At the end of our semester-long production journey, student producers reflect on their production experiences through a critical lens provided by media scholarship. Half research paper and half journal entry, the final papers are a time to reflect on creative decisions made during production.
Fall, 2022: Same Project, Different Research Angles
Co-producers Corinna Boeck and Zoe Sohenick reflect on their project Juniper Spring through different research angles. Boeck researches abortion legislation in the United States and explains how the producers of Juniper Spring used a fictional story to shed light on an important issue that is anything but fiction. As Director of Photography, Sohenick reflects on how lighting was used to engage viewers on an emotional level.
- Writing about Abortion in Juniper Spring: How and Why Producers Crafted a Fictional Story around a Pressing Social Issue by Corinna Boeck. Fall, 2022.
- Lights, Color, Symbolism! How We Used Lighting Design to Evoke Empathy in Juniper Spring by Zoe Sohenick. Fall, 2022.
Fall, 2021: Teamwork
In Producing and Directing, we spend a lot of time talking about what it takes to produce a film, to direct actors, to frame cinematic shots, to record audio and design soundscapes, and to edit meaningful production work. But sometimes, we forget about the most important thing: Teamwork. In this paper, producer Julianna Fosco researches strategies that help student media production teams thrive.
- Student Collaboration in Film by Julianna Fosco. Fall, 2021.
Spring, 2021: Casting, Characters, and Identity
Three student-producers write about their projects through the lens of casting and identity: Tulpa co-producer Kelsey Malloy writes about recognizing stereotypes in the project, how they came to be, and how they could be rectified if the pilot were expanded into a full season of episodes. Malloy explores implicit bias and the dangers of color-blind casting, topics that are too often overlooked to the detriment of both media producers and audiences.
Virtually Perfect co-producers Temi Oshadiya and Colyn Todd also reflect on race and casting. Using research on the lack of diversity in Hollywood films to support the argument, Todd writes about how color-blind casting helped the Virtually Perfect producers create a project with a diverse cast. Oshadiya expands on this discussion with a paper advocating instead for color conscious casting. Using research by Patricia Hill Collins to identify negative stereotypes often used to (mis)represent Black women characters on screen, Oshadiya writes about the ways that the producers of Virtually Perfect intentionally worked against these stereotypes to create a Black female protagonist who is nuanced, layered and real.
- Tulpa: Critical Analysis and Reflection by Kelsey Malloy. Spring, 2021
- Color Conscious Casting: How the Producers of Virtually Perfect Designed a Realistic Black Female Protagonist by Temi Oshadiya. Spring, 2021
Why We Research and Reflect
For us, the learning experience is as powerful as the finished product. The end of the semester is the perfect to reflect: What went well? What didn’t go well? What will we do differently next time? How can media scholarship help us grow?
Student-producers choose their own final paper topics, and research the production areas that are most of interest to them. We hope you enjoy these thoughtful end-of-semester research-reflection papers!
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