Blog 23 - Exit Interview

"There are no rules in filmmaking. Only sins. And the cardinal sin is dullness." 

- Frank Capra

1.) What is your essential question, and what are your answers?  What is your best answer and why?

A: My essential question is “How can a filmmaker maximize the affective domain of the audience’s viewing experience?” My three answers consist of the three main production aspects within filmmaking. They are:

• A filmmaker can maximize the affective domain of the audience’s viewing experience by utilizing screenwriting elements to depict an engaging plot and colorful assembly of characters.

• A filmmaker can maximize the affective domain of the audience’s viewing experience by utilizing screenwriting elements to depict an engaging plot and colorful assembly of characters.

• A filmmaker can maximize the affective domain of the audience's viewing experience by executing certain editing styles and applying appropriate music to heighten the emotions that are planned to be conveyed.

My best answer is my first answer which is that “A filmmaker can maximize the affective domain of the audience’s viewing experience by utilizing screenwriting elements to depict an engaging plot and colorful assembly of characters.” I believe this to be my best answer due to the general nature of what a film is. Film has always been a storyteller medium. Our natural human nature drives us to look for stories and things we can relate to as people. When utilizing different types of characters, stories, and problems, you can truly maximize the emotional response during the audience’s viewing experience. Different people with different perspectives on the world can provide their own emotional input and personal experiences into the subjects portrayed on the screen.

2.) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

A: I was truly able to come to this conclusion right before the second lesson presentation. Three out of the four film industry experienced I was able to interview really advocated and voiced the fact stories and characters are the most important thing in a film that can draw audiences everywhere. Films can be flashy and aesthetic, but at the end of the day, an impactful film has heart and emotion that people can relate to and truly gain a deeper understanding of life with. With this answer, I went into my first independent component in order to explore the avenues of this answer and get first-hand experience with it.

3.) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?

A: Over the course of my senior project, I think finding research was sometimes very difficult. When it comes to film, there’s a very surface level understanding that most beginning filmmakers know (editing techniques, angle styles, etc.) When it came to the research I was trying to conduct, I had to look into the base information in hopes to find something I could dig deeper into with psychology or emotional study. In addition, interviews were a bit difficult to arrange. Not knowing many individuals in the filmmaking field, I had to reach out to many very busy filmmakers. In order to land an interview, persistence and respect was key in finally landing not one, but two very big interviews with two of my biggest filmmaker inspirations.

4.) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

A: The two most significant sources that that I used in order to answer my essential question has to be my mentorship with Marc Estrada as well as an interview I conducted with Jason Lee from the Jubilee Project. Mr. Estrada really provided me with a kindness and understanding for a drive in an aspiring filmmaker like myself. He really helped me improve not only with my research, but as a filmmaker in general. He was able to provide me with so much personal experience and great information as far as what an emotional film needs. In addition, Jason Lee gave me a new perspective on film as a whole coming from a storyteller perspective. In addition, he gave me a lot to digest through thoughts with the ideas of psychologically affecting films through characters and plot.