Reflection #5

I am officially stressing out! the date for this project is getting closer and closer and I still have not made a move on how to create the video. I tried to check if my dad had the special programs for it because apparently for good quality you need a lot of extra things. Unfortunately my dad did not have the program and neither did my uncle, so I am back to not knowing how I am going to finish my product. I guess the process is also acceptable, meaning I don't necessarily have to finish the product but I would really like to because it only makes it more difficult on explaining the product. The reality about it though, is that I might not be able to make the product and I am going to stick to the process. Knowing that my process will have to go into complete depth since I am not able to make the product for the kids, which was my whole purpose for this whole thing.

Reflection #4

I am very excited about making my personal short clip, however I did not think twice about my product. I have no idea how I will be creating it, I know nothing about animation films or how they are put together! I had an Idea of how I could possibly do it, I used this method for an assignment I had in Spanish. I draw the pictures on a paper and take a picture of every one of them and put them together kind of like a slide show. For Spanish I previously used snap chat just because I am able to make the videos faster and more cartoony. The problem is that I recall from that video that the quality is not so great and that is something that kept bothering me. If I am going to make a short animation skill, I want to have good quality. Not necessarily make it look perfect like Disney's are but I want it to look good, senior project material.

Reflection #3

As said before, I am still focusing on telling children about Alzheimer's, I have not gotten bored of the topic because it relates to me so much. The idea of considering a children's book is definitely out of here. I was watching a lot of Disney films and I am inspired. I specifically watched Moana, it was not the movie specifically that inspired me, it was the short clips they showed before! The clip they showed to sum up was about taking a break on what you normally do and every now and then follow your heart. The way this video showed this idea was so basic, it is crazy! It literally looked like a kid drew it but every detail was so correct, the feelings, it was all well thought out. That is what I'm looking forward to as my product, a basic short clip that hits hard.

Reflection #2

I originally came up with the idea of creating a children's book on how to address Alzheimer's, however that does not sound so appealing to me anymore. I have noticed that I usually make children's books, in example are the creative pieces we have created in our English class, most of them that is all they have been. I guess it just gets boring doing the same thing, especially when it is a senior project, I have always imagined something totally big and dramatic for my senior project and that is what I'm looking forward to. I have been observing a lot of Disney movies and the way they explain things to children seems so easy and basic for them, it is like if they got a whole big cookie and threw and broke it into what each idea is. Perhaps after watching more of these I will have some sort of idea on how I want to arrange this.

Reflection #1

This Senior project has been confusing me because I wasn't quite sure on what to focus on more, the project or the product. A variety of ideas have passed my mind, I know for sure I want to make it about Alzheimer's. I don't want to just inform people about it, I feel like people know the basics of it, however I feel like children do not. Children are always set to the side and the last to find out about serious topics, it may seem like they aren't ready but perhaps they are, they probably just need it to be addressed to them correctly. So I will be focusing on how to address children about Alzheimer's disease. How will I do this? I have no idea, children usually learn by reading children books, so ill probably stick to something like that. I'm not too sure what I'm going to do yet.

                           My project is going to be about Alzheimer's disease hitting a loved one or someone close to you but most importantly, being able to explain this to children. Some ideas I speculated was to make a children's book or recording children as I asked them their opinion in Alzheimer's, however none of these ideas seem to give the kids the full acknowledgement of what exactly Alzheimer's is and the "how to's" about it. I want for the kids to completely captivate the full comprehension on the disease and coping with it. So I came up with the idea of creating a short animation clip with a story line on how the child's grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and the child being able to deal with it, without excluding the grandmother because of her disease. This idea was inspired by Disney, when they make their short animation films addressing a bigger purpose allowing te children to better understand it because the ideas are more broken down into cartoons and a simple short story. The idea relates to my life because i was in the position of not understanding how my great grandmother's disease worked, I would be afraid of acting normal because I thought it would affect her, which wasn't the case at all. They need love and support at all moments.
                         What I'm really enjoying overall about the project besides completing it, is the fact that I am able to spend more time with my Great Grandmother and understanding her disease in the process. The biggest success about the project after spending so much time with someone who is diagnosed you start to realize that even though they are losing their memory, they are closer to you than they have ever been before; and that's how the children will come to understand this disease.  I can say that one of the biggest hurdles I had to overcome during the resaearch was time management and getting myself to understand Alzheimer's, this disease isn't easy, I found it intimating to spend time with my great grandmother and that's not what I want children to feel, I don't want them feeling like they are going to say or do something wrong when you just want to be there for them. Configuring how to break this down to children was also the complicated part.
                        I went through many times of readjusting my project on a grand scale. There was a lot of instances where I completely wanted to switch the project  into someonthing else or another topic. Not only was it hard to figure out how to formulate a plan to a child's perspective, it was the fact that I wanted to make an animation video like Disney did. I have never been an expert with technology, especially making videos and that's where I freaked out, how am I going to put all this information on a video I can't even make? I would ask my parents with help with this and they didn't know how to compile a video how I wanted. One of the ways was to draw the animation and take multiple pictures putting them all together to make a movie, which complicated the whole thing even more. However, I stuck with it because this project means a lot, I feel like I'm dedicating something to my great grandmother.
                      The weaknesses found in my project is my explanation on  such a delicate topic to children, I didn't want it to sound dry and careless where they are shocked. The biggest weakness right now is that I don't have my animation video still and I don't think I will because I did not plan accordingly to make it. Since I'm no longer relying on the video to be my success on addressing this disease I'm relying on what is the process, which is me informing cholsren how I worked on how I would explain Alzheimer's to them which sounds crazy, but I'll make I work. The most important thing I learned besides Alzheimer's is how important family is at all times and to never exclude them, because if family is true you will always be there no matter how difficult the situation gets.
                       If I were assigned this project again I would change my topic from Alzheimer's disease  to the importance of family. My goal for the new topic would be to always put your family first under every circumstance. The advice I give to the upcoming seniors doing this project is to be really sure of what topic you want to choose and that you are well informed about it! And also to have a product figured out because it'll make the goal more valuable.

Interview Videos

Grandmother Alba Hawley:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=CAiKFmuytiY



Uncle Baldemar Peralta:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=jd9TyFl4pmw





Grandfather Eli Hawley:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=B7xO5rozW1g

Elevator Pitch

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=e0sLGsEpSFk

Interview Questions and Reflection

1. What is your definition of Alzheimer's?

2. What do you believe the causes of Alzheimer's are?

3. At what age do you believe Alzheimer's occurs?

4. What are the symptoms of Alzheimer's?

5. Do you believe certain races attain Alzheimer's more than others?

6. What is the treatment for Alzheimer's?

7. What was mama Tona's follow up? (great grandmother)

8. How did you feel after finding out that mama Tona was diagnosed with Alzheimer's?

9. What did you do to cope and me patient?

10. How do you think we can address this to children?

Interview Reflection:
The interview definitely was a success, each question was answered with the information I needed. I picked these questions because it specified on the disease, meaning it went into detail of each person' perspective on it, their own meaning on it. I loved that they shared on the spot feelings because they are going through this and it's difficult to have a grandmother that has raised everyone and was full of energy to one who can barley speak. The family members in the interview is Baldemar Peralta ( uncle), Alba Hawley ( grandmother), and Eli Hawley ( Grandfather). Each one of them have helped me formulate this project to a  better understanding for myself and how I can distribute this information.