Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Production Process Of Music Videos And Significance Of Understanding Music, Amanda Grace Dalmacio

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper provides information about music videos, perspectives from film scholars and authors, information about what the process of making a music video looks like, and an interview (appendix pg.11) from a documentary that was filmed to get a personal view on the production process of music videos.

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Dancers, Mackenzie Weakland

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

COVID-19 impacted every person who experienced it. Dancers in particular, were a group of people that were not able to participate in their art form in the way that they were always able to. This project explores how COVID-19 impacted dancers and their ability to learn and grow.

Lawn Story Short, Sarah Johnsrude

Theses and Dissertations

Lawn Story Short is a short essay film on lawn culture in a subdivision development outside of Louisville, Kentucky. The film is presented from the point of view of a first person narrator who guides the audience through an inquiry: why are lawns a pervasive icon in the US today?

Pro-Life Vs. Pro-Choice: Eye-To-Eye, Kristen Via

Undergraduate Theses

This is a documentary focused on the topic of abortion that will stand as an archive of the events that have happened over the last year as well as an archive of the feelings of different people looking toward the future. This documentary is aimed to inform future generations more intimately of all the events that have transpired within the years 2022 and 2023 in addition to the feelings of many different people surrounding those events.

Finding Kurt, Ryan Block

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Upon completion of my Honors Project, I will have filmed, edited, planned, and directed a documentary on poverty in Akron. Through film, I will show the community what it is like to be homeless, without anyone there to look out for you. I will journey across Akron alongside my friend Jordan, looking to find a specific homeless man we once met. Along the way, I hope to come across other people without homes who will share stories about their lives, either in passing or through interviews. If I do not end up finding the man I set out to find, …

Inheritance, Katherin Machalek

Theses and Dissertations

Inheritance is a feature documentary that investigates the concept of spiritual inheritance, that which is passed from parent to child. More precisely, it examines how the experiences and struggles of an individual may be transferred and reprocessed by their children. Life experience is studied not as personal, but rather a continuous process that transcends the parent and projects onto the children. The film is a hybrid composed of experimental sequences and false starts, which all bring attention to the nuances of a not-so-straightforward story. The film begins as an essay focusing on an investigation into my parents’ divorce with the …

At Home Among Strangers, Aleksandra Gorbacheva

Theses and Dissertations

At Home Among Strangers is a character-driven documentary that explores the price of freedom for a gay person in a society that lacks freedom and civil rights. It follows an asylum seeker from Russia, Sasha Smirnov, during a crucial moment of his life: starting over in New York City at 40 as a journalist without English language skills. The film reflects on the choices one makes and the consequences of staying true to oneself.

Creation, Craft, And Covid-19: A Documentary, Joshua Stockstill

Honors Theses

Creation, Craft, and COVID-19 is a documentary film that looks into the creation and development of a small jewelry business called Novi Creations based in Laurel, Mississippi. This thesis interviews Shauna Stockstill, the owner of Novi Creations, and presents the history of the business, its daily processes, and its struggles through the COVID-19 pandemic. This thesis also covers the planning and pre-production of the film and the performative method of approach. It breaks down different styles of documentary filmmaking and addresses ethical dilemmas found commonly in documentaries. I express my reason for creating this film and desire to share Shauna’s …

American Lotto, Kris Parker

Capstones

The Preka family won the diversity visa lottery and has immigrated to the seaside town of New London, Connecticut. They are a family of four that have dreamed of immigrating to the United States for much of their lives. Originally from Albania, a country with limited opportunities and riddled with corruption, the film will follow them in Connecticut as they adjust to life in the US and the challenges of learning a new language, finding decent work, and adjusting to a new culture. The film explores their emotional journey; their hopes, expectations, and disappointments, as they build a life without …

Dear Maliha,, Na-Eela Djemil

Capstones

Dear Maliha is a short documentary film exploring the complexities of spiritual abuse through Maliha Fairooz. Spiritual abuse is a form of abuse that uses spiritual or religious beliefs to control or manipulate others. In some cases, spiritual abuse can be used to describe a religious leader who abuses their platform. But in Maliha’s story, we explore the concept of parental spiritual abuse. However, we learn more about this through Maliha Fairooz and the creative use of her journal.

For Maliha journaling is a form of therapy she uses to process her feelings and days. She also uses it as …

Artistry In Air: The Story Of The Younkins, Beth Lewis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For sixty years, a Northwest Arkansas family has dominated the world of general aviation by drawing upon its wealth of expertise, innovation and exceptional talent. Jim Younkin, an electrical engineer, invented an autopilot series that revolutionized the industry. His son, Bobby became one of the top aerobatic pilots in the world and Jim’s grandchildren, Matt and Amanda, also became critically acclaimed performers in the air show business. Like his father, Matt is ranked among the best of pilots in the industry. Jim also received national recognition for his stunning recreations of and restorations of historical aircraft. Bobby operated Younkin Airshows, …

Beautiful People: The Past, Present, And Future Of The Fashion Industry's Thin Ideal, Shane White

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Negative body image among women has become an extremely relevant topic in the last decade. The “ideal” female body image and what a person should look like according to marketing and advertising has become a highly controversial issue. This project seeks to show how the fashion industry has, over centuries, shaped how people think they need to look and in today’s time and show how it has been a root cause of issues like body image complexes leading to negative self-perception, eating disorders, mental illnesses like anxiety, depression and addiction, and even suicide. Over the last three to four decades, …

The Life Of Dan, Jeremy S. Levine

Theses and Dissertations

The Life of Dan is a hybrid film about the complications of brotherly love and working through the horrors of the past. The film explores past traumas between brothers Dan and Jeremy through their shared love of horror films. As they work through unsettled moments from their childhoods, building towards Dan’s temporary hospitalization, the documentary transforms into a horror film about mental illness and traumatic memory.

Female Leaders Navigate The Arts, Post 'Me Too', Peyton Kennedy

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

As the lights dim and the curtain rises on a theatrical production, there are roles to fill onstage and off. Perhaps the most important roles in modern theatre are those of leadership. Leaders in the arts have the power to influence company communication, shape the culture of the rehearsal room and navigate through a crisis. However, leadership and power can be manipulated, as the world witnessed through the ‘me too’ movement. As allegations rose against prominent leaders, the push for change strengthened. We are now three years past Hollywood’s ignition of the ‘me too’ movement, which prompts the question: have …

Exploring A Qualitative Approach To Arts Advocacy And Evaluation, Lycette C. Belisle

Undergraduate Theses

The quantitative impact of the arts has become an increasingly important factor in determining the overall value of a project, and is often used to determine acceptance of submissions, public recognition and funding disbursement. This project evaluates current understandings of how the arts function within society, popular methods for determining the value of the arts and explores how qualitative reasoning can be utilized to communicate the value of supporting artistic endeavors. While placing a numerical value on the arts based on data collection can be important, this project will aim to evaluate the implications of relying so heavily on facts …

The Whelming Sea, Sean Hanley

Theses and Dissertations

The Whelming Sea is a thirty-minute experimental documentary that reveals the moments of entanglement between three animals living along the Mid-Atlantic shoreline; curious humans, spawning horseshoe crabs, and migratory shorebirds. Working from the realm of multispecies ethnography, the film shifts the subjective positioning of the viewer between the human and nonhuman to suggest the complexity of our enmeshed experience. In the face of this current era of mass extinction, the film explores the limitations and poetic possibilities of scientific encounters with the lives of others.

Repairing A Nation: A Visual Exploration Into The American Debate On Reparations, Desi Jeseve Lapoole

Senior Independent Study Theses

The debate on reparations for slavery in the United States of America has persisted for generations, capturing the attention and imagination of America in waves before falling out of public consciousness over the decades. Throughout its longevity, the debate on reparations has had many arguments in support of and opposition towards the idea and has inspired many different proposals which seek to solve many different problems. Today, reparations have found new mainstream attention, thanks in part Ta-Nehisi Coates’ article, “The Case for Reparations,” published in The Atlantic, and to two new reparations bills in Congress. My research explores the …

A Look Inside The University Of Akron Dance Team, Kristen Dauber

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Video is one of the most media-rich forms of content. When the elements of production come together, it can shed light on issues, provide information about a cause, and bring about an opportunity to connect with the world. One of the most informational forms of video is a documentary film. Documentaries that are focused on the stories and experiences of people bring a sense of reality to matters that may otherwise seem distant and irrelevant. Having a visual to relate to can help bridge the gap between a disconnected viewer and the issue at hand, and create awareness, empathy, and …

Brothers, Sing On: The Story Of Nuance, Kyle Reynolds

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

For this project, I have elected to create a documentary detailing the chronological history of the University of Akron’s all-male contemporary pop a Cappella group, Nuance. The Documentary is titled: “Brothers, Sing On: the Story of Nuance” as a reference to the song “Brothers, Sing On!” by Edvard Grieg, and was named such because of the theme of brotherhood I have showcased in the documentary. I have been a member of Nuance since the Spring Semester of 2018 and have served as the president of the group since Spring Semester 2019. Nuance was founded in 2004, making it one of …

Do It Yourself: Women And Lgbtq+ Musicians And Promoters In The Diy Midwest Music Scene, Morgan W. Matzen

Honors Thesis

In certain parts of the Midwest “DIY,” or the underground/alternative music scene, there is not enough representation of women, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals in music, whether onstage as a band or musician, or in venue ownership and leadership. This study looks at where these diverse people are, and the setbacks they’ve faced along the way of becoming a musician, promoter or venue owner. Three emerging themes through this journalistic research include all-ages venues and music scenes as integral to getting people involved in music; a “DIY” attitude or ethos as a push for these musicians and promoters to …

Between Time, Evan Remick

Theses and Dissertations

Between Time is an intimate conversation between transgender artists on their own terms. The film is a ritual in entering the past and writing the future from the present moment. Conversations weave through natural landscapes and present as both intensely personal and connected to a greater story about the vastness of trans experience.

Don't Worry: A Personal Documentary Of My Grandmother And An Exploration Of Themes Of Motherhood, Loneliness, And Later Life, Olivia A. Wilson

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent for this thesis is to to explore the ideologies of my grandmother and to learn from them. I do so by filming and editing a documentary with Grandma serving as my subject. She is a woman who has been very present in my life and who has lived and bestowed so much upon me that I still remain wanting more. I wish to know much more of her mind now than I did as a child of simpler times and ponderings. I have spent close to a year shooting and assembling this film that explores the nature of …

Remnants, Savannah Lou Williams

Senior Projects Spring 2019

Understanding where you come from is never a linear experience. I began this project with the urge to dispel the cinematic portrayal of a romanticized and glorified ‘wild west’ and instead, I spent the last eleven months deciphering the stories and myths I was exposed to throughout my life by my family; perpetuated by the film industry. Growing up, I was told tales of the Bixby Ranch, a thousand-acre ranch in the middle of the Sonoran Desert that my grandfather worked, just as his father had done before. I went to rodeos and watched old westerns, fueling the mental picture …

Homelessness In Akron: A Research Documentary, Tyler Gunter

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This Honors Research Project at The University of Akron is one that will serve as a learning experience relative to my Major and will also become a useful tool to show my expertise to potential employers. My project is a filmed and edited mini-documentary on homelessness in the city of Akron. The link to the project can be found on page 15.

Through this project, I am hoping to bring more awareness to the issues of homelessness in Akron, and some of the different services and programs that are assisting those who are in need. I will be doing this …

New Roots: A Transracial Adoption Story, Scarlett Kuang

Capstones

This is a documentary on transracial adoption. Transracial adoption is becoming more and more common in America. In 2011, 4 out of 10 adopted children were raised by families of a different race or ethnicity. Daniel and Lisa Conklins have 11 children. After giving birth to 6, the couple adopted another 5 children from 5 different countries. They live in Castile, a farm town in upstate New York. The then 6-year-old Ezra needs to adapt to a totally new environment and embrace his new family. For Elaina who was adopted as a baby, the challenge is to survive in a …

Guardians Of Virtue, Tamsen Maloy, Tasia Jensen

Capstones

Guardians of Virtue is a short documentary following Tamsen Maloy as she explores how the church of her upbringing--the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon church)--handles sexual assault. It is quickly revealed that the church does not have adequate resources for sexual assault survivors. On the contrary, the culture and system of the church enables assault and encourages survivors to feel they are to blame.

Link to capstone: https://tantproductions.wordpress.com/

Making Summer Feature: A History Of Sfa Student Productions, Dudley Kyle May

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will discuss the documentary film Summer Feature: A History of SFA Student Productions, which I filmed, directed and produced. It will discuss how this documentary came into existence and the process I went through to film and edit the interviews featured in the final film. It will also detail the process of discovering the theme of the film, from the initial concept through post-production.

The Market, Claudia Zamora Valencia

Theses and Dissertations

The Market is a short science fiction essay film that explores ideas and values attached to the “local food” movement, and how they manifest themselves in the act of consumption at a farmers’ market in a gentrified neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York.

Instituting Protest (Film), Joshua Eisenberg

Theses and Dissertations

The road-trip story of one man looking at how first and fourteenth amendment rights have effected college campuses over time in the United States, while also looking at the possibility of revoking a diploma from a white nationalist for having different views than ones preferential to a certain college.

Moulins: Down The Arctic Drain, Jonathon Nugent Carlson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This observation-style nonfiction documentary film follows a National Science Foundation expedition to the Greenland ice sheet. The bivouac lasted for 25 continuous days. University of Arkansas Professor of Geosciences Matt Covington, Ph.D. teamed up with University of South Florida Professor Jason Gulley, Ph.D. to plan, propose, and ultimately accomplish the research goals of the expedition with the assistance of Ph.D. student Celia Trunz, M.S., and experienced expeditionary team member Vickie Siegel. As an observational-style documentary film, all scientific background information imparted herein is taken directly from interviews conducted with Professor Covington, to minimize opining.

The film begins in mid-flight, as …