Spence1

Amanda Spence
Professor Wertz-Orbaugh
UWRT 1103
18 April 2016

Documentary Reflection
Reflecting on digital storytelling
To produce our Holocaust documentary my group reserved a room in the library
for each class day, selected a topic, divided the roles between our members, set deadlines
for each section of the project, drew our storyboard and researched revolts and resistance
during the Holocaust. We strategically planned out each day we had been given to work
on our video in class. We set aside the first class to draw our storyboard, the second and
third class for research and the fourth class to put it all together. We worked as a team and
collected information, pictures, music and a video clip from a survivor. I have never
created a documentary before but I have had other video projects in high school and
college where I have produced a video with a few of my classmates.
While working on this piece we used our laptops, Youtube, Quicktime, Google, a
movie software, each other and websites for pictures. All of these resources were equally
effective. It was beneficial dividing the roles and each working on a different piece of the
project. This allowed us to stay on task during our workdays and finish our video ahead
of schedule. I would use all of these resources again on another video project because

each resource contributed to a different section of our project. We would not have been
able to put together our video without using technology and each other. Our video would
have lacked pictures and information without Google and websites about revolts and
resistance during the Holocaust. We relied on each others strengths to effectively
collaborate and put this assignment together.
Reflecting on technology
While creating this documentary I was reminded that technology is very
complicated and requires a lot of patience. It is not as simple and straightforward as it
may seem from the onset. I learned that digital composing requires structured planning
and implementation to create a unique product. I was good at finding pictures for the
project and recording the narration for my our video. I need to improve my video
production skills. Luckily, that was Zacs task as the editor to put everything together. I
would not have been the right person for that job. We encountered the problem of having
too much information in the beginning and exceeding the ten minute maximum. We also
had a difficult time finding sad music that had not been used in the sample videos that
were shown in class. We solved these problems by cutting out a few topics and discarding
the information. We narrowed our research down even further than we had originally
planned on doing. To solve our music problem we spent a half an hour or more looking
for sad music. The last problem we encountered was having one of our members get sick,
which meant that we had to switch narrators.
Reflecting on your learning
Going into this assignment I had little no knowledge about the revolts and
resistance during the Holocaust. This documentary exposed me to the horrors

experienced by those in the camps and the ghettos. It also gave me a better understanding
of the hardship endured on a daily basis during the Holocaust. I now understand how
painful the memories from that time must have been. Everyday was a struggle for
survival and freedom.
Creating a documentary is similar to writing because tell a story in both of these
mediums. Both require a substantial amount of research and thought before a final
product can be put together. Alphabetic writing on paper and digital composing both
foster brainstorming, collaboration, creativity, encouragement, teamwork, exposure to
new information, presenting a topic to an audience and expressing your thoughts. If asked
to collaborate on a group paper our product would have been less effective and less
creative. It is hard doing group papers since everyone has different writing styles. It is
also harder to ensure that everyone does an equal amount of work on a group paper.
Some people slack off and one or two group members ends up writing the bulk of the
paper. Most people do not enjoy writing or struggle with it so it is challenging to get
people excited about writing a paper. Creating a video as a group allows for more
freedom and creativity. Videos are more interesting to put together and are better for a
group setting. An audience is more willing pay attention to a documentary than a long
paper.
A lot of times, documentaries can be more effective at communicating a message
to an audience and do a better job of engaging every group member. A documentary is
also more visually appealing than a long paper. The documentary painted a tangible
picture of what it was like to experience the Holocaust. The most satisfying thing was
seeing the end result after we had invested a week in a half into the production of our

video. It was rewarding to see what hard work and excellent time management can
produce. My goals did not change throughout the process. From the beginning my goals
were to equally divide the workload, make the most of the class time we had been given,
finish ahead of time and produce a unique documentary. My group successfully met all of
those goals. I noticed that everyone was willing to cooperate and perform to the best of
their abilities. If one member was having a tough day everyone else was very
encouraging and willing to help in any way necessary. I also realized that I became more
patient and laidback throughout the project. In the beginning I was a little on edge
because of negative experience with past group projects. I wanted to make sure that no
one slacked off and that everyone contributed to the group effort. As time went on I grew
to appreciate the strengths of my teammates and their motivation to finish our
documentary relatively fast.
Reflecting on the final product: your documentary
My favorite parts my groups documentary was the intro and the slides on the
individual camps. I liked that the intro gave a summary of the Holocaust for those who
may have been unfamiliar with it. I also liked the slides on the individual camps because
it was helpful to compare and contrast the differences between the camps and the ghettos.
My least favorite part of the documentary was the clip from the survivor of one of a
resistance movement. I did not like the clip because the quality was not very good and it
was hard to hear what the lady was saying. The most frustrating thing about this piece
was the amount of time it took to actually put everything together and ensure that the
music lined up with the narration, words and pictures.

Yes, this work met my standards because my group successfully united to produce
this documentary. For not having much experience with video software I would say we
did a very good job. We bonded throughout the process and worked to the best of our
abilities. No one was lazy during the process. I was proud of the fact that everyone
stepped up their game in order to create the best possible video. My expectations were
exceeded as my team members worked harder than I had originally guessed they would
have. It was neat to be apart of a team where each person was driven and focused. Our
documentary met the goals of the assignment by being ten minutes long, covering a
subtopic of the Holocaust, providing a visual for the audience to connect with the
narration and by including every member in the effort.