Fireside Chat Artist’s Statement

            The Fireside Chat was a pretty neat experience. When the assignment was given that we tell a story related to our beliefs and express it in an artistic sort of way, it got me thinking about what I could do. There were so many directions I could take in order to talk about one of my beliefs, however it was also rather complicated because I didn’t feel like I had many interesting personal stories to share. That is when I got the idea to come up with a story that did relate to something I believed in, however it would be somewhat fictional. My story refers to various experiences I had growing up when I wasn’t sure what was my true calling in life. I went through a number of phases where I thought I was meant to be a doctor, a fireman, a chef, and several more. When I felt I wasn’t supposed to be any of those things, it made me think about what I was going to be. There were times where I puzzled over and over again until I felt like I had been torn to pieces in utter confusion. It was the point of feeling completely lost and useless where I knew I was meant to be a filmmaker. I had finally received my answer after time and time of searching. So there are some differences between what really happened and the story about the piece of paper, but I do feel like it strongly relates to something I actually experienced.

Because this important event in my life took place during my childhood, and I feel like this is a challenge we all face throughout our youth, I decided structure my story in a way that resembled a children’s book. I wanted to images to appear like drawings that could have been done by a child and also for a majority of them to be in black and white. This decision represents the uncertainty the piece of paper feels as it attempts to become different things. Once it figures it all out at the end, the realization brings color and clarity to the world of the paper. The chapters are simply references to the chapters of its life. Every time the paper tries to be something else, a new chapter begins.

I would say my story relates to other forms of media as I look at the many children’s books that share profound and meaningful messages, but does so in a very simple way. They use pretty pictures and small words so that even youngsters can benefit from the stories. As I look back, I also see a connection between my story and the assigned readings from this past week, especially the story, “Observing the Ordinary.” The narrator talks about his mother and her longing to be something great, just like the piece of paper in my story. I also look at the photos of the people worshipping in various places, which help me consider our beliefs can originate from anything or anywhere.

Overall, I think the Fireside Chat was a very effective assignment for the whole class. I believe it gave everyone the opportunity to create something that was quite meaningful to them as well as the chance to express their individuality. It was pretty nerve-racking getting up in front of everybody and giving my presentation, however I feel like once I started telling my story out loud, it re-assured my beliefs even more. It was cool seeing everyone’s creations and allowing myself to ponder over each story. The chat helped me open my mind and learn to really respect other people’s beliefs.

Concerned Citizen

https://vimeo.com/63124771

Artist’s Statement

            The concerned citizen we chose to document was a BYU student named Nicholas Whipple. Nicholas is a mechanical engineering major who in his spare time is a participant of a volunteer group that constructs prosthetic legs on campus. This special organization meets together every week to learn how to make these artificial legs so that they can eventually travel to different places around the world and teach doctors how to build them for their patients who are in need. We selected this particular individual because Nicholas is a concerned citizen who really shows an interest in helping others. He doesn’t get pay for what he does and doesn’t think so much about how this experience will benefit him so much, but rather how it will make a difference in the world. Nicholas also told us how he would much prefer spending his time doing something meaningful and selfless as opposed to just watching television or playing video games all day.

            For the project, we decided to film the subject and process using hand held camera work in order to capture the realism and emotion of this concerned citizen’s story. We wanted the audience to feel as if they were a part of the documentary and be able to really relate to Nicholas. One of the things we tried to avoid was simply filming the process of making an artificial leg from beginning to end because we did not what that to be the main focus. We wanted the film to be more about Nicholas, who he was, and why he was involved in this program. It seemed as though getting to know him personally was much more important than seeing how prosthetics are made. We did interview Nicholas but we decided to only include his responses in the background. This felt much less distracting cutting back and forth from him in the workshop and him being interviewed. Also, his comments as voiceovers made it look more like this is not only what he was saying but also what he was thinking. In the end, we also included some Youtube clips of the group traveling to Ecuador last year, the people they helped, and how it changed those people’s lives. We watched to really show how this group is making such a huge difference in the world and how it has blessed others.

            Our documentary relates to this past week’s reading as it refers to creating something special, sharing it with our fellow men, and inviting others to join in doing it as well. Nicholas mentioned how being a part of this program has helped him so much and persuades the audience that if they do the things he does, they will feel the same way.

            This film also relates to other forms of media as we now more frequently view individuals from all over the world post snippets on the Internet about their personal lives. We especially see this with the “I’m a Mormon” campaigns as they describe who they are and some of the things they do in their spare time. This kind of new popular form of media is helping society become more comfortable and out spoken about who they are and that causes the viewers to create some sort of connection with these people and feel as though they are more involved with what they’re watching.