Here is our final! Jennifer Thomas, Mack Robins, Erin Meeks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOW-5WfOPwg&context=C496743dADvjVQa1PpcFOIQ5EcqW-DakOJA659CgADbpHriEEcoaY=

Mary Beth Lofgren

Mary Beth Lofgren, Utah gymnast, documentary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX_LiTHkpr4&context=C4dac509ADvjVQa1PpcFOT0sNuXKJn3eGXqeAWTt5j4YEBGudD7dw=

Final Doc

"This I Believe"

I am a BYU Counselor

Here's a video.

Final

http://vimeo.com/40506480

Yay. Here is our final.

Blog 10

Our film explores identity and belief because while our subject was deaf, we did not just focus on her and that aspect of her life. We strove to figure out who she really was, what she aspires to be and how her beliefs influence that. Her beliefs are closely tied with the church and so we asked her questions about how her mission helped change the way she thinks. We actually organized the clips and stories she talked about into a chiasmus. The topics are as follows: Freedom she gets from rock climbing, why she decided to go on her mission, her beliefs on Christ, what she wants to do with her life now and how the freedom she feels from rock climbing is the like the feeling she gets at the temple. First the two were separate, the rock climbing and the beliefs, and then she tells us how they are related in the end.

One of the huge strengths of the film is the subject matter. Shantel was a very inspiring person. She’s accomplished so much in her life already and works really hard at becoming the best person she can be. Everything she does in her life is to help her achieve and accomplish. We just had a lot of great stuff to work with. What an interesting and unique experience!

The main thing I learned about identity and belief was how much her beliefs were infused into everything she did in her life. You can’t do something without believing in it. Everything you do is inspired by what you believe! Shantel rock climbing was an extension of the values that she held close to her heart. Her ideas about happiness and how she wants everyone to be able to have that are evident as she plays with her little sister, experiencing the true happiness that only the gospel can bring. We are what we believe.

I didn’t maybe so much learn this, as I did wonder. I wondered how my beliefs influenced my actions. How was I outwardly showing what I believed, and what did the things I do influence the way I act? I think I just made the goal to really figure out what a documentary on me would have looked like.

Interesting Audio Stories

Patrick McManus Audiobook Sample - from The Night the Bear Ate Goombaw

The most important part of an audio story is the story itself. In other media, various other senses are stimulated, but the audio story only has our auditory sense to stimulate. So first and foremost, the story must be good, it must captivate. This is why yarns and mysteries make for such great audio stories, as far as fiction goes. Plot is paramount. A pitfall that is important yet difficult to avoid is simply recording someone telling a story. The medium of audio for the distribution of stories has it’s own conventions. One cannot simply record a written story and expect it to captivate. The voice of the story is important in this regard. A good voice will go a long way. The printed story is written in a printed tone. The audio story must be recorded in the tone of someone telling a story. When your grandpa read you a storybook, you probably fell asleep, but when grandpa told you a story, you were captivated. It’s not that grandpas have better stories than story books, it’s the method of distribution. It’s the conversational tone. I don’t mind listening to podcasts about current events or special topics, but the audio stories that resonate with and captivate me the most are yarns--real life tall tales.

I love the stories of Patrick F. McManus. They conjure memories of the long car rides of my childhood and adolescence. I became so used to the narrator, Tom, that when I was given a printed copy of one of McManus's books, I couldn't read it. I wanted to hear the stories, not read them. We had several of his audiobooks and listened to them on road trips--which were frequent during my childhood. The combination of a clever writing--mostly comical yarns--and creative and engaging narration made for fascinating audio stories. Whenever the term "audio stories" is spoken, many people think of the old radio mysteries before the popularity of television. I instantly think of listening to Pat McManus audio books. What makes them great--beyond the stories themselves--is how captivating Tom Stechschulte is, not just a narrator, but a true voice actor. Listen to the short audio sample, and you'll be want for more.