in every newspaper that gets out at your front door, you do not know anger.

Several years ago, my father was pitted against a woman with the power to outspend him 15:1. My father had dedicated the previous 12 years of his life to serve his constituency, and I often had to experience the negative effects of that. Many athletic events were not attended, and many more engagements were broken at the last second in the interest "of the people," and that was good, because that was what he did and the world around him was grateful for it.

That woman?...she beat my dad with that spending power, and the people whom he represented lost their voice. There isn't a day that goes by that my father doesn't think about that experience, and although he doesn't talk about it often, he lost his faith in the democratic process that day.

I don't want to lose my faith, but time and time again, people prove that it is money and showmanship that impresses, not credentials integrity.

I believe that the times of office for sale must end. Our future should be left up to someone who cares, not the highest bidder. Until we hold candidates responsible for their claims, nothing will change. But I believe in the people, I believe in their knowledge, and I believe in the future. I believe that with a little more time and care, tomorrow will be a better day than today, and that leaders like my father will once again be the victors in a part of our world that had lost its way.