CCR :))

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:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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

My print component

 Making headlines...

So, alongside the documentary itself, we also have to create a print component for our AICE Media portfolios, which in the case of my portfolio, consists of a two-page magazine article! I'm really excited about this because it's a chance to explore the stories of my interviewees in a different way and give readers a deeper look into their perspectives within my documentary.

I've actually already been playing around with the design, and I think it's really starting to come together! I wanted the article to feel connected to the documentary but also stand on its own as a compelling piece of journalism. (ignore the writing because that's not quite done yet, but the front page will look something like this!)

Keeping with the overall aesthetic of my documentary, I'm planning on utilizing brand continuity in the magazine design. I think using maroon for the main headings and maybe some subtle accents will create a nice visual link. For the body text, I'll definitely be sticking with a clean, readable black font on a white or off-white background, as you can see to the right. 

Structurally, I'm envisioning a layout that flows really well across the two pages. I'll likely start with a strong title that grabs the reader's attention and clearly connects to the documentary's themes. Maybe something like what you see here, or something else, I'm still playing around with it.

I definitely want to feature a powerful image right away, and I do feel like this shot really encapsulates emotions at the Stoneman Douglas Memorial.

The core of this article is really going to be about Mitch Dworet, Rylan Knox, and Lindsay Carpenter. I want to focus on their individual experiences and how their unique perspectives contribute to the overall message of the documentary.

For each interviewee, I'm planning on having a dedicated section. I'll likely start with a brief introduction to who they are and their connection to the MSD shooting (as it relates to the documentary). Then, I'll utilize excerpts from their interviews, focusing on key moments and insights they shared. 

In terms of the writing style, I want to maintain the same level of sensitivity and respect that I've aimed for in the documentary. It's important to me that the article feels authentic and truly reflects the emotions and experiences shared by Mitch, Rylan, and Lindsay.

I'll be focusing on telling their stories in a clear and engaging way, making sure to connect their individual perspectives to the broader themes of grief, recovery, and remembrance that the documentary explores. I want readers to come away with a deeper understanding of their journeys and the impact of the MSD shooting on their lives.

Overall, I'm really excited about this magazine article! It feels like a great way to complement the documentary and offer audiences another way to engage with these important stories. I think the combination of strong visuals and compelling writing will create a really impactful piece.

I can't wait to actually start writing it and see it all come together in the final layout!

I'll update you in my next blog about how it's coming along, and hopefully it'll be close to finished, but..

Until next time -

Emma <3

Doc is being finalized :)))

 Super big news in the world of Emma!!!

So I'm so excited to tell you that my documentary editing process has come to an end. I want to get some people to watch over it and give me some notes, but it's pretty much done. This process has been truly so fulfilling, and I am so happy with how it turned out. 

I know I had discussed with you previously that I wasn't sure what part of the documentary I wanted to include since I was a tad overzealous and happened to create the entire episode, but after a                                                                                          lot of reflection, I came to an end...

It actually all started when I was driving with my mom, and I was honestly yappingggg about my documentary and everything about it. I started telling her about my predicament of what portion of the documentary to provide for my portfolio,o and somehow solved my own problem through just talking about it. 

So, essentially, I will be submitting the middle five minutes of the documentary. This way, you see the title, the lower thirds, and get a bit of establishment whilst still getting the grief and recovery elements. I feel like this was my happy middle ground in getting a bit of everything instead of being unhappy with not enough being explained or described. 

Now that the editing is (mostly!) done, my next step is to get some fresh eyes on it. I really want to get some feedback from a few people – maybe some friends, maybe even Mrs. Stoklosa – just to see if there are any areas I could improve or tweak before I finalize everything. I'm feeling really confident about it, though. Honestly, comparing this documentary to the last one I worked on (you can read about that whole experience [link to previous documentary blog post]), it's like night and day! I was so disappointed with how that one turned out, so it feels amazing to have created something with "When Your Life Turns to Ashes" that I'm truly proud of. It's been such a different and much more fulfilling experience this time around.

Because we're currently in spring break it's going to be a bit difficult to get feedback, so I plan on for the rest of the week finalizing my print component in creating a newspaper article, but I'll talk about that next time I write. 

So, the next step is getting that feedback and then putting together my print and social media components. I'm so excited to share this project with you all soon!

Until next time 

- Emma <3

Locking in on editing

Major Post Production 

So, the documentary has officially moved into the post-production phase. This week has been focused on starting the editing process in Adobe Premiere Pro.

As I mentioned previously, my line edit is complete. This involved creating a detailed script with all the interview clips and b-roll moments I plan to use, along with their corresponding timestamps. This stage was crucial for establishing the structure of the documentary and ensuring a cohesive narrative.

The primary focus this week has been on creating the rough cut. This involves laying down all the selected clips onto the timeline according to the line edit. The current stage is about establishing the basic structure and flow of the documentary. Transitions and audio levels are not yet refined at this point.

The b-roll footage filmed at the memorial and the collected photographs are now being integrated into the timeline. The b-roll is strategically placed to enhance the visual storytelling and provide context to the interviews. As planned, the photographs of Nicholas Dworet will be incorporated with a slight fade and a Gaussian blur in the background to maintain focus on the subject. The use of a subtle vignette is still planned to enhance the overall aesthetic and theme.

Within the concept of audio, the current focus will be on leveling the audio tracks, reducing background noise, and ensuring the interview audio is clear and understandable for the audience. Sound design, including the selection of appropriate music, is also being considered to enhance the emotional impact of the scenes without being distracting.

Following our team meeting, my lower third is being addressed. For the 5-minute excerpt intended for my AICE Media submission, a specific lower third for Mitch Dworet ("Mitch Dworet father of Nicolas (victim of MSD shooting)") will be artificially included to provide necessary context. For the full documentary, lower thirds will adhere to standard media conventions, appearing upon the first introduction of an interviewee. The creation of any additional graphics, such as title cards, is also underway, with a focus on maintaining a clean and simple design.

Post-production is an ongoing process with many detailed steps. The current focus is on building a strong foundation with the rough cut and then progressively refining the visual and audio elements. The goal is to create a documentary that is both impactful and respectful of the stories being shared.

I anticipate sharing a more refined version soon as the editing progresses.

Until next time -

Emma <3

Team meeting today

 Team meeting :)

Heyyyyy!!!! So today we had our team meeting to talk about our documentary. My group consisted of Gabi, Romina, Corina, Alec and myself. We all got to talk about our portfolio projects and get notes that helped us improve our projects. As I said previously I finished my line edit yesterday so it was great to show them my structure and they all loved it. We talked about which portion of my documentary I should showcase, and we all agreed that even though I can only show a 5-minute excerpt, I would still allow you to view the full documentary to make me feel better about it all. 

One of my main topics was the lower thirds and technical aspects of the piece. Something that was brought to my attention was that if I were to showcase the last five minutes of my documentary the lower thirds wouldn't naturally be there. This really conflicted me because due to typical media conventions, the lower thirds would be shown the first time the interviewee was shown and then it wouldn't be included past then. However, if I'm going to submit the last five minutes of the piece it made me question if I should artificially include the lower thirds for context to the audience. For example, my inclusion of Mitch Dworet may not make sense if the audience isn't made aware of his connection to the MSD shooting in that his son died. Within the first five minutes, it's established that his son passed away so I decided that for the artificial aspect of the documentary I would put a lower third for my aice media submission that says something along the lines of "Mitch Dworet father of Nicolas (victim of MSD shooting)". 

I do feel like this lower third is a bit long however I feel like it does establish what I need to make the last five minutes make sense by themselves slightly. Another topic we discussed is social media and everyone really thinks that my social media so far matches the aesthetics of the documentary well. I honestly need to get back on my game with the social media and finish that by the end of this week for this documentary so I can move onto the next episode in the series. 

Also with spring coming next week I want to finish post-production so that I don't worry about it as much next week. We'll see how well that goes for me but I'm really excited to finish this project and am loving it so far. 

Until next time - 

Emma <3

Scripts done :))

 Faster than expected...

Hey, the last time I updated you, I told you it would take until Friday to finish the script/line edit, and that didn't happen. I was really motivated this weekend and really focused on getting it all done. So my line edit is completely done.  

Side track but maybe it's just because today's my 18th birthday so I was freshly motivated to do as much as I could before today because I expected to be a tad bit busy. It's really crazy to believe I'm 18 and that I'm an adult. It really puts things into perspective for me and just made me realize how much life I've lived versus how much life I have left to live (which makes editing this piece all that much sadder) 

For example, Nicolas Dworet never made it to his 18th birthday and I'm so grateful to be safe and meet this incredible age. 

Ok back to the doc, if you would like to check out my complete outline, you can check it out at this link. 

And now that that's done I can get to my editing process :)) 

So my line edit will be done by the end of the day since I basically just have to look up the time stamps on Premiere Pro and insert them into my sequence. Once my line edit is done I'm going to get into editing and hopefully
be somewhere good by the end of the week. I feel really good about the line edit, to be honest with you. I've been looking through my broll as well and I am a bit nervous I'm not going to have enough but I'm going to trust the process and see what I have. Worst comes to worst I can always go out and film more but it's not ideal of course. 

Overall, my documentary has a total run time of 9 minutes and 45 seconds but obviously, for the purpose of my portfolio project, I will be submitting the final 5-minute excerpt of the documentary. I'm going to be honest and say this documentary has just become so much of a passion project for me and I was really excited to create something that could be shared with others and I decided to edit the entire package.  

But that being said!! Hopefully, by tomorrow I can show you a finalized or at least a part of my line edit complete. 

On Wednesday we have team meetings so the prayer is I can show them a finalized line edit and get their input on what is good and what needs to be fixed about it. I think I'm going to struggle with spacing and just giving the documentary breathing time so I hope that once the line is complete I can get some of those opinions.

But anyway that's all the updates I have for you today 

Until next time - 
Emma <3

Last interview is done :))

 Yay last interview!

So I just had my final interview tomorrow and am excited to begin the post production process. Today's was my interview with Lindsay Carpenter, a grief specialist at Eagles Haven. We did the interview in her office, and I'm iffy about her interview shot, but I'm planning on working with her in the post. 

I talked to her and she made me realize that we could still use the background with a bit of practical lighting. I think she perfectly answered the questions I didn't have yet and I'm happy with how this interview turned out. It was about 30 minutes in length, so now I am beginning structuring and piecing together the final product. 

I believe I touched on this before, but essentially I'm not going to touch premiere until my "script" of interviews is finalized, and then I'll go into premiere and actually do the line edit. I'm unsure of if I have enough b-roll, but I'm going to work with it for right now, and I can always get more if it's needed.

Eagles haven is being super sweet about everything and really loves what I'm doing, so they are super flexible in helping me with anything and getting me into contact with anyone if I need to. (Fingers crossed I won't and production is complete!!). In total I probably have about 2 hours worth of interviews and about 200 b-roll clips that I can use in addition to the photos that I have/will search for of the individuals lost. 

I'm going to update you soon on everything going on in the editing process, but for right now I'm just working through the structure which I think is going to take me a bit but the goal is to have the entire line edit done by Friday so I can get to work on the broll and all of that next week. 

But that's all I have for you today so 

Until next time 

- Emma <3

Interview #2 done

 Two interviews down...

So I finished my interview with Mitch Dworet!!! Yay!! Honestly, this interview was so much more than I ever felt like it would be. It was such an emotional and deep atmosphere and it both made me feel so comfortable but also so much pain towards what this man went through. My interview was around an hour and a half with him, but I'll be honest to say that it felt no longer than 15 minutes when I was talking to him. 

It was the most fascinating place where he really put into perspective how much grief can affect a person. He said one quote that just really stuck with me and I'd love to be able to share it with you today. 

"I think talking to a young person, to young people and, you know, how do I, at 65 and as a father and going through my life expressed to you the depth of grief and loss of, of a son of a child, right?"

Now this is one of many breathtaking things he said to me, but I'm really in love with the concept he made with this and it's something I definitely want to put into my documentary within post production. 

So I know this may sound a little overzealous, but I want to start thinking about post production with the two interviews I have done to get a little closer to feeling complete with this, as well as see what things are missing when I interview Lindsay. So essentially, what I did to organize my structure, I wanted to work through the interviews in an easier way. I decided to do this by transcribing my interview in Premiere and putting that into a Google Doc to see the interviews in a visual way rather than finding things in an hour and a half long interview. 

On Google Docs, there's a way to organize your file to have tabs so this is what my tabs are currently looking like. This way everything is super organized. So as you can see, Rylan and Mitch have their distinct tabs for their transcription, and the structure is the place where I can essentially in a way create a script of where I want to place certain interview clips with times attached. 

This is currently super helpful and I feel like this is also a better way to get peers to look over my documentary without taking so much time to watch it and can edit in a less permanent way. 

I'm really excited for my third and final interview with Lindsay as well, and so the plan is that essentially I need to focus my interview more so on the definition of grief, recovery, and trauma, as I feel that is a major part I am missing in the structure right now. 

I think that genuinely this documentary is going to turn out really well and I'm really happy with it

Until next time 

- Emma <3

Interview with Mitch Dworet

 Interview today :))

So my second interview is scheduled today and I'm super excited. Today's interview is with Mitch Dworet, Nicolas's father, and Alexander Dworet's father. As I've said, all my questions are filled out, I have my questions listed and equipment checked out so now it's just executing the interview. We have been set to start the interview at 4:30 and I'm expecting it to run for at least an hour so that's pretty much my plan for today after school...

My main goal for today is just filming the interview, as speaking to Mitch recently, he revealed that he was uncomfortable with us filming b-roll in his house (completely understood). I am going to look into also finding some footage of him, maybe at swim meets or any old footage of him that could be used within the piece. 

I did some prior research on the Dworet family as well to find some talking points to engage with him before the interview starts

This includes 

- Nicholas' passion for swimming

- Mitch's passion for athletics (he's literally running a 5k this morning)

- The focus on grief and recovery 

- Not very open about that day (avoid talking about it mostly) for him to remain comfortable

Now the last point I make kinda sucks for the content of my piece however what I will say is through my plan Rylan will lead the beginning of the piece and Mitch will end the piece mostly with the content of grief and recovery. 

I do still have one more interview after this one, which will be with Lindsay Carpenter at Eagles Haven. This interview is taking place on Thursday at 4, and I plan on filming b-roll with her when I am there. 

A tad more planning happened too yesterday when I got to watch the documentary - Devil in the family - the fall of Ruby Franke, 

This just gave me another aspect to watch about documentaries. This is a true crime documentary (slightly strange for my content but really helpful). 

The main thing this documentary helped me with is just to see the necessity and helpfulness that giving interviews breathing room provides. I find that in the last documentary I did, and just my history with TV, I tend to just put interview clips with constant powers in the middle, but never give breathing room, and I feel like especially with this piece, breathing room is really important. 

They were also very b-roll heavy with establishing shots which I really liked and think it's something very manageable for me to get of MSD which could add to the piece especially in its earlier parts. 

Oh, I also watched American Murder: Gabby Petito, which I didn't love but it taught me to be careful with my audio and really make sure everything looks visually and audiotrially pleasing before I begin working through my interviews. 

But that's all I have for today, so I'll update you tomorrow after my interview 

Until next time 

- Emma <3

Production begins

 And so it begins...

So this week marks the start to major production within my documentary. This means that I will be conducting & completing my interviews by the end of next week. Some things that I need to get started in order for this to be possible are an equipment list, b-roll thoughts, and just really sitting down to think through each step of the interview. 

As I believe I have mentioned previously, Mitch Dworet kindly invited me to his home in order to film his interview. So that interview is scheduled for later this week, and I am going to bring my friend, Oriana Rangel, who's in television production with me, to help with the shot framing and being behind the camera during the interview. 

Equipment, some of the equipment I am using includes 

- A Canon t-8i

- Hollylands (

- Tripod

- Zoom lens 

- Standard 45 lens 

- A rhode for all audio 

- A light kit (if needed)

- ND filters (if needed)

I am more than grateful that my television program at my school allows us to check out equipment, so luckily I will be able to check out equipment for my documentary production. 

In terms of b-roll, I luckily got a large portion of it at the memorial, however, for Rylan's interview, I actually get to go into one of her classes to get some b-roll of her instructing a yoga class. Also, for Lindsay's case,e I am going to film some of her working within the office, in order for the audience to see what they hear at the time.

Currently one of my only major issues is creating all b-roll on my own with situations where I am dealing with individuals who lost their lives. It's been difficult to look past using pictures and really dive deep into more creative ways of creating footage that is used in emotional scenes to cover up jump cuts once I get to the post production stage. 

But that's all I have for you today 

- Until Next time 

Emma <3

No group meeting :((

 Absences are the death of me... 

So this week, as I said previously, I have been crazy busy. I mean I just counted, and after today, I have missed the past 11 days of school. And unfortunately, missing so much class means I also missed our group reflection where we get to talk about our projects and get feedback. 

That being said, I knew I was going to miss this, so I talked to some of my peers within aice media in order to at least partially get some understanding and feedback on my documentary. Some of the discussions we had were just little things like ways to get my interviewees to feel comfortable and a bit on my graphics, and in the future, ways to make sure within the post production stage I am able to have enough b-roll. 

In talking to Mateo, a classmate, I realized that b-roll can be as simple as me going to memorials where I can find pictures (in front of the Stoneman Douglas sign) and really just use what is there for me to use. Also, in case of pictures, I realized I can stage shots with printed out photos or for example, someone looking at pictures on a computer screen. 

So far from talking to classmates, the reception on my documentary has been mostly positive. People really like the focus on grief and healing, and all agree that is the main purpose of this documentary, rather than just sharing what was lost that day. 

Also, I will share something really cool that happened to me tonight at Elon University. So tonight we had a meet and greet at the communications school and I got into a long discussion with a professor in charge of a program called elondocs. 

His name is Colin Donohue and he gave me some really insightful tips on this documentary, having worked on some in the past. I told him about my documentary and he shared with me some tips, such as once I complete my interview, to put it into a Word document and work on the structure outside of Premiere to create a script of sorts. He also advised me to make sure that I really allow breathing room for the audience to take in what is being told to them in a slower, more emotional manner. 

Also, it was really cool to see how an older person really resonated with something I am currently working on and was impressed with the progression of the documentary. 

As I get back to school this upcoming Monday, I am also excited to discuss with my peers the progression of my documentary, especially with my interviews coming up. I wish I had more to update you on, but I am excited to hit the ground running in the beginning production and eventually the post production of this documentary

But until next time 

- Emma <3

Staying productive..

 Life's been really busy...

So I just got back from STN, which is a television trip I go on with my TV production program. We compete at a national level, but that also caused me to miss a week of valuable time in this portfolio project. As you have been made aware, my project started off pretty strangely as I had to film the memorial and one of my interviews pretty early on, but the rest of production has been paused until I researched further. 

Unfortunately, with everything going on it's just been crazy, and I leave today for Elon University, where I am a finalist for a huge scholarship. That being said, my interviews are both scheduled for next week and I really didn't want to lose a week without doing anything productive to move my documentary along. 

Because of this, I wanted to plan ahead and begin to think of title graphics, colors, lower thirds, and everything that will make my post production process smoother. I really loved the idea of using red as a color to symbolize urgency. Also, I wanted to keep my brand consistent to the social media so everything is definitely the same fonts, colors, etc.

Here is what my lower thirds will look like... 

Ignore the blue that's just so I can key out the color on Premiere using ultra key. Buttt this is what my lower thirds currently look like. I used Canva to make them and I am also going to use Premiere to transition it to slide in and then out. I think these lower thirds are simple enough and for each episode in the series, the bottom right corner of the third would be used as a space to put the memorial/schools graphic. This graphic may be subject to change depending on how it fits into the actual edit, but for right now this was one little thing that made me feel like I was being productive in the project. 

Aside from lower thirds, I also thought about possibly using sections to divide up the documentary. These sections would be the subtitles from my outline I told you about previously, but I'll show you what those slides would look like so I can jog your memory. 

These are the three main sections I plan on using to divide up the full documentary episode. I may use these with a lower opacity in the background to show off b-roll as well,l but I am not entirely positive on this factor yet.

I also plan on ending my documentary with credits that memorialize the 17 lives lost, whilst crediting the individuals who helped me with this documentary. 

But that's all I have time for today

Until next time 

- Emma <3

Planning

 Third & Final Interview Plan

The third interview I am filming is with Lindsay Carpenter from Eagles Haven. She is a specialist in grief and the expert within the documentary. I, of course, would love to ask her questions pertaining to the MSD shooting and her personal connection with it, but what's more important is the second part of the doc for her in explaining grief and how individuals can work through those heavy emotions. So, Lindsay is going to be the one who really helps tie everything together. 

I want to think about the same similar scenario of Mitch in that I want a general basis of what questions I am going to ask 

Even though I'm focusing on the general concept of grief, it's still good to establish Lindsay's connection to the community. Here are some questions I'm thinking of:

1. Lindsay, can you tell me a bit about your role at Eagles Haven and how you became involved with supporting the Parkland community?" (This gets her background and connection.)

2. "From your perspective, how did the MSD shooting impact the community, and what were some of the immediate needs you observed?" (This gets her professional observation of the events.)

3. "Working so closely with families who have experienced loss, what have you learned about the unique challenges they face after such a tragedy?" (This bridges the gap between the specific event and the broader topic.)

Now where Lindsay really shines is with the section about grief and recovery. I really want her to explain the complexities of grief in a way that's easy to understand, but also respectful to this community. Some of the questions I want to ask are  

1. "Can you explain what 'prolonged grief' means and how it differs from typical grief?" (This addresses a key concept you've been exploring.)

2. "What are some common misconceptions people have about grief, and how can we better support those who are grieving?" (This helps to educate the audience.)

3. "You've worked with many individuals on their journey of recovery. What are some healthy coping mechanisms you've observed?" (This gives practical advice.)

4. "How important is it for people to find ways to honor the memories of their loved ones, and what are some ways they can do that?" (This ties into the theme of honoring those lost.)

5. "For those who are watching this documentary and are struggling with grief, what is one piece of advice you would give them?" (This is a powerful closing question.)

For Lindsay's interview, I want to create a calm and supportive atmosphere. I'm thinking of filming in a quiet space at Eagles Haven, maybe with soft lighting and a neutral background. I want her to feel comfortable and relaxed, so she can share her expertise openly. I also would like to get some b-roll of her interacting with people at Eagles Haven, or in her office, to give context to her role.

I think this interview will really add depth and credibility to the documentary, but that's all I have for today 

Until next time,

Emma <3