My capstone is a 13 minute video about the class of 2022’s high school experiences. This includes interviews of students and videos students took throughout high school. The project is meant to give incoming high schoolers an idea of what their high school experience may be like and to allow current seniors to reflect. Although my final product is not what I had previously thought it would be, and there were a lot of scheduling issues and filming mistakes that I would change if I could, I am proud of what I created.

As a kid, I was fortunate enough to grow up with theatre. Because of this, I wanted to do a project that could help spread a former passion of mine. I decided to make a documentary on the theatre program at Overbrook Educational Center (OEC). OEC is an elementary/ middle school located in West Philadelphia. With their recently developed theatre program, I wanted to explore its effects on the youth that participated. Since March, I’ve been going to their rehearsals 2-3 times a week, documenting their production of High School Musical. The more I attended rehearsals, the more I fell in love with the stories I could tell about their experiences. I learned very quickly how theatre improved the characteristics of many of the participants. Some people grew more confident and others found a voice they didn’t know they had. With all of that in mind, I realized that making a documentary solely for this senior project wasn’t enough. Even after I am finished with my senior year, I will continue to produce the project as a full-length documentary. Every member of the cast deserves to have their voices heard about something they care about.

The video I prepared as my capstone is a reflection of my time thus far with them. It recaps what I learned and what I’m excited about in the future. It features interviews with a few of the cast members and ample observational footage. I hope you enjoy!

Annotated Bibliography

Some Extra Pictures!

Documentary Film Treatment