Reflection time
So, spring break went by so quickly, but now it's back to reality and the final push to get everything ready for the portfolio. That includes finally writing my CCR.
I'm honestly really sad because I'm coming to the end of my Aice Media Journey, and I just wanted to take a second to reflect. These past two years have been nothing but incredible, and I genuinely feel like I've grown so much in this class. Aice Media has taught me so many important life skills, and I am so sad it's ending so soon. These are my last few blogs of high school,l and so let's try and make them good. But I'll be honest to say (and if you told me this last year I would've laughed in your face) but I'm going to miss getting to write these :(((
Ok done being sad and reflective on the curriculum lol!! For those of you who might not know, the CCR, or Critical and Contextual Response, is basically where we get to really analyze our whole project – for me, that's the documentary, the social media campaign, and the magazine article. It's our chance to explain all the decisions we made and why. Honestly, while critiquing my own work can be a tad bit difficult to do, I do think this is a super important part of the process. It helps me solidify everything I've learned while creating "When Your Life Turns to Ashes," as well as any mistakes that I can learn from in future work.
Looking at the breakdown of what the CCR entails this year, the 1000-word essay format definitely feels a bit more straightforward than having to produce two videos like we did last year. Those videos were a lot of work on top of everything else, so I'm appreciating the chance to really focus my energy on thoughtful writing for this part.
My Initial Thoughts on the CCR Questions for "When Your Life Turns to Ashes"
The four questions we need to address are:
- How did your research inform your products and the way they use or challenge conventions?
- How do your products engage with the audience?
- How did elements of production work together to create a sense of "branding"?
- How do your products represent social groups or issues?
As I've been thinking about "When Your Life Turns to Ashes," some initial ideas are already forming around these questions:
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The Role of Research and Conventions: My deep understanding of grief, prolonged grief, and survivor's guilt was absolutely the backbone of this entire project. I really had to research and understand everything prior to going into these interviews to ensure I was ethical and informed in everything I was touching base on. It influenced the questions I asked in the interviews, how I connected with Mitch, Rylan, and Lindsay, and even the overall feeling I wanted the documentary to have. When it comes to conventions, I've definitely watched other documentaries that handle difficult and sensitive subjects, paying attention to how they structure their narratives, conduct interviews, and build trust with their contributors. For the CCR, I'll need to analyze where I intentionally followed those established approaches to create a respectful and understandable viewing experience, and also consider if there were areas where I tried to bring my own perspective or style - I would definitely say that comes into play when forming relationships prior to the interview in making sure they felt comfortable and cared for in the interview process.
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Connecting with the Audience: This is something that's been really important to me throughout this whole process. I truly hope that "When Your Life Turns to Ashes" will resonate with people on an emotional level, especially those who might have experienced similar losses. Every choice I made in the editing room, the music I carefully selected to underscore the emotions, and the way I framed the interviews were done with the audience in mind. When Your Life Turns to Ashes is something that doesn't only relate to this one episode. Essentially, this series will turn to focus on all school shootings, but it all has this underlying purpose of losing someone so suddenly. I mean, truly,y my interviewees and so many others' lives were really detrimentally changed when they got that phone call at 3am telling them their child was gone forever. For the social media aspect, creating those daily tributes was a conscious effort to honor each individual and hopefully create a shared space for remembrance. And with the magazine article, my goal is to offer a more in-depth exploration of the interviewees' personal stories, inviting readers to connect with their journeys on a deeper level.
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Building a "Brand": It's interesting to think about "branding" for a documentary like this. For me, the overall feeling I wanted to create was one of sensitivity, respect, and a genuine focus on the human side of grief and healing. The consistent use of those maroon and black colors across the documentary itself, my social media posts, and the magazine design definitely contributes to a visual consistency. Even the fonts I've chosen and the tone of my writing in the social media captions and the magazine article are all intended to reinforce this sense of thoughtful reflection. I'll need to really analyze how all these different elements work together to create that overall impression.
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Representing Important Issues: This documentary directly tackles the incredibly important issue of grief, specifically in the context of the tragic school shooting. It aims to represent the experiences of individuals who have faced unimaginable loss and trauma, highlighting their resilience and their ongoing journeys. My intention was to portray their stories with empathy and avoid anything that felt exploitative or sensational. Lindsay's expertise as a grief specialist also provides a broader understanding of the complexities of grief. For the CCR, I'll be looking at specific moments in the documentary and the other components to illustrate how these representations are made and what I hoped to communicate through them.
My plan is to structure the essay in a way that clearly addresses each of these questions. I'll start with an introduction that sets the context for "When Your Life Turns to Ashes" and outlines the main themes I've explored. Then, I'll dedicate specific sections to thoroughly answer each of the four questions, making sure to back up my points with concrete examples and evidence from the documentary itself, my social media content, and the magazine article. Of course, I'll also be referencing the research I conducted and linking back to my blog posts to further support my analysis. Finally, I'll wrap everything up with a conclusion that summarizes my key reflections on the project as a whole.
Even though the CCR is a big part of the final portfolio, thinking through these questions and seeing how everything I've done connects is actually making me feel more prepared. It's a chance to really appreciate the entire process of creating "When Your Life Turns to Ashes" and to articulate all the thought and care that went into it.
Until next time
- Emma <3