Reflection

Out of the entire process of my capstone, I am particularly proud of the editing process. It was an entirely new obstacle for me to tackle, and I feel I did very well in learning a new program to put together my short films. 

Overall, I am in awe of the fact that I pulled off the two short films. Having never had any experience directing, filming, writing, or editing films, this was such a learning experience. Both final products are something I am proud to display as a showing of what I have learned. 

If I were to do anything different, I would give myself more time for trial and error. There were several ideas that had to be scrapped due to filming issues, but I hadn't allowed myself time to be able to refilm. There were storylines that could have been refined, had I had more time to film and edit. I would also use more directness in the films, rather than being vague about the story, especially since there was so little dialogue.

My life experiences are reflected through the storylines of the films. The first film follows a friendship breakup, and in my freshman year, I drastically changed my life because of friendship troubles. I was deeply affected by it, but I was able to grow from it; I chose to portray that struggle in a film, as it was one of the most defining moments of my life. 

The short film "Vienna" stands to represent my future, and where my life will lead to based off my past. My fear for the future, longing for the past, yet yearning for the future are all shown throughout this film. It was important to me to create something to represent where I am going in my life and what it means to me.

Both films are lacking of dialogue, this also stems from my life experiences. I have always found comfort in music, and I have felt that it can tell a thousand more stories than words ever could. I chose to have both films told through songs that meant a lot to me throughout high school. Music has been my go to outlet, that is why it was important to me to use music, rather than words.

My life experiences are reflected through the storylines of the films. The first film follows a friendship breakup, and in my freshman year, I drastically changed my life because of friendship troubles. I was deeply affected by it, but I was able to grow from it; I chose to portray that struggle in a film, as it was one of the most defining moments of my life. 

The short film "Vienna" stands to represent my future, and where my life will lead to based off my past. My fear for the future, longing for the past, yet yearning for the future are all shown throughout this film. It was important to me to create something to represent where I am going in my life and what it means to me.

Both films are lacking of dialogue, this also stems from my life experiences. I have always found comfort in music, and I have felt that it can tell a thousand more stories than words ever could. I chose to have both films told through songs that meant a lot to me throughout high school. Music has been my go to outlet, that is why it was important to me to use music, rather than words.

Through all of the hours I have spent cultivating my learning through theatre, I have learned an immense amount. I learned how to be proud of myself and who I am, and to have confidence in myself. I learned just how much work and commitment theatre is, and how it takes true passion to make the long hours still seem fun. I learned how to put myself out there, and not back down from new things. I learned it is okay to not always be perfect. I found a family in theatre, and I learned I don't have to keep everything bottled up and to myself. 

My time in theatre has impacted me as an artist, because it has helped me see true passion in art. It has helped me to dive deeper into the meanings of things, and to see the beauty in everything around me. It has allowed me to channel all of my talents into creating something beautiful. It has helped me understand that each part works like machinery, and that has translated into helping me create art more efficiently. My hours spent have helped me understand that there will be rough patches and hard tasks, but that the end product is worth it, in turn, helping me get through said rough patches.

I am so grateful for all that I have learned through theatre.

Before I got up on stage for the first time, I had a really hard time believing I was worth anything. I had no confidence in myself, and I let myself fade into the background. I let people walk all over me, and I had nothing to tie myself to. I had no sense of self, and I felt really lost.

Ever since theatre came into my life, I have gained confidence every single day. I now understand that I am important. I've grown into someone I am really proud of, and I couldn't have done it without the art in my life. Being able to get up on a stage and try something new taught me to go into things head first, and to try everything, even though I could fail.

The community in the arts has also has a huge impact on my life. I have learned so much from my peers, my teachers, my mentors. I have a family in the arts, and any time life gets hard, I now have a positive outlet for any of the bad. I have had so much personal growth, and with the help of the arts, and the community, I have confidence in my future, a thing that I used to fear more that anything in life. I am excited to look for ways to incorporate art into my life in the future.

My future is still unwritten, and I am not sure where I will end up. But I know without a doubt I will continue to keep art in my life. I plan to volunteer at theatres, or take part in shows. I will continue to take workshops and classes to increase my learning. I will see shows and concerts, and see others portraying their passion for art. I will take dance classes and keep that part of my past with me and continue to grow my skills. I will take the time to appreciate the little things, read poems, listen to music, watch a show, see a really beautiful movie. I will not let the little things go by.

The best advice I could give to an incoming freshman about studying the arts is simply: do it even if you're scared. I was absolutely terrified to do anything, and severly hindered my learning, and I missed out on so many things simply because I was scared. But when I went for it, and tried new things, even though I was scared, I felt so much growth.

There are going to be so many scary parts of high school, and theatre within high school, but to stand out from the crowd, you have to commit. You only live once, there is no reason to let anything pass by. I wish someone had told me that my freshman year.

On top of that, keep time for yourself. Don't fill your plate too much that you don't have time to do the things you love. That will lead to burnout. But by allowing time for yourself, and being kind to yourself, you can do even greater things than if you were to pile up.

In the end, everything will be okay. I can say that confidently now.