Television Commons^™

Wearing Two Hats: A Virtual Reality Experience Of College Life From The Perspective Of First-Generation College Students Who Are First-Generation Americans, Lorena Kanzki

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Wearing Two Hats is a 360, virtual reality video filmed in point-of-view style to immerse viewers into the experiences of first-generation Americans who are the first in their families to attend college. These students can be seen as wearing two hats as they hold two first-generation identities, meaning they must undergo both projects of acclimating to the United States and acclimating to college life at a starting point that is likely behind their peers. This video is intended to be watched in a virtual reality headset. Once wearing the headset, the viewer becomes the main character, a first-generation college student …

Trust In The Media: How Broadcast Format Influences Viewers Of Morning Versus Evening Television Broadcasts, Rebekah Castor

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This study tests whether the format of a television broadcast can affect how a viewer perceives news. Because the style, production and personality of news anchors are different for morning news shows and evening newscasts, viewers might experience different levels of trustworthiness, fairness, and balance between the formats. In today’s media landscape, how a viewer perceives a newscast is extremely important, as network and local news broadcasts compete with social media as a source of news and information. This study considers the relevant literatureont for this subject, and then employs a quasi-experimental design to explore how viewers perceive morning and …

All My Friends: A Short Film, Derrick Owens

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The film that I chose to make as my capstone project is a slice-of-life comedy entitled, All My Friends. The idea for the film was originally conceived back in the summer of 2017, and the process towards creating a final production has gone through numerous script revisions, a two-week long casting session, the assembly of a large crew and extras, and an intricate editing process. The film was shot digitally and the style was meant to emulate some of the most filmmakers I admire most including Richard Linklater, Alexander Payne, and Alfonso Cuarón. Like any collaborative creative work, the …

King For A Day, Joshua Feinblatt

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

King for a Day is a feature film script written by Joshua Feinblatt that follows a high school senior named Brian Fuller around as he becomes Principal for a day. Brian does not become Principal for a day because he wins a competition, rather, Brian takes over the office of his nemesis in the William Henry Harrison High School’s administration, Principal Valley. The script aims to be funny, clever, and playful, just like the main character. Brian is manipulative, cunning, and always one step ahead, but Principal Valley runs a tight ship and hasn’t missed a day in 30 years. …

Pages Through The Ages, Marisa Joachim

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

30 Rock’s Kenneth the Page is a legendary character that embodies NBCUniversal’s Page Program. Kenneth possesses qualities with which many after him identify: a passion for the NBC brand and a deep-rooted love for entertainment. NBCUniversal is a peacock in entertainment, fanning out its feathers across various platforms in the industry and mastering each. In 1933, the NBC Page Program was established. In the 85 years since its inception, the Page Program has not only evolved but thrived through that evolution. For 85 years, the Page Program has transformed independent, intelligent individuals into gifted professionals ready to fly on their …

Felicita - An Animated Feature Film Script With Art Concept Book And Pitch Deck, Charlotte Balogh

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Felicita is a complete 90-page screenplay written for an animated feature film that is based equally on the lives of my Nanu Judith Balogh, and my great-great-great-great grandmother, Countess Felicita Anna Murari. Because I envision Felicita as an animat

From Script To Screen: Capturing The Creativity Of Children, Sara Zadrima

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

For this project, I hosted a script and story writing contest for children ages 5-12 to submit original materials they had written for a chance to be transformed into a short film I would then produce myself. I selected a winning story, rewrote it as a script, and filmed it. I then edited it and incorporated creative motion graphics, sound effects and scoring in order to translate the childlike whimsy and imagination of the original story. I hope to make at least one more film out of the project, and also inspire other creators to collectively work on transforming more …

Trade Up, Saumya Vasuthevan

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

There is a gap in the market, both on campus and in the industry, for a digital video series analyzing the latest media trends, beyond their headlines. Through accessible and highly snackable YouTube clips, Trade Up offers an in-depth analysis on how and why new media trends will affect young, media professionals, soon entering the industry. It is a peer-to-peer discussion, designed for Newhouse students, by Newhouse students. From AMC Theatres’ experimental virtual reality venture to Amazon Spark, our topics transverse the symbiotic worlds of advertising, technology, and television. Taking a multidisciplinary approach to tackling the media ecosystem, Trade Up …

College Eats - Beyond Ramen, Abby Rosenblum

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

“College Eats - Beyond Ramen” is a cooking show for college students. The mission of the show is to show college students that cooking healthy and delicious dishes is simple. The show is made possible through the completely student-run campus TV station (CitrusTV). The project consists of four seasons of the show with 55 episodes total. Episodes range anywhere from two to 15 minutes long and can all be found on YouTube and the campus television network (Orange Television Network). The show is pre-taped. I created the show as well as hosting and producing it.

I have recruited crew to …

"Mack": A Comedy Television Pilot, Nicholas M. Ferreiro

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

My Capstone project is titled Mack. The project entails writing, producing, casting, budgeting, scheduling, directing and editing an original dark, observational television pilot. Mack explores the world, inner thoughts and expectations of college junior Mack Green, as he navigates school, romance, and everyday life. The project is broken up into three stand-alone narratives: “Smoking,” “Chivalry,” and “Advice.”

The Journey To The Lost Horizon, Claire Dunderman

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The Capstone project that I completed for the Renee Crown Honors Program was a short film documentary about the local music venue called the Lost Horizon. The work was to bring light to the local music scene and the dedication that the rising musicians had to go through while working in a venue like the Lost Horizon. The project was shot on a variety of cameras, including the Sony NX5 and various DSLRs. A green screen studio space was used for the interviews. Three different concerts were filmed, which were used as the B-roll in the film. Archival photos from …

“The I-81 Project: Then And Now” – A Documentary Tracing Interstate 81’S History And Potential Future In Syracuse, Kristen Eskow

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

“The I-81 Project: Then and Now” is a documentary regarding the history of Interstate 81 in Syracuse and the ongoing debate regarding the highway’s future in the city. Interstate 81 was built on top of the 15^th ward, a neighborhood that was mostly demolished around the time the highway’s bridges were first built in the 1960s. Today, as these bridges reach the age of 50, the New York State Department of Transportation has decided that it is time to replace them. However, several different options are on the table for the new I-81 in Syracuse, including a boulevard replacing …

Orange Zest, Alexandra Bauman

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Orange Zest is an entertainment news show, created for CitrusTV to be aired on Orange Television Network in Syracuse. It is completely student-run, written, produced and executed. CitrusTV is the only student-run news station on Syracuse University campus. Production takes place in the studio, in the Watson Theater building. Participating students range from freshman to seniors, in all majors and schools. This show was created as the first entertainment news-show on campus. Students report on entertainment-based and cultural events on campus, in the city, and those which are relevant and newsworthy around the country. Orange Zest began September 2014, and …

Upward And Onward: A Five-Episode Series Screenplay, Margaret Hayes Applegate

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Upward and Onward is a 54-page screenplay separated into five short episodes intended for the web. This original series is about a young woman, Diane Matthews, and the struggle she and her family face after the death of her father.

The story begins with Diane’s mother, Suzanne, finding her husband, Henry dead. Diane and her brother, Dan, return home and begin to cope with the loss. However, each member of the immediate family reacts differently, causing tension and animosity. Diane wants to keep the family together, Dan wants to avoid the issue, and Suzanne is paralyzed with shock.

Diane’s wishes …

“Who Wants To Be A Millennial?” Game Show Production, Lauren Lewis

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

When deciding to produce a pilot episode of a television series, I thought about the type of entertainment I wanted to see on TV but had not yet seen. I thought to myself about the themes of entertainment that could resonate with my generation. I decided to combine the interests of the Millennial generation with a game show competition including popular culture and social media themes. I wanted to emulate this traditional genre of television while capitalizing on a new, emerging audience. I had witnessed this same production tactic successfully create The American Bible Challenge when I interned at …

Elsie: A Screenplay, Eileen M. Spath

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Elsie is a 57 page, one-hour screenplay. A modern adaptation of a true story, Elsie tells the tale of Elsie Whitman, a young housewife unhappy in her marriage and looking for a way out. When her estranged sister arrives, she finally finds the strength to do the unthinkable.

Our story opens with the arrival of Elsie's sister, Marianne, and the departure of her husband, John. Alone in the house together, the sisters relationship grows complex. Marianne begins to see Peter, a young man with a mysterious past. However, when Elsie is wronged by John, she jumps into bed with Peter. …

How To Be Alice: A Feature-Length Screenplay With Production Package, Alison Joy

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This Capstone consists of a feature-length dramatic screenplay of 110 pages along with a production package including schedule and budget. The production documents, created using Movie Magic software, detail a shooting schedule of 21 days and a budget of $890,979.

The film centers on a successful magazine editor who loses her job and her fiancé in the same day. Professionally disgraced, financially stunted, and unexpectedly hearbroken, she is forced to take on a “How To” blogging gig to pay the bills while she gets back on her feet. She begrudgingly accepts mentorship from an eccentric older neighbor to help her …

Syracuse University Los Angeles: A Promotional Video, Bradley Slavin

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Created in 2009, the Syracuse University Los Angeles Semester Program has allowed students interested in the media and entertainment world to spend a semester working, living, and playing in Los Angeles. Despite being a well-constructed and impressive experience, the SULA program is still very much in its infancy. The purpose of this Capstone was to film, edit, and distribute a short promotional video that may be used by the program for recruiting initiatives.

The target audience for this project is current Syracuse University students considering the Los Angeles Semester Program, prospective Syracuse University students seeking additional benefits of studying at …

Anthony Jr., Allan Duso

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Video Editors are the unsung heroes that take every piece of media, shot in production, and spin it into a story that is entertaining from beginning to end. It is hard to spot a marvelous editor because the better they, are the less the audience notices. It is only the bad cuts or the mismatched shots that the audience points out. There is no way to show the amount of work and puzzle-solving editors put in to make a movie sparkle.

For my capstone project, I edited The Sopranos television series down into a feature length movie. The story focuses …

The Evolution Of Comic Book Movies: An Exploration And Implementation Of Comic Books In Academia, Michael C. Rogers

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The following paper outlines my Capstone, which centers on the creation and implementation of a course focusing on the academic study and consumption of comic book movies and the comics they are based on. The study of this medium has been absent from classrooms for too long, and so, in the pages that follow, I have included a syllabus, sample lesson plans, and a detailed exploration of comic books and the films they inspire in an academic setting. This paper includes research, analysis, and insight detailing the exploits of the class I taught in Fall 2013, HNR 210: The Evolution …

The Forgotten Chancellor, Lorne Fultonberg

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Every past chancellor of Syracuse University has had something named for him. Every chancellor except for one.

The Forgotten Chancellor examines the administration of John Corbally, the only past chancellor without a campus namesake. Does SU’s eighth headman actually create a lasting legacy in his 18 months on campus? And most importantly, does he deserve anonymity?

The project took on the form of a documentary, using pictures and sounds to truly transport the viewer back to Syracuse in 1968-1971.

The story relied on the people who were there to retell it and bring it to life. The search for eyewitnesses …

Being Somali Bantu In The City: A Look At The Life Of A Somali Bantu Student In The Syracuse City School District, Bailey Nay White

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

“Saturdays with Egal” is a documentary for the Capstone thesis “Being Somali Bantu in the City: A look at the life of a Somali Bantu student in the Syracuse City School District. The film focuses on Egal Adan, a Somali Bantu, fourteen-year-old refugee. It is a story about my relationship with Egal as a tutor and mentor. “Saturdays with Egal” also delves into the adversity he has had to overcome and his accomplishments in school, sports, extracurricular activities, and at home despite his hardships.

I chose to create a documentary because of the organic relationship it creates between viewers and …

An Investigation Of Lesser-Known Environmental Issues In The United States, Amy Lipman

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This Honors Capstone Project focuses on lesser-known environmental issues in the United States, mainly on the East Coast. The topics at hand are nuclear waste storage at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, racism in the workplace at the Savannah River Site, mountaintop mining in West Virginia’s Appalachian mountains, and the ramifications of hydraulic fracturing in Pennsylvania and how they apply to the future of the practice in New York.

This project consists of four mini-documentaries totaling 45 minutes in length. To put the first three pieces together, I reviewed interviews and conducted research on the subjects, wrote and …

Prospects: An Original Tv Pilot, Kevin Slack

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

My capstone project is a television pilot script about the trials and tribulations of a minor league baseball team’s front office. Following around the new general manager and his various colleagues and colorful characters around the ballpark, the show, tentatively titled Prospects, is meant to be optimistic and warm-hearted, but still with a bite of humor and cynicism.

For the composition of this piece, I initially used the free screenwriting software Celtx, as well as your standard tools of writing: pad and pen.

My goal for this project was to create a quality ensemble-driven show that, while centered around the …

Smart Kids The Documentary, Hannah Louys

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Smart Kids was a program, started in 2009, that was created as a joint venture between the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the School of Education at Syracuse University. Professors and students from these two schools worked with kids from Syracuse elementary and middle schools, teaching them how to use cameras and video editing software to tell their own stories. The goal of the program was to aid urban education reform, but more so than that, to truly give kids a voice when it comes to their education.

My job, when it came to this project, was to …

Green Sisters: Bringing Spirituality And Environmental Awareness Together At Homecoming Farm, Marisa Decandido

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

“Green Sisters: Bringing Spirituality and Environmental Awareness together at Homecoming Farm,” addresses the topic of the “green sisters” movement and its presence at Homecoming Farm, a Community-Supported Agriculture project located in Amityville, New York. The green sisters movement, started in the 1980s in Caldwell, New Jersey, entails groups of Catholic nuns who are beginning to pursue “Earth ministries,” and dedicating their lives to environmental education and practicing sustainability. One example of this is found at Homecoming Farm, where the Sisters of Saint Dominic in Amityville created an organic farm in 1992 to nurture the surrounding community in body and spirit. …

The Engage Project, Mark Schenker

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The Engage Project is a web series showcasing student experiences in high school with perspectives from different countries around the world. The site is written in html/css and was created using a combination of Dreamweaver and Photoshop CS5. The video used in the project was recorded using a Sony handicam and edited using Final Cut Pro X. The videos are hosted on Vimeo.com and are integrated into the design of the site through the use of iframes.

The purpose of the site is to share student stories about high school to current high school students, allowing them to see multiple …

What We Dreamed To Become, Caroline Clark Moore

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

For my honors thesis, I created a documentary film about my experience in India this past summer.

What We Dreamed To Become depicts the journey of two people of the same African heritage: Dr. Pashington Obeng, an African Studies Professor at Harvard, and a native of Ghana; and a young Siddi boy named Budhesab Hussein.

The Siddis are an Indian ethnic group descended from African slaves. Pash has worked extensively with the Siddis for more than a decade, and hopes to create self-sufficiency within the group.

The young Budhesab has severe vision problems, and happens to join Pash on a …

The Lotus Flower, Meghan Couture

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

“The Lotus Flower” is an animation based on the epic story of Shimchong, a girl who overcomes her poverty due to her devotion to her family and later marries into the royal family. This Cinderella story is a famous Korean tale that has been told and re-told for centuries. By bringing this story to an international audience, I hope to bring at least a small awareness of the cultural and historical value of Korea.

The script was adapted and written by me, taking various versions of the folktale into account as well as putting my own details and embellishments to …

American Political Satire: The 20th Century Onward, Michael Contino

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Political satire is an implied freedom enumerated in the first amendment of the Constitution. As a form of political speech, it falls under the category of the most protected form of expression. Now that I’ve got your attention, I can go ahead with the rest of my project. This is a journalistic study of the people who used their freedom of speech to openly criticize the government. More specifically, it’s about the people who openly criticized the government and then became famous for it. Of course, there’s many ways to criticize, many platforms, many audiences, many influences as well.

What …