Essential/Guiding questions: Through these questions, I hope to combine my interests in art and storytelling. I would also like to combine my passion for business as well by looking at my uncle’s unique business model where he breeds pure Red Angus cattle for other ranchers looking to improve their herds.

How can I use art to tell a story? (could be of people, places, animals, etc.)

• how do photographers use camera angles, shadows, etc to tell people’s stories and convey emotions?
  • Similarly, how do artists in different mediums do this?

how can I combine my interest in business and art?

What does it take to build something from the ground up? (whether that be a business or something else)

To complete my project I will need to stay with my uncle and film some of the everyday life on the ranch as well as him talking about what he does/the science behind his operation. After speaking to him he thinks that it would be best if I came and visited him a few times over the course of my project so that I can see the new calves be born and grow up a little. In order to complete this project, I think that it would be best that I get the equipment for filming as soon as possible. Since I think that visiting a few times would be the best course of action I should start doing some filming asap so that I can film before the new calves are born. However, after doing some initial filming I would also like to form a list of questions that I can sit down and ask him because there is a lot more than just everyday life that I want to capture in this film. In terms of the form that my project is going to take it is going to be mainly a video project, but I have been wondering if it should be a bunch of shorter videos or just one long film. I think that after I get some footage and see how it all fits together I will decide which video format will be best. However, while I am there I think it may also be a good idea to create a portfolio/book of photos also illustrating ranch life. At the end of this project, I will know that I have made a successful senior project when I have my video(s) which address my essential questions to show for all of my hard work.

Scheduling:  So far I think that the schedule that I have will be to film at the start of spring break (or sooner if I get the chance) and then go back and film again hopefully twice more during the senior project time. The first time I will just capture some footage of what is happening since I expect that the baby cows will be coming soon and then by the next time I go I will have a list of questions that I want to ask him as well. During this time I think that I can document my work on a schedule or a planner however I think that it would also be possible to take some behind-the-scenes footage of what the filming and editing process are like.