Capstone Attendance Blog

1. What has this week been like for you? A: Hectic.
2. If you could change anything in how you did your capstone, what would it be? A: More polish on the recording, a better site design.
3. How close is the final outcome to what you originally thought it would be? A: Pretty similar. There's always more to do, but you have to meet deadlines.
4. If you had one more month to work on the project what would you do? A: Again, more polish and a better site design.
5. What advice do you have for me about working on my capstone? A: Set realistic goals.
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7. 1. Address the efficacy of the approach we took in this class. A: It depends on what the goal is. I do feel better informed about what to expect, and now have at least some idea of how to plan it out.
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9. 2. Discuss whether or not the breakdown of the project development was advantageous. A: Yes, of course. It will help to realistically plan for all stages of the project.
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11. 3. Discuss the advanges and/or disadvantages of the student guest speakers for forming your own approach to capstone. A: It's always useful to talk to people who have done what you're doing. Perhaps some  presentations from less "superstar" capstone students would be more realistic than those who have spent several years and thousands of dollars though.
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13. 4. Were there any assignments that you thought were particularly helpful? Please elaborate. A: The timeline. It forces you to think about the actual process of making your capstone.
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15. 5. Were there any assignments that you thought were particularly useless? Please elaborate. A: None that I can think of.

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Progress Report

First off, there was a rather big change to my idea. My original idea was to shoot a live action narrative musical. The project now is a 3 to 6 minute stop motion animated musical. This change came about for a number of reasons, including my own desire to become better at stop motion, and the fact that the weather would be against me for shooting a live project outdoors.
Concrete progress includes the composing of the song, character sketches, set designs, script, etc. I'm still studying some of the more artsy aspects of the project.
My mentor and I have met every Monday this semester.
My timeline has changed significantly as the project itself has changed.
The final puppets still need to be fabricated and I'd like to tweak the song a bit more.

Secondary Mentor Profile

Ideally, a secondary mentor's skill set would compliment your primary mentor's, giving you a place to turn with any question. You could find a secondary mentor anywhere you know a knowledgeable person who's willing to help. A bad secondary person would be someone not content to play a supplementary role.

Secondary Mentor Candidates


Mr. Pfaff, whom I initially thought of as a primary mentor candidate, suggested himself as a secondary mentor. Also, Mr. Louis's video skill could prove useful.

Mentor Profile

My Capstone Idea


My idea for a capstone is a narrative short film that is also a musical.

What am I looking for in a mentor?

• Someone with technical expertise and the desire and ability to share that expertise.
• Someone open to mentoring a project that's a bit unusual.
• Someone creative.
• Someone who will help keep me on track, but remain civil.

Susan Tennant


I have had Professor Tennant in a few classes before, and think that her video expertise and emphasis on artistic lighting could add a tasteful visual element to my production.

• What are your expectations of a capstone student? 
• to finish the project as professionally as possible, Meet all deadlines and be committed to their capstone.
• Are you available for mentoring next semester? 
• Yes
• Are there any project types besides music videos that you are not interested in working with? 
• I prefer documentary over features. I cant program but I can work on the front end of interaction design projects. I also dont consider trailers as a capstone merited project
• Do you have any recommendations for a secondary mentor? 
• someone who is not in the direct media but knowledgeable about the way the media is used.
•  Anything else you might want to add?   
• its good that you are working through these logistics prior to your capstone semester. Good luck

Mark Pfaff


Professor Pfaff's advanced audio course was the highlight of the audio track for me. His expertise on all things audio would  add extra polish to my capstone, which is just as much an audio project as it is video.

• This sounds a bit out of scope for me. I've been keeping my distance from film projects, except as a secondary mentor for audio, since I really just don't have the expertise to supervise that sort of thing. I'd be happy to help you out with the audio components as you go along, but I don't think I can be the primary mentor for it. Let me know how it goes.

Joseph Defazio


I've never taken a course with Professor Defazio, but his areas of interest complement my capstone ideas well. His background as a composer would also be very useful.

•  What are your expectations of a capstone student?
•         Dedication, hard work, timeliness, attention to detail, creating a stellar project
•  Are you available for mentoring next semester?
•         I am unable to confirm this at this time so my answer is: maybe.
•  Are there any project types that you are not interested in working with?
•         I am not qualified to sponsor a 3D style project.
•  Do you have any recommendations for a secondary mentor?
•     No. They are the same for the Primary Mentor.
•  Anything else you might want to add?

• Not at this time.

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Project Development Issues

The biggest issue I foresee will be that of budget. A movie project especially will have many expenses, and money is especially tight for me already. Coming in at a distant second and third are resources and time management. As for the resources, I'm worried about finding actors and a crew... and locations. Sigh.

Like Minds

My capstone will be a narrative video for sure, and quite possibly (but not certainly) a musical. So video folks and audio folks will be equally beneficial.

Thoughts on Class Discussion

The discussion in class got me thinking about the logistics of my capstone ideas, as well as wether or not my project needs to have a more profound meaning. As my ideas are all video based, locations will be important. I'm wondering what the weather will be like by the time I'm filming, which will affect locations I can use.

What is a Capstone?

For anyone not affiliated with IUPUI reading this, a capstone is a final, large scale project that a student must complete to graduate. This project will, ideally, utilize and showcase all of the skills that a student acquires over the course of their college education.

Now, what do I hope to get of my capstone? Proof that I can stand on my own in a large scale project. I'll finally get to see what a project of my own turns out like, as opposed to a pre-structured assignment. And though I despise soulless portfolio talk, hopefully an impressive portfolio piece.

3 Ideas

All of my most complete ideas for a capstone are video projects. All of these are still at the "in my mind" level. The first and most fleshed out is a horror/comedy short about a scientist who experiments on rodents, making them grow. I could go for straight horror if the rodents were rats, but I'm thinking of using hamsters and going for more of a cheesy Godzilla feel. It would be called Hamtango. Inspiration for this would be Godzilla films and Reanimator, for the mad scientist.

The next idea is another horror movie. You've heard of Beelzebub? Wrap your mind around Treelzeshrub, the plant devil. It could be a group of people camping, they litter or set the woods on fire, and then comes the angry Treelzeshrub. Inspiration for this would be 80's slasher movies, and a little research could result in an appropriate Native American spirit to use as a background for the titular monster.

My last idea is to do a musical. Nothing is set and I don't have any story worked out yet, but it will probably be darker, subject wise, not a typical happy musical. Inspiration for this is Dr. Horrible's Sing A Long Blog, Repo the Genetic Opera, Evil Dead the Musical.