Senior Project Goals:

• To show people another way of life that is very different from our own here in NYC
• To dispel any myths about ranching  (it’s simple, does not require you to be smart, etc.)
• (Personal goal) To learn how to tell stories through film-making

Week 1: April 11 – April 18 –> Take a documentary online course/watch related documentaries/go out to the ranch to start filming/attend weekly meetings

Week 2: April 18 – April 25 –> Continue documentary online course/watch related documentaries/edit footage/attend weekly meetings

Week 3: April 25 – May 2 –> Take a documentary online course/watch related documentaries/attend weekly meetings

Week 4: May 2 – May 9 –> Continue documentary online course/watch related documentaries/edit footage/attend weekly meetings

Week 5: May 9 – May 16 –> Continue documentary online course/watch related documentaries/edit footage/attend weekly meetings/go out to the ranch to film for the last time (check up on the cows that were born)

Week 6: May 16 – May 23 –> Finalize reflections and put together photos, videos, and other documentation materials gathered during the 6-week experience. Finish putting together photos that I took into a book and finalize my documentary.

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Action Plan bullet points

Materials/Connections/Research/Budget

• Action Item Area: Materials (tripod/maybe mic for my camera?)
• Reason for Item: The tripod will help me with filming especially if I want to do long shots of the same area or am filming an interview.
• Notes: This is defiantly something that I must have since it will also allow my shots to not be shaky and this will greatly improve the quality of my documentary. Also in terms of needing a mic or something, I know that my camera can already record sound without one so I think I will just ask Stephen if this is something that I actually need. Also, I would like to get these materials as soon as possible since I may not be back in NYC at the start of the third trimester and so, in this case, I would like to have these materials with me at the end of the second trimester.
• Resolution: I should be able to ask Susan or Stephen for a tripod. If they do not have one that they can lend to me that I could buy my own or ask the school to buy one for me. I will arrange a time to meet with them or send them an email.

• Action Item Area: Connections (want to talk with Stephen about documentary film making)
• Reason for Item: Stephen will be a useful resource for me since I do not know a lot about filmmaking as he is the film teacher.
• Notes: I think it would be good to set up a weekly meeting before the filming beings and then set up a few meetings afterward to check in on how the film is going and also to get advice on how I should edit. It would also be good to meet with Susan since I also have the photography aspect of my project.
• Resolution: I will send an email to Stephen asking if he can meet with me sometime during the week so we can discuss.

• Action Item Area: Research (want to take an online documentary course/masterclass)
• Reason for Item: I don’t know very much about filmmaking so I think that it would be a good idea to take a class online so that I can learn some of the basics.
• Notes: Doing an online class would be really good because then I don’t have to worry about time differences and I could start before I begin filming. I could even take it sometime before the start of the next trimester so that I am prepared.
• Resolution: Find a course to take. Talk to my advisor (Kara) about who I need to talk to in order to get access to an online course in case it costs money.
• Action Item Area: Budget
• Reason for Item: If I take a masterclass or need to buy a tripod (If I can’t use one of the school’s ones) that will cost money. I think that I will most likely be in Montana at the end of spring break anyway so I might not need money to buy a plane ticket to get there. While I am not filming I will stay with my mom in Montana. However, during the time that I am filming (I plan for this to be two weeks on two separate occasions) I will be living with my uncle and would like a budget for food if possible.
• Notes: In terms of the food budget I need to talk to someone, but considering that it is a lot to ask of him (money wise) to house and feed me for two weeks while I am also taking up his time and filming him I would consider this something that I need.
• Resolution: I will talk to Kara about who I need to meet with to discuss my budget. I can also further discuss these points with her beforehand to make sure that these are plausible things to ask for.

Summary:

One thing that emerged as I worked through my action plan is that I should probably try to start meeting with Stephen as soon as possible so he can help me learn more about documentary filmmaking. Similarly, I also realized if I take an online class (which I intend to) I could start taking that as soon as that idea gets approved so that I am already starting my project before the third trimester. I also want to make sure that I get my materials ASAP so that I have those with me in case I am not back in NYC at the start of the third trimester. Another change that I realized is that once I have footage editing will take up most of my time, but during this time I should probably meet with Stephen if possible to get his advice on editing. The last thing that emerged as I refined my project is that I will defiantly need a budget and that I should probably start discussing this with the near people to get this approved. This way I can start doing prework for my project that may require things that need to be paid for like an online course in documentary filmmaking.