Initially, Nate and I had wanted to shoot two short films within the span of 6-weeks for our senior project, but due to the uncontrollable circumstances of COVID-19, we had to reshape our project into something that we could viably do, and still gain an understanding of film from. We eventually decided to work on a podcast that we’d call Nate & Kamara Talk About Movies. The essential question that we tasked ourselves with answering was: How can we talk about and understand film? Over the course of six weeks, the essential question hadn’t changed, not even a little. I cannot speak for my classmates, but this project went surprisingly well, with little to no issue. I think the reason for this was because ultimately, the essential question could only be answered at the end. We would not know whether or not we were answering the question midway through, but rather, at the point in which all of our experience came to an end. Additionally, the podcast idea is extremely viable in this situation, which made it easy to continue with this project. 

When it came to my expectations, I was surprised at how much we had learned at the end of our project. As I’ve said many times, prior to working on this project, Nate and I would have very surface level discussions about film, often stating whether or not a certain film was “good” or “bad”, when in reality, it’s much deeper than that. Not even film is just black and white. During the first week, Nate and I struggled to engage in some of the films when it came to discussion, because we were still discussing films in the simple form in which we had been doing before. After the first week however, and every subsequent week, Nate and I continued to improve. We became more analytical, and maybe that’s due to the time restraints that we imposed on ourselves. Overally, I think the main thing that we had learned is that there is no ONE way to understand film. Everybody has their own views on the things that they watch, whether they’re deep and analytical, or surface level opinions, and we got that from the fact that our issues with certain films were the reason that we loved others. Film is such a complex medium, and to limit it by stating that there is one way of understanding it would not be doing it justice.

I think that going forward, I will be able to look at and think about films in a different way, outside of the “good” and “bad” spectrum. As I’ve said, Nate and I have grown when it comes to our analysis and opinion of films. Through our podcast, we’ve been given the opportunity to share our opinions, and thanks to the podcast, we have been given an outlet to share our growth. 

I would like others to know that if you are organized and have a plan, these six weeks will go by quickly and smoothly. Nate and we’re very organized when it comes to record, editing responsibility, format, etc., this project became a regular part of our days, rather than something that we had to force to fit into the daily routine. Additionally, if your project is related to something that you are truly interested in, you will have no issue doing it, and you’ll come out feeling more fulfilled than before.