Introduction
The Documentary Unit at Freestyle Academy gave us the opportunity to feature any person, location, or idea, and meaninglfully present that topic through several media forms. In English, we wrote a lengthy paper documenting our subject, including three interviews and other secondary research sources. In Digital Media, we produced a video in After Effects that introduced the topic to viewers. Finally, in our Design class, we took our English papers and produced a book using InDesign. The book included photos and graphic elements in addition to the text.
I chose Yuki Farms, a walnut orchard in Los Gatos, as my documentary topic. I wanted to feature this landmark location as it is one of the few orchards left in the Bay Area, and its upcoming redevelopment will inevitably reshape the town of Los Gatos. Watch the video below to hear more about the story of Yuki Farms.
I produced the above video using After Effects, an Adobe software used for special effects, motion graphics, and post-processing of film productions. I wanted to experiment with the motion graphic-side of After Effects, so I played extensively with keyframing shapes and Illustrator files, as well as experimenting with 3D layers in After Effects.
Write a reflection on the whole Documentary project. What are your thoughts about what you produced and how produced it. What would you have done differently. What are you most proud of in the project.
