Video Essay

Hat Rule

There were many interesting video essays whose arguments were very persuasive.  Most of the groups had their own unique style incorporated into their video in order to get their point across clearly.  For instance one group used abstract visuals to catch the attention of the audience.  A different group used the technique of narrating over an interview and rewinding and repeating what a person said during that interview.  This is a similar use of editing that Michael Moore uses in his films and most notably Fahrenheit 9/11.   Editing like this can allow the producers of the video to skew interviews certain ways in order to support their arguments. The use of music was used in every video essay.  Good music can really capture the attention of people and cause them to show interest in the video.  Personally I liked my group’s technique the best.  We surveyed 50 students at groves about the hat rule, and also interviewed staff members and some students on camera.  By getting the opinion of this many people we were able to see both sides of the argument clearly and get an idea where most people stand on the issue.  Also by interviewing the staff, we found out why the administration has the policy they have in place.  Overall I thought the editing skills and the quality of all the videos were pretty good.

Video Essay

As a group we did our project around the hat rule at Groves. As of now students are not allowed to wear hats to school, furthermore having a hood on isn't allowed either. Myself and my fellow group members felt this rule was unjust and we wanted to investigate through our video project why this rule was in place. We interviewed various students and administrators such as Mrs. Hurley to find out if students want to wear hats to school and the reasoning behind this rule. we also gave a survey out to 50 random kids to determine the popularity in being able to wear hats in school. Throughout our project we determined there were no concrete or just reason to defer students the opportunity to wear hats in school. The administration argued that school is a professional environment so hats shouldn't be allowed, but the dress code allows students to wear slippers and sweatpants, which is far from professional. I really enjoyed focusing on the hat rule issue at Groves High School and hopefully our project will allow a push to be made to change the rule.

Video Essays

All of the groups had a very similar structure to their video essays. They were all mostly interviews with students and staff around the school asking for opinions about certain policies. Two groups had really good editing which made their video look nicer and had a positive impact on the points they were trying to make. But in doing so it seemed like they were skewing what the person said or editing it in such a way to mirror their personal opinion on the policy; it was Michael Moore-esque. However they basically asked the same couple questions to many people with the exact same follow up questions. That's what I like about my groups video. Even though we didn't have a ton of interviews or great editing with effects, our interviews weren't the same with every person. The first couple questions may have been the same but depending on what the person said we asked different follow up questions to get a better understanding on their view of the hat rule. We also handed out surveys to get the opinions of many more people-male, female, and students varying from ninth to twelfth grade. Every group, however, did a good job getting interviews and making an argument for their view on different policies throughout Groves.

Video Essays

The group essays in my class had a few different techniques. In most peoples video essays the group members were asking students and staff their thoughts on whatever their issue was. In some of the videos the whole video was the group member asking the same questions over and over again. This repetativeness got a little annoying because the same questions were being asked. In other videos the group members edited there videos and added clips from t.v. shows, commercials, music etc. These videos were much more enjoyable to watch and held my attention for a longer period of time. The benefit of having music and other video clips in the video essays is that it holds the attention of the crowd and it it is more enjoyable to watch. In one of the groups it looked like they were twisting around the words that some of the students and staff were saying so that their point would be made.

Finals

I'm in my senior year of high school and the all too familiar week of final exams is coming up. This time is extremely stressful for all students.  What makes it even more frustrating is that teachers like to cram a lot of major assignments in the week before finals. This really makes it hard for students because they have to study for the final and complete assignments for their class. I have came up with a solution that I believe will be greatly beneficial with everyone involved in high school. My idea goes as follows: if a student is receiving an A in a class they are automatically exempt from taking the final exam. If a student is capable of receiving an A in a class they have proved the understand the material being taught in the class. Also this provides students an incentive to work hard throughout the trimester in order to not have to take the final. I think this idea will increase the work effort of students and teachers will see an increase in A's.

"Cool Hand Luke" and "Cuckoo's Nest"

I thought "Cool Hand Luke" was a pretty good movie and had many parallels with "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", however I liked "Cuckoo's Nest" more. Both Luke and McMurphy were killed while helping other men regain their lives, but I found "Cuckoo's Nest" (the novel, haven't seen the film) more enjoyable. It had more sub characters with different personalities and a more interesting setting, at a psychiatric ward, than "Cool Hand Luke". Both Luke and McMurphy were able to rally up their men and raise havoc at the work farm and psychiatric ward and create an interesting story. So what did you think about the film "Cool Hand Luke" and the novel "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"? What are your likes and dislikes?