30A – Final Reflection

"Cancer can take my arm but it will not take my spirits"

If I was not forced to write more, I wouldn't. This quote says it all.

This semester was tough. In trying to create a short film rather than a video, I need to film patients many times, not just once. That's what I plan to do. So even though I got only to film patients briefly, it was great to expand and develop some roots.

I feel great doing this work, it is challenging but fulfilling. Cannot wait to finish this semester and focus on it full time, finally. No pediatric patient at Shands will die without me telling their story, that I can assure you.

This week I filmed an event called "campfire", in which our entire group gather at a farm to celebrate the lives of patients who died and to honor the volunteers who are leaving UF for bigger and better endeavors. I was very sick and could not do much, but it was great to be present. In this screenshot, you see one of the many speeches we had, where Dante (in the middle) talked about how our group is awesome and how seeing patients have helped him become a better person. Just so inspiring.

It was the first time that I filmed under very low light. The noise is there and the quality is not great, but the composition came out looking great. I put light on the tractor behind, which brought some green to the shot, contrasting with the red from the fire. I also put light on the background, which brought up some depth by showing the trees in the back. The fire looks crispy in 4k, but the subjects look washed out. 

The result is acceptable but it will look much better next time :)