Process Reflection on the AV Short

My AV Short is essentially about contradicting the stereotypes of what makes a sorority woman, what being in a sorority is all about, and generally enlightening viewer on the reality of something they think they know all about. This piece came into being because it was the first thing I could think of that I had tons of material for, and something I could criticize and inform on at the same time. I wanted viewers of this video to be able to address their views on what a sorority is all about, and then to contradict everything they've ever thought they know about sorority life. I wanted to show my viewers that just because they think they know all about something, doesn't mean they actually know anything about that thing. There's a beautiful saying that we throw around a lot in Greek life, and I think that this is the only real way I can describe the point of my AV Short, "From the outside looking in, you can never understand it. From the inside looking out, you can never explain it." This statement I have seen prove itself true time and time again, and I wanted to attempt to explain an integral part of my life to someone who is an outsider looking in.

The writing for this piece was similar to most writing I do, because I had to draft the words I wanted to put inside the piece. I had to sit down and think about the things that I wanted to convey in my 3 minutes, and how I wanted to word them to my audience. I probably drafted what text I wanted displayed on the screen two or three times before I came to the final product, and even then, I think that I would go back and change somethings if I could. This piece was different to draft in that I have never had to break up my piece of writing, put it to music and photo, and place it in the most effective place within the photo stream and the flow of the song. That was an honest challenge for me, although I quite enjoyed the challenge.

I think that the biggest thing composing this video has taught me is that I can't take any piece of information at base value. I need to see beyond what I think I see and find deeper meaning in things before I make judgement on them. I think that this piece taught me that it is particularly important to know that you don't know, recognize it, and allow a piece of reading or writing to change your views on something you thought you knew something about. This project also kept me on my toes, in that with every small change that I made--photographically, musically, or textually--I had to change multiple other things as a result. This project definitely showed me that it is important to recognize the impact of everything we put into a finished product.