Capstone reflection
Course: SUST 4500 : Sustainability Capstone
For my capstone project, my group and I were able to create a short student documentary focusing on Micro-plastics. At the start of the semester my team members, Emerson Klump, Ava Stringfield, and Ava Hiller, and I set out to try to gather professionals that could give us insight on the research, field work, community engagement, and environmental effects concerning microplastics. We knew the information we wanted to find, we just had to find the right field specific professionals to help share their knowledge and help us communicate our vision for the film.
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In order to do this, we got in touch with Dodie Sanders, a marine educatpr at the UGA Marine Extension. She has done extensive field work and research with MAREX and helps lead education programs and clean ups for students and community organizations. Sanders served as our main contact throughout the semester, helping us critique our film plan and get connected with other professionals. We divided the documentary into six main interview sections, layered with b roll footage supporting what each interviewer spoke of. For this information we would need to travel to the Georgia coast to film some of these interviews.
The first interview was Herbert Mciver, a shrimper at the UGA Marine Extension in Brunswick. He showed us how they use old shrimp nets that can no longer be used on their boats to create trash bags that Sanders redistributes to local beach goers and organized clean ups. This program is called trash to trawl and was made to help the local clean up effort and bring awareness to trash distribution and consumption. Second, we interviewed Dodie Sanders and George webster, a citizen scientist, at the UGA Marine Extension on Skidaway island. Here they were able to take us out on the skiff to show us how they test water samples for microplastics and send them off to the lab. In their interviews they were able to provide information on how they see microplastics effecting the environment and how they try to educate community members to live more sustainably. Third, we interviewed Dr. Jay Brandes, the scientist that takes those water samples that Sanders collects and tests them to see what particles are actually microplastics and classify them. Brandes provided the more technical and scientific background the support our documentary.
Moving down the coast, we got to Jekyll Island, where we met with Nicki Thomas who works at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. She explained the various causes of marine debris and how they effect sea turtles. She shared with us the story of specific injured sea turtles that came into the Sea Turtle Center’s care and tragically lost their lives to the marine debris that has built up in their bodies. From there we traveled back to Athens were we met with the next interviewee, Kevin Kirsche the director of Sustainability at UGA. He took us to the Athens Trash Trap and explained how plastics can travel from Athens all the way to the Ocean. The trash trap serves to prevent some of this trash from entering our oceans. Lastly, we met with Taylor Maddeline a PHD student at UGA that told stories of her field work across the globe in waste management and shared how she helped develop a marine debris tracker app.
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After having having spoken to these professionals and collecting our data, it was finally time to begin the editing process. Ava and I were able to take lead on the filming process and use our background in photography to create dynamic shots that would layer well. From there Aisha Iyengar Emerson was able to piece together our clips to create a smooth and sequenced film. This layered with some informational graphics that we created and background music the film started to look cohesive. After a few peer reviews, Dodie’s notes, and extra b roll footage we needed to take, our documentary was finished.
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Each of my team members had some background of photography or editing, yet none of us had ever created a full film. I can happily say that we each are very proud of the work that we have created and were eager share the documentary. Reflectively, the film development process has taught me a few lessons along the way. First, Advocacy, Through speaking with different project partners, we learned how to develop an educational platform in the form of a film in order to share these professionals' experience and research. Second, Communication. Working with Dodie, our project partner we were able to get in touch with educators all over Georgia. From citizen scientists, to Professors, to PHD students learning from these people to better better understand microplastics in hopes to take some of their knowledge and make it easily accessible and digestible in our documentary. Along that, I also learned how important communication has been in our group setting. Lastly, film development, it was a true learning process
combining the various skills between the four of us. We compiled all of our collective knowledge to develop new skills in storytelling, editing techniques, graphic design, sound mixing, coloring, and more. I am excited to be able to use my new found skills in the development and creation of new sustainability related projects. I hope through our advocacy we bring awareness and inspire positive change in elimination of plastic use.
