erem-k

[erem-k]

Final update!

Going into the first week of the semester, I was really interested in my research topic about mental health, art, and how they impact communities, but I wasn’t totally sure how deep the connection really was. I knew art could be therapeutic on a personal level, but I hadn’t thought much about the bigger picture, like how it could influence or support entire communities. I was excited but also curious to see what kinds of real-world examples I’d find and how artists are using their platforms to raise awareness and create change. Overall, I felt like it was a meaningful topic that I could learn a lot from, both academically and personally.

Now that I’ve gotten deeper into my research, I feel even more connected to my topic. It’s been really eye-opening to see how much art can influence mental health awareness and bring people together in supportive ways. I’ve learned that art isn’t just personal expression, but it can also spark conversations, reduce stigma, and build real community bonds. I’m excited about how my project ended up, and I feel like it’s meaningful work that could actually make a positive impact. It’s made me realize how important creative outlets are, not just for individuals but for society as a whole.

Through this journey, I learned that I rely on art way more than I realized as a way to process my own emotions and experiences. I’ve always loved creating, but researching the connection between mental health and art made me reflect on how much it helps me work through challenges and feel more connected to others. It’s shown me that being a creative isn’t just about making something beautiful, it’s also about telling stories that matter and building community in meaningful ways.

I learned that the creative and production process is way more layered than I expected. I realized how important it is to balance personal expression with clarity so that your audience really connects with the work. I also learned that production takes patience and flexibility because things don’t always go as planned, but those challenges can actually make the final piece stronger.

Knock this project out as early as you can. I also learned that the prep work for your final project is possibly the most important stage of the process. As Sharla said, absolutely do not wait until the last minute, as the stress from procrastinating will be overwhelming as you get closer to the deadline. Most importantly, learn to have fun with the process, and approach your project with positivity and excitement.

I plan to continue pursuing my goal of becoming a full-time video editor, instead of a freelance illustrator. I've been struggling with burnout over my passion for drawing over the past few years, and one of the many things I've learned from the research topic and production process is to take my own advice that I put into my work, and set boundaries to prioritize my well-being. In order to combat burnout, it is imperative to make sure you're in the right state of mind, and not force yourself to be creative, instead letting it come to you when the time is right.

I'd also like to say congratulations to everyone who made it to the finish line! And best of wishes to the journeys you are about to embark on as we leave this semester behind. Thank you Sharla for your guidance and for pushing us to do our best. Wishing everyone a happy and relaxing summer!

[erem-k]

Coming up to the final date, I've run into some hurdles that took a significant amount of time out of my schedule in the last 2 weeks. I recently got a new job, my monitor broke, and I had further struggles with my computer keyboard breaking and needing repair. Despite all this, I'm almost ready to share my documentary and am just thankful that I did so much prepwork in advance or I'd be a lot more freaked out right now with all the recent issues I've been having. Looking forward to Sunday to share with everyone what I've been working on!

[erem-k]

Tumblr Update #4

Forgot to say this last week, but my final interview is finally acquired! I feel like this is perfect timing for where I want to be in the timeline, and am ready to finish my narration and really focusing on editing for the rest of the month.

My upcoming goal for the next two weeks is to have a narration for Sharla to review by the end of this week. Another goal is to have at least five minutes of the video to be thoroughly edited and completed, and also sharing the draft with Sharla by the end of the 2nd week.

There hasn't really been any hurdles, though I am still waiting for the third artist to send me their b-roll of their work. They'll be getting that in to me today however, though I gave them til the end of the week to get it to me so that's excellent.

So on my timeline, I'm currently in the hardcore editing stage where I'll begin to sew together the footage that I have. I do have to make a mini timeline of my trailer, so I have to take that into account with my remaining time. Not trying to bachi anything but I see myself having plenty of time to finish a draft of both the trailer and the documentary here in a couple weeks to turn in early and see if Sharla has any feedback or critique on what I've done.

So that's all for me today. See you on the next update!

[erem-k]

Tumblr Update #3

Here we are, at the final stretch. I'm happy to say that I'm just about where I wanted to be at the end of March, with two interviews down and another one scheduled for next week. I have to return my camera back before then, but that works out ok because the final interview will be on Zoom due to the location of the artist being on the mainland. I really wanted all interviewees to be local, but I've run out of time to find one. My friend, who is a cosplay artist and vendor, agreed to be my final interview to my immense relief, and we've scheduled her interview for Saturday.

I'm almost ready to share my narration with Sharla, I just need this final interview before I do so. I've got all the stock footage and B-roll I need, and I'm starting to arrange it all in Premiere. I'm noticing the footage of my camera is blue in tone, and more concerningly, my audio was barely registering. The blue I can color correct, hopefully in Davinci because it has superior color balancing capabilities compared to Adobe, but I was pretty much terrified that I would have to redo the interviews for the audio. Thank god Premiere's using a combination of Premiere's audio effects brought my audio back up to a listenable level.

That's all from me for now. Hopefully will have my narration done by next week, and then editing can begin in earnest.

[erem-k]

Update #2

So many us and downs, but that's to be expected.

First off, for about a week I couldn't figure out how to attach my camera to my tripod, had to order a quick release plate for it and that solved it. Then, I did my first interview and I found out after uploading it to my computer that the sound was SO quiet you couldn't hear anything the interviewee was saying. Thankfully, I found that by adding Amplify and Channel Volume audio effects to the clip that it fixes the sound to be a level that's audible. Then, two of my interviewees dropped out of their interviews as of last week, which had me in a panic because I only have til the end of March to use this camera that I borrowed. I do have a back up tripod to record with my iPad, but the quality would be significantly decreased. However, I reached out to a friend of mine who works at UH Manoa who is also a teacher, and not only did he agree to be interviewed himself, he also said he would reach out to students and faculty to see if there would be anyone else willing to be in the interview.

I'm finding that it's possibly hard to find interviewees because the subject is such a personal matter, i.e. asking people about their mental health. My questions revolve more around asking people about their artwork and their communities, but I can understand why some might be hesitant about signing up for this. I got let go of from my job this weekend, but I think I might have to start offering some sort of monetary incentive to persuade people to be interviewed, once I start my new job next week. I hope that helps.

I'm behind on my narration, mostly because I need all the interviews done before I can complete it. I need to get that and the interviews done before the end of March so I can return the camera and also start editing the video in earnest. I might have to only have two people for my video, but I really hope it doesn't come to that.

[erem-k]

A senior capstone I was interested in was Joshua Cid’s capstone on art therapy. I chose to watch this one because it’s very similar to my own topic of mental health and its connection to artists. I thought their process of exploring this through social media was unique, and has somewhat influenced how I will approach my interview with the artists I select. I hope to deliver a just as interesting documentary on my own research and process, and look forward to the work towards completing my own project.

[erem-k]

Tumblr Update #1

Since the start of the semester, I've been working on finding my 10 people for the documentary while brainstorming what questions I want to ask them. So far I've only found 3, and I'm thinking of putting out some sort of ad to Facebook or Craigslist to find more artists to interview.

For the next two weeks I want to A) Find the rest of my interviewees B) finish writing out the questions for my interviewees. I also want to start thinking about locations for shoots, what equipment to use, as well as begin to gather stock footage.

Right now I'm trying to figure out what site I want to use for stock footage. I will definitely be screen recording from Youtube, but I'm also considering paying for a subscription to Envato or Storyblocks. This can be considered later though, my main hurdle for now is finding enough people for my documentary. There might be a chance that I shorten my list of interviewees due to time constraints, also I spoke with my boss about it who's been a videographer for 30 years, and he thought 10 people for a short documentary might not fit into a 10-15 minute video.

I'm still in the beginning stages of my timeline, and I feel good about where I'm at. I think I can finish my questions by the end of the week, and find enough interviewees by next Sunday.