Overview:

For my final project, I decided to pick a sports-related topic since that is what I am most passionate about. I immediately thought of my new teammate, Ashton Whitman, who has recently transferred to IWU from Taylor. Anyone at IWU knows that Taylor is our rival school in just about everything since they are so close in proximity to our campus. That’s what made this transfer story so intriguing to not only myself but others around campus, others on different athletic teams, and others from her Taylor.

Story Arc:

Regarding my project and how it follows the story arc we have been studying all semester, I originally wanted it to go on the path of the actual transfer process during this past summer. The story arc I turned in before filming was a reflection of this thought process. After filming and interviewing Ashton, I realized it was more interesting to talk about the actual transition itself from Taylor to IWU. Reflecting on my final video production, the story arc now goes as follows. The ordinary world is Ashton reaching out to coaches and programs across the country, looking for a Graduate Assistant position. The inciting incident is a coach from Kansas calling Coach Babs to ask about Ashton. The test, allies, and enemies would be Coach Babs, now knowing Ashton is looking for a GA position, and he has now reached out to her about the whole situation. The inmost cave is Ashton getting many offers from programs but ultimately picking IWU and deciding she actually did want to use her final year of eligibility to play for the Wildcats. The seizing the sword and resolution is her finishing out her career at IWU and then being the GA next season as she finishes her two-year master’s program.

Media:

For this project, the media elements I chose to use were videos (b-roll) of Ashton at a softball practice at IWU, a video and audio of an interview with Ashton, and text; all of this combined into a video describing and outlining her story and transfer path. I felt like the voiceovers covering the b-roll from practice were such a good way to show the passion Ashton has for softball that ultimately drew her back to use her final year and continue to be involved in the game as a coach.

Conclusion:

After finishing this project and getting to spend time with Ashton, I was very eye-opened to her story. She tends to keep her Taylor life to herself and not address that part of her life around her new teammates. Originally when our coach had told us she was transferring in, I was upset because we played the same position, and I knew how good she was. Now, Ashton is one of my best friends, and I couldn’t imagine my life without her, so just getting to share her very unique story is something I will value. I enjoyed using my knowledge of video, audio, and all media aspects to create such an important life story of Ashton.