Capstone Exploration, reflection

I'm glad Beth made it an assignment to attend capstones as I have never experienced this before. I am also glad that my first experience was at a time when there were not that many students presenting otherwise I'm sure I would have been overwhelmed. I did not get a chance to see all of the projects being presented, but did see a number of them. I discovered Tyson Tiede's music from his band and really enjoyed their sound. I really liked Garin Grist's video about the female inmates and found it very compelling. I also thought Joel Stein's short documentary centered around a cosmetic surgery was an interesting approach for his subject. I spoke with him about his project, and he told me he was permitted to film the whole surgery and would be doing a follow up video for the same doctor. Since I knew Joel, I decided I would ask him the questions we were given for the assignment. First I asked him how the week had been for him. He said it was stressful in the sense of meeting all of his deadlines. He had his editing completed, but he had to make sure the video was in full HD and ready to be uploaded to youtube. I asked if he could have changed anything about his project what would it have been, and he replied that he really wouldn't have made many changes. He said the woman he interviewed was easy-going which made the process for him easier. Then I asked him how close his final outcome was to his original intention. He said the final outcome was pretty close other than wanting to do a 3D title sequence, but he didn't have enough time. Other than that he was pleased with his work. If he had had one more month to work on his capstone, he said he would have added the 3D title sequence to make the opening more engaging. Finally, I asked him his advice about working on capstones. His response was to pick an early deadline which forces you to have certain parts of your project finished. He said normally he would have procrastinated, but the woman had scheduled her surgery over the summer which forced him to be prepared to film. In turn this also gave him more time to edit.

I am thankful that I took this class because not only did it help me effectively gauge just how much work should go into the capstone, but it also made me ultimately realize my interests have changed and that new media is not the field I want a career in any longer. One of the things that made me realize this is my difficulty in choosing a topic for my capstone.
I thought that Beth's breakdown of the project was very helpful, however. Had I been more passionate about my major and felt more confident in displaying my abilities through a capstone, I would have successfully chosen a topic and proceeded towards the deadlines required. I was appreciative that our opinions were always taken into consideration, and I have always admired Beth for her sincere concern towards her students. Beth was always willing to offer advice or listen to problems and I can speak from experience.
I thought the guest speakers were helpful because they gave us a great deal of useful advice. Obviously it was our choice whether or not we wanted to accept it or not, but these former students went through the process. Certain things they did for their projects may not have particularly applied, but in my opinion the beauty of their advice was the opportunity to either accept it or ignore it.
I found every assignment to be helpful whether or not I wanted to complete it because it helped further our progress towards our desired projects. I think the Project development issues assignment was significantly helpful because it forced us to logically think about potential issues we might face while working on our projects as well as a preliminary budget. In the event we should face any of these issues in the future, we would have a head start towards the solution.

Secondary Mentor

I would likely use Mr. Defazio, Mr. Pfaff or even potentially consult Beth Lykins when creating the album cover for the capstone because of her expertise and knowledge in Photoshop in the event Ricardo is permitted to be my primary mentor since he is a faculty member in another school. This also depends if he is available and interested in my capstone idea as well.

A secondary mentor is another good resource throughout the capstone process. This person can provide constructive feedback as well and give you helpful advice. You can find a secondary mentor in the school of media arts and science, and likely another school. It could even be someone outside of IUPUI.
I would not want my secondary mentor to be someone I do not think respects students or is incapable of giving positive feedback. I would also not want a secondary mentor who does not seem interested in my capstone idea or that may be too busy to be a good resource.

Project Development Issues

One of the first issues that came to mind regarding the capstone is studio availability once the songs are ready to be recorded. The school only has one sound recording studio and during some weeks, can be pretty booked. This issue is correlated with time management and requires proper planning to ensure deadlines are met and the workflow of the project does not get behind. Another time management issue is dedicating enough time to the capstone in general, especially during the mixing and editing stage, as well as not letting other obligations and responsibilities, such as work control my schedule.
For this project, I will need to brush up on my recording and mixing skills. It has been since last semester that I have recorded in the studio and then mixed the content for an assignment.
My main resource will definitely be ProTools or Logic. This is where I will mix the recordings until they sound perfect. My secondary resource is the studio, where I will record the content. Another noteworthy resource is the technology services where I will be able to check out recording equipment that I do not own, such as microphones. As far as people that will be resourceful, my friend Taylor is very knowledgable with Protools, recording and mixing so I have a feeling I will definitely consult his opinion throughout the process. My primary and secondary mentors are also going to prove to be major resources as well.
Luckily I think my budget for the project will be fairly low since there is little I will have to purchase. Most of the tools I need are available to me for free. Producing the short album (printing the cover and making the cds) seems like the only money I might spend, although I'm sure other costs are sure to come up.
Some issues I foresee involve my mentors vision and my vision of the music. There may be a disagreement on what is best for the song(s) or what sounds good. Obviously taking their advice will be in my best interest, however if I strongly disagree I'm going to have to consider the risk of doing something my own way. Another issue as mentioned is making sure to reserve the recording studio in advance to avoid setbacks. Other classes could also get in the way of staying on schedule. Of course, there are always software issues that may come up when editing or recording.

Mentor Profile

For my capstone, I would really like to write, record and mix a short album of music. I feel that five songs would be enough to keep me busy the following semester since I will be attending class full time and working. I would also like to design an album cover in photoshop for this album. I really enjoy digital design and as long as time permits, I want to be able to incorporate this aspect of my project.

For this project, I will need a mentor who is very familiar with what quality music sounds like; has a good ear. I want a mentor who is constructively critical with feedback and ideas and pushes me to do my best. I want my mentor to be easy to communicate to and I want a mentor who is going to help motivate me.

Mark Pfaff comes to mind first and foremost for my capstone mentor. He is very well educated about recording and mixing music. He seems to have a good ear for music which will help me produce a better project, and I feel he would be constructively critical.
Ricardo Laranja comes to mind second. I have also previously had him as a professor and am confident in his opinion of how music sounds. I know he has produced music for artists as well as composed and mixed for films. He is easy to communicate with and is in general a positive and encouraging professor.
When doing research, I found Joe Defazio in the list of faculty, a professor with whom I have never had. I read within his profile that he has a bachelors in music performance and has also composed music as well in addition to being a musician. So far with these credentials, he seems to be a good candidate for a mentor.

Mark Pfaff has his masters in Multimedia technology, which would be helpful to me. He also has worked in a recording studio, currently teaches sound design, and has played in a band in the past. I have not contacted him yet because I just recently narrowed my wide range of ideas, but plan to do so to find out his availability next semester, his expectations when mentoring, and whether or not he would be interested in my type of project.
Ricardo Laranja's information has been removed from the informatics website because of his recent switch, and I cannot find his faculty information in the music and technology faculty listings. However, I am very interested in having him as either my primary or secondary mentor. He has a long list of credentials I know would be beneficial to my capstone, especially regarding the recording and mixing element of my project. I have not yet contacted him either, but plan on e-mailing him to find out his availability in the spring and whether or not he would be interested.
Joe Defazio has a background in music, both performance and composition. I want to approach him as well to find out more about him since I am not familiar with his expertise.

Peer Support Information

I think for my general capstone ideas, I'm going to be working primarily with sound. I have not yet decided whether or not I want to do a live performance (if so maybe as a DJ set). I may also use art in conjunction with my capstone and incorporate music with it. (I will likely compose and mix this music myself if that is the case.) The documentary "Wasteland" inspired me to create something artistic in an unconventional way and I'd really like to use art in some form in my capstone. If I were to do a live performance of any kind, I would want to create an image to go with the performance, for example an album cover. So basically I'm balancing between sound, imaging, and possibly a live performance.

Today in class I spoke with Greg because his potential idea is to do a live performance about the four elements. I offered a bit of advice to Greg and put out there what I would be willing/capable of contributing to his project. I would like to read the script Greg has to get a better grasp of the concept he has in mind which will also give me a better idea of what he's looking for and if I would be a good fit for his project. I spoke with Andrew as well; he is also highly considering a live performance, specifically a musical. I gave Andrew some advice for his theme so as to relate to his potential audience. The two of us also mentioned working together on our capstone with his idea, although I am not entirely sure at this point.

Ideas for Capstone

So far, my ideas for what I would actually like to do are vague. I love music and find much inspiration in music, however I have not found a way to connect it with my major other than composing my own (which is possible). I thought about maybe trying my hand at mixing music since the art of dj-ing inspires me and that is something I've wanted to try, but never have. I also really love imaging and graphics, and if possible I would like to join this with music for my project. I spoke with Taylor Blythe about this briefly. I could possibly accomplish this by taking a series of images and perfecting them in photoshop and using them to stimulate me in recording/composing music or possibly in some other conjunction with music. Another vague idea I had involved music and how it effects individuals, but I was concerned if that would be related enough to my major. I thought about combining music and art in some way, such as painting with your feet while dancing, but this too I was afraid was not related enough to audio and visual production.

I feel that I should exemplify what I have learned within my major in my capstone. I think this is why when I think about my capstone in general and what I want to do, it overwhelms me. I do not feel that my video skills are as strong as some of my other peers, nor my audio skills, but music greatly inspires me. I am not the best editor, but have the basic knowledge. I want to be as creative as possible so that I possibly obtain a job within the industry. I think the reason it is suggested we spend so much time on the capstone is because 1) there are many things that can potentially change so time is needed to work out issues and 2) this is a project that requires a lot of skill and is thoughtful. Again we are demonstrating what it is we learned during our time here at IUPUI.