Documentary

For this documentary project, I was asked to portray a person, group, place, or issue, and gather research. This idea was formed into a documentary in Film, a research paper in English, and a magazine article in Digital Media. This unit focuses on emphasizing narrative style journalism.

I focused my research on inclusivity between students in special education and the mainstream students. As a teacher assistant for the special education class at Mountain View High School, I have made connections with these students and love working with them. I wanted to make film centered around these kids, their families, and highlight their stories. I was able to meet with parents of students and do talking head interviews, as well as film b-roll of the students I was focusing on.

My research question for English was “Integration for Special Education Students in the Mainstream.” I researched using my primary source from my interviews, and secondary source from peer reviewed articles. I spoke on different organizations in place that emphasis inclusion and the benefits for both people with disabilities and their peers.

Reflection

I enjoyed working on this project because I met so many amazing people, and learned so much more about this topic I am passionate about. I am proud that I was able to film and edit a documentary, as well as research and complete a research paper. It was interesting to learn how to work with different visuals and make a magazine article on Indesign in Digital Media as well.

English

In English I wrote a research paper about the benefits that can occur from interactions between students with disabilities and their peers. I used personal anecdotes, interview content, and secondary sources to make an informational paper that engages the audience.

I structured the paper by starting with a powerful quote by a parent of one of the students I was centering my film on. Then I talked about the current laws in place for people with disabilities, the clubs and initiatives Mountain View High School is taking, and the barriers still in place that make it difficult for students with disabilities and their peers to have lasting friendships.

I end the paper with what needs to change about the job industry and how it is the world that needs to change in order for these students to have all the opportunities they deserve.

Film

I started this unit making a mockumentary film. It is a humorous film that was an exercise to practice using audio equipment and edit in a documentary style. My group all took turns being actors, making characters, and writing lines. After the mockumentary film, I made my official documentary about the special education classroom.

This has been my favorite unit yet in Freestyle, I have loved every second of it. I put so many hours and hard work into this film. I built connections with these students and developed my film skills.

I worked on Premiere Pro to edit the film, on the left is the behind the scenes of my editing process.

I worked with audio and stitching all the interviews together to make a cohesive story told by all of my interviewees. The most challenging part was picking the most important lines to include because I had over four hours of interview footage. There were so many stories and interesting facts that I had to pick between, but I am happy with how the film turned out.

There was a lot of preparation and planning to my documentary process. I wrote out questions I was going to ask each of my interviewees beforehand to ensure I was well prepared and coordinated. The questions were outlined between the parents and teachers, so my editing process would be as smooth as possible.

These were the interview questions for Matthew Selaya (Gabe’s Dad). This was my fourth interview. We also interviewed Gabe’s Mom, and other parents.

In Digital Media, I made a magazine article based off of my research paper. Here is the digital version to the left. I learned how to use Indesign, and made graphics in Illustrator.

I had not used Indesign prior, and I found it a more difficult software than Illustrator and other Adobe apps, but I am glad I have this newfound skill and can make articles in Indesign.

I had to think of a color scheme and what photos to use to make the article look professional.

My favorite part of this assignment was adding in the photos because I think it made the article more heartfelt, and makes the reader more emerged in the story.

I decided to use Indesign to make background frames for the images.

I picked my favorite images from this project hat I thought best related to my article and message.

To the left is my magazine article completed magazine article.

Interviewees

Thank You

I could not have completed this project without the help of the lovely parents who agreed to be interviewed and showcased in this film. I am also so grateful for the opportunity to work with Gabe, Iasmim, and Elise in making this film the most informative and impactful as possible. I am glad Freestyle gives us the freedom to chose our topics. I loved working on this project, and I feel passionate about the message. I have learned so much.