Letter of Intent
460 Crossover Rd
Brookfield, VT 05036
September 19, 2021
Senior Project Advisory Board
15 Forest Street
Randolph, Vermont 05060
Dear Panel Members:
For my Senior Project will be focused on the area of cinematography and what goes into being a Director of Photography in a piece of film art, and what challenges that field takes on. I have novice experience in making short, indistinctly scripted films, using nothing but props, a smartphone, and a school-supplied editing software. As a frequent sketch-artist, I do have experience with cinematics on paper, (literally) such as exercises in lighting, but I haven’t put any of this vision into practice with the many complicated tools meant to build a movie, e.g. the many different camera settings. I have little experience in the field of documentary filmmaking, and the scripting of a mockumentary will surely be a challenge in mixing my skills in comedic directing, understanding of video-layout, etc., nor do I have experience in writing a full-length screenplay, though I believe my experience in comedic writing will aid me.
My paper will identify the argument that using older camera technology will not negatively impact your story. An explanation of the connection between your research and your product. To create and tell my intended story, I’ll have to work around the many limitations (time, locations, equipment, etc…) but I am confident that whatever corners I have to cut will not impact my story, it may even enhance the character of the film, and I want to research examples that prove that the product of creativity blossoms when under there is need for creative solutions to complications through my research paper.
My product will be a mockumentary presented at the Night of the Arts or another form of venue. It will feature mock-interviews with iconic faculty members who may be assigned comical characters. I will be working with Lance Mackzey to bring this idea to fruition, who is the RTCC film teacher and has an expansive history with narrative shorts, video advertisements, and practices in cinematography. I will start by studying some mockumentaries for inspiration, mostly drawing on Christopher Guest’s catalogue, or the “Documentary Now!” series - to get an idea of how a successful mockumentary is structured, using a Cornell note-taking template which I will apply to a rough script; As the script forms it will take shape around who from the community would like to play a role, after which shooting will begin. I hope to have my mentor attend some of the earlier shoots to help direct and advise. Practice, shoots, and editing should add up to 30 hours easily. Costs ought to be cut down if I can successfully get a camera loaned to me from the film department in Tech, and I don’t expect to spend more than $100 on supplies for props.
Sincerely,
Ilya Andreyev