Story Time

Being LDS presents the world to us in a very unique way, especially when compared to the rest of the world – the artistic world, the scholarly world, all of it. We have an increased knowledge, and, we believe, a true knowledge that gives us added perspective on everything. We are indeed a peculiar people. I know lots of people who view this outlook and our standards as a hindrance to our lives. They don’t feel that we’re living them at our fullest. However, I think that being LDS gives us even more opportunities to do more with our life, especially when it comes to artistry. Our art is filmmaking and I truly believe that we as Mormon artists will be able to craft unique, honest, and completely appropriate stories that come from our experiences in life. I’m sure the missionaries among us each encountered scenes so extreme it was as though they came out of a movie. We have vastly different perspectives on family, violence and sexuality then the rest of the world. These perspectives are more important and righteous and things that are important to infuse into our work. We can find stories of light anywhere we look because we are looking through a unique lens. In many ways, being a Mormon would make us an interesting character in any film. I think it’s important to stress that compelling stories of light don’t need to conform to any strict Mormon mold. In my opinion, some of the most uplifting movies or stories only reach this level by portraying things that don’t comply with LDS standards. Sometimes it’s just because the characters use colorful language or the film shows the reality of war. Sometimes the subject matter is more serious, like when we see a drug addict lose his livelihood but come out on the other side. While many Mormon artists will never make films with such extreme subject matter, it is important to realize that with the right amount of compassion, any story about anything can become a compelling story that is filled with light

Goals and Realizations

In working on this final project I have discovered that one of my greatest goals as a mormon artist is to portray others in the best light possible. It is important to have well rounded characters, but that doesn't mean that we have to exploit them and show the world something that they would be embarrassed about. I have learned how important it is to me that I create/portray well rounded characters without alienating the people I film by doing or showing something that could do that.

Another goal that I feel my group has accomplished that shows forth through our final project is doing something that glorifies our God. This is the most important thing. In whatever we do we should be glorifying our God. He is the one that blessed us with talents to create, and we must give him the credit. We can do this is so many ways, but I feel like very few people actually do this. When it is done, however, it is extremely powerful and is the most influential and inspirational kind of story. I think back to the stories that I consider the most powerful and the films in which I was most emotionally involved and they are always ones that glorify our God. We are fools if we do not use our talents to glorify God.

Now that I have said that I feel like there is much room for improvement. But I know that the more in tune with the spirit, and the more we seek to glorify our God through our craft the greater we will become. The Lord will bless us with creativity and a greater ability to create emotion, and teach others what we know through what we do.

Regarding the collaborative process I learned the importance of working together and delegating responsibilities. I am the kind of person that likes to do things himself, and pound it out that way. But on this project specifically I learned that in order to succeed I must delegate, and I must let others do their part or I will burn myself out in a hurry. You can't make movies alone. You need a team, and above all else you need God.

Final Documentary

Stories of Light

    Being an artist is a hard, and somewhat tricky, thing to be. Artistry requires that one show parts of themselves that make them vulnerable in order to create the best art possible. As a Mormon, this can be even more difficult. In general, religiousness is not the most sought after thing in the popular arts today, however, I do feel as if it is important if a Mormon wants to keep their identity firmly etched in them. Since the best way for an artist to do well and be successful is for them to appeal to a large group of people, Mormons do have to be a bit careful. Although it is important to stand for what they (we) believe in, if they go around in a preachy way, they will not gain the respect they desire, or the attention their work may deserve. Also, when depicting stories, for example, they will need to do so in such a way that they do not go against what they stand for and believe in, which can be a very difficult thing to judge. However, if they can figure out this balance, then they will be able to better represent their values because others will already enjoy and admire them for their artistry.
    Though it may seem challenging to find stories of light to tell, if one really looks at the world around them, they will find them in abundance. Oftentimes, when one stops to really understand an individual's story, they will find it full of light and goodness. These stories can inspire new stories, or even become a story that an artist recreates. Either way, noticing the light and goodness, and extraordinary greatness of each human can and will be a wonderful means of finding heartwarming stories that can uphold LDS values.

Effective Audio Story

    Audio stories are fairly unique ways to tell stories nowadays. However, simply listening to stories is how humans have done things for thousands of years, so, really, it isn not that strange at all. An audio story should have several components in order to be interesting. First, the subject matter should be something that is intriguing, or of some value to learn. If it is not, then people will not want to spend their time listening to it, especially when they have so many other entertainment mediums they could choose from. Next, the person relating the information will need to have a voice that makes people desire listening to them. Monotone and uninterested speakers would surely be unfit for the job. Finally, the story must be told in an interesting way. When words are chosen carefully, they can create a vibrant world that listeners can see clearly in their minds, causing them to be more interested and involved in the story. In the future, I hope to avoid projects that go against these points, as it would greatly lessen the quality of my stories. Also, I hope to be able to tell interesting stories that deal with important issues in a way that is both engaging, entertaining, and helpful because those types of stories are what really strike me. They can really help to bring home a point and shed light on things that people may not spend much time thinking about.

Adventure!:

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/play_full.php?play=448

    There were several things I enjoyed about this story. The content was the biggest draw for me--I love talking about ideas and ambitious adventures. However, they also did a few other things correctly. For example, several times (generally when the subject was shifting or changing) they incorporated music to either act as a transition, or just have it in the background, which made things more interesting simply because I wasn’t only listening to a person’s voice, but also to whimsical music. Overall, I thought this was an interesting and engaging piece that caused me to want to keep tuning in.

Final blog, Spencer Tasso, Yeehaw

Film is a powerful medium. It appeals strongly to many, because it’s so unique, yet entertaining- just look at the movies. And in today’s world, film, videos, movies, etc. are becoming ever more popular. In short, film is entertaining and is going nowhere because people like it. But with this popularity comes a responsibility to produce uplifting material. Of course not necessarily Mormon explicit material, just uplifting. Although I do love making movies, ironically I’m not sure if I’m going to do it as a career. I may try for business instead. But whatever I do, the things I produce need to be uplifting and good. As a career path, I’d like to work as a social entrepreneur helping people, which in turn would be a terrific medium to document, therefore producing something uplifting, inspiring, and good.

Working on our film, initially I didn’t have much devotion to it. I hadn’t interacted with our subject at all, and wasn’t there for any of the filming. The only exposure I have to him, is watching, re-watching, and editing the footage of him. But interestingly enough, I feel like I know him now. If I saw him walking by on campus I’d want to recognize and talk to him, but of course he’d have no idea who I am. Creepin’.

Working hard with others will bring you a much better product than if you have a solo vision. Honestly, I feel quite proficient in cinematography and editing, but in conceptualization and storytelling/screenwriting, I feel I lack. With our final film, I had other ideas for a story, but was turned towards our current subject, Theo Harris, and although I thought initially the story may lack flare, I find it compelling and meaningful now. To progress and grow, I need to give my best effort into every group project, so I can collaborate with the talents of others and myself. We all got in for the same basic reason- competency in film, but we all excel in such different ways. Learning to work together and to accept the differences of others is how I can get better. 

Last Post: Final Project

This final project helped me reflect on my goals as a Mormon Artist. One of the main reasons I love film is because film is such a wonderful and unique way to get a message across whether it be an innocent story or a lesson to be learned. All invoke some sort of emotion and it is beautiful what imagination and creativity can do.

As a Mormon artist I want to share messages to those around me. What this project has allowed me to do is to understand an individual and see what is special about that person. I was able to see that person and the story behind how he became a psychologist for BYU. Not only that but the collaborative process allowed me to capture his story in a very simple way and allow it to be visible for my classmates to see it. This in turn allows for the word of this simple BYU psychologist to be spread with a message that if you need help there is place on campus that you can find it. That was the intent and that is intent was reached in my opinion. The piece of work may not be entirely entertaining and/or funny however, there is something to be learned by that. Kelly deals with students who are going through rough patches and need help such as students with depression. As such, depression is not something to be entertained with and it is not a funny comedy. On the contrary, it’s a very serious matter. One that should be helped with professionally, such is the documentary on Kelly, serious and professional.  

SO what have I learned from this collaborative process about my own need for growth in the BYU film program? Well, I learned that in order to be successful there is a great deal of organization, communication, and teamwork involved. If my team and I had not organized the project in advanced there would have been a lot of confusion and stress. If there had not been communication nothing would have gotten done. As for teamwork, we each had our specialties that we could rely on each other for. At first I was to be the main editor. However, as technological issues arose, I had to turn to my peers and receive support and help from them and I’m grateful for that. We each pulled in our efforts which in turn helped create a project. What I need to learn is the technological part of the program so that I can be a little more independent on my part where I don’t feel stressed or overwhelmed because I can’t fix something. I have a lot to learn and I am ready to learn it all.