Senior Project Reflection

(1) Positive Statement

I feel that I was very confident and smooth in my presentation, and that my product showed very well throughout.

(2) Questions to Consider

a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your 2-Hour Presentation (self-assessment)?

P+  

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?

AP

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?

I felt that the two hour presentation went very well for me, and that preparing for it was an achievement that other presentations didn't require throughout the years. I had never been able to do great research, because in the past, I was never required to do much more than one or two books, which allowed me to get away with the bare minimum, something I should never be allowed to do.

(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would have you done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?

I would have done far more research early in the year, including both senior topic and Model Assembly.

(5) Finding Value

As I said in my product, I learned how to find better research, how to find that research faster, and how to present better.

My 2 hour presentation was a prime example of this, and showed how much I had grown in confidence.

Science, technology, and art all can mix, and this is potentially something I could utilize later on in a career, whether in the film industry or not.

It showed me how to find appropriate research for a number of topics extending far beyond my senior project.
Additionally, through meeting Ron Grafton, I was able to gain a number of ins to the small Foley art world.

Independent component 2

Literal
A) I, Evan Muth, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
B) I worked an additional 30 hours of mentorship with Phillip Miller at the ROP program at our school.
C) (Class attendance records)
D) I completed, as well as typical TA work, hours of work on Foley sound required for multiple student films. 
(Log: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0At4aFtErPjFrdHBMaTZSbkJIYUZpNVB6NFMyQ2U3Z2c&usp=sharing) Interpretive
I worked well above thirty hours. With more than 100 hours of mentorship in total, thirty hours only scrapes the surface of the work I have done with Mr. Miller, and the ammount that I have learned from him. As evidence, one simply needs to look at the attendance records from the class.

Applied

My EQ has been helped most importantly by my independent component in that I am now able to better understand what technology is needed to be beaten.

Mentorship

Literal:

My mentorship was with Phillip Miller, the Film and video creation regional occupation teacher at our school. Every Tuesday and Thursday, from 1:28 PM to 4:30 PM, I am helping students to create films, learning how to create films, advancing my experience in the film industry. I have worked on Foley sound for many student projects, and learning how to better do all behind the scenes work in the film industry. Projects I have worked on have included pre and post production for six seperate music videos, five public service announcements, and 14 different short films, working as a Foley artist for many of them, and a sound tech on the rest. In addition, I have worked closely with Mr. Miller, in order to foster my understanding of the film industry as a whole, especially what technology is being introduced.

Log: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0At4aFtErPjFrdFQ2RllMMVZpYVB5RmlOV3pKN3VpQ3c#gid=0

Interpretive:

I have learned how to best create sound effects in a manner that will accelerate the post production procedure, using my three answers. While I have personally gotten little use out of my best answer, to recognize the unknown, the others have helped greatly, and I have been able to see ways in which recognition of the unknown could be useful.

Applied:

My EQ has been helped most importantly by my mentorship in that I am now able to better understand what technology is needed to be beaten.

Blog 2 Exit Interview

1) My EQ is "How can a Foley artist best stay ahead of the rapidly evolving technology in the film industry." Having been answered three times, with "Always be working," "Recognize the unknown," and "Understand the concepts of Musique Concrete," I can say without a doubt that Recognition of the unknown is most important. This is because anybody can, with dedication, work their days off, or learn to understand the principles behind musique concrete, but it is a special talent to recognize the unknown, one that cannot be taught in any class.

2) Upon arriving at my question after an hour of debating over the wording, I quickly realized what my first answer was. A Foley artist must always be prepared to record a sound at a moment's notice. As such, I worded my first answer as "Always be working." This was arrived at by my independent component, and strengthened by my third interview.
My third interview also gave me my second answer, to "recognize the unknown." What this means is to be able to think of exactly what you need for a sound effect, and be able to create it, even when the sound required is for something that doesn't actually exist. A perfect example is the sound required for a meteor hurtling towards earth, because nobody has ever experienced that sound.
My third answer was arrived at upon reading the article "In defense of vulgarity: the place of sound effects in movies." This article referred to many prominent Foley artists as drawing inspiration from Musique Concrete, a type of music that draws sound from everyday life.

3) I found that there was shockingly little research on my topic, very early on in my work. One of the few websties that held consistently valuable information for me was filmsound.org, the source of nearly 50% of my articles. Upon discovering this site, and the plethora of external links from the site, I was able to accelerate my research and increase my knowledge of my topic immensly.

4) My two most significant sources are my third interview and the article "In defense of vulgarity: the place of sound effects in movies." My third interview, on it's own, gave me my second answer, and solidified my first, as it was the most in depth and helpful interview. The article mentioned above was influential in crafting my third answer, as it opened my eyes to potential sources of inspiration for Foley artists.

5)

Blog 23 Junior interview.

1) I interviewed Jamison Jackson, from North house.

2) What Ideas do you have for your senior project and why?
Well, I would like to do my senior project on the LAPD because my dad is a Lieutenant II of the Gang & Narcotics division there. I think it would be interesting to investigate the job life of an officer, not just the "home life" I know my dad for. This would consist of ride alongs during the workdays, as well as filling out some paperwork. All of which I'm more than willing to do.

3) What do you plan to do for your ten hours during summer?

My dad works a ten hour work day, so I'll just literally "follow his shadow."

4) What do you hope to see or expect to see in watching the 2013 2-hour presentations?

Something cool i guess. I wasn't really hoping for or expecting anything. I'll just probably write down some notes that i can use for next year.

5) What is your topic, why did you choose it, and how did you complete your ten hours?

I decide I wanted to do something else a few months in, besides just film, so I chose something neat, making all the weird effects. I was told I had to do something and film. So I decided I would start general, and worked with the fire marshal's office down at Manhattan Beach, did all the safety checks at the sound stages there.

Interview 4 Questions

1) What was the most challenging project you have ever worked on and why?

2) How do you increase the efficiency with which you work on Foley for a challenging project?

3) How did you get your position with the company with which you currently work?

4) Do you, in your everyday life, hear a sound and think of potential ways to use it in your work?

5) Is there any particular sound director that you have worked with who you think excelled at their job? Why or why not?

6) Is there any sound recording software that you prefer over any other?

7) Have you ever felt a need to change the way that you work in a major way, and if so, how?

8) Do you prefer using a "black box" type database, or would you rather create every sound on your own?

9) How often do you have to update the technology that you use in your industry?

10) On how many projects have you worked directly with the director, and have they been positive experiences? Why or why not?

11) When you first arrived at the company you worked with first, what type of project did you work on?

12) Would you recommend a new entry into the field to take classes on new programs in order to learn them all at once?

13) When working on different genres of film, for example, horror vs. family, how do you adapt to the different types of sound these projects demand?

14) Do you prefer working on television projects or movies? Why?

15) How can you best recognize a sound that you can use as an effect that you have never experienced firsthand?

16) What trait is most important in staying in the field for long periods of time?

17) How long after you begin recording sound do you typically begin cutting it into a final product?

18) Is there any specific scene in any movie that stands out as the most challenging you have ever recorded?

19) How can a Foley artist best stay ahead of the rapidly evolving technology in the film industry?

20) What connections have you forged with others in your field that you think have contributed to your longevity in Foley?

Blog 18

1) What is the best way for a Foley artist to keep ahead of the rapidly evolving technology in the film industry?
2) For a Foley artist to remain relevant, they must be able to form connections with others in their field.
3) Currently, there is no Foley artist organization, and workers in the field are often left in the dark as to others' techniques. If they communicate, they will be able to formulate better sounds.
When a group comes together, if they do, they can help to amass a much larger sound database than they would otherwise create.
If Foley artists began working together, every bit of work that they do would increase in efficiency, allowing them to be faster than so called "Black Boxes."
4) artoffoley.org
5) I plan to study why groups/unions are not formed.