ASLA 2008 Student Awards

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	This is a twofold communication film demonstrating the use of film to deliver design concept, and, the journey of landscape architecture students through a design process.



	Sequence One: Designer Deficit. Student designers are given a project site in Shoshone, CA and have conducted research on it. Designers are stuck at a roadblock when they grew discouraged with the limitations of virtual resources they have opted to visit the site first-hand. Scene begins with quote: "Without continuous hands-on experience, it is impossible for children to acquire a deep intuitive understanding of the natural world that is the foundation of sustainable development..." This quote foreshadows the concept for the program of the design.



	Sequence Two: Introduction to the real Shoshone. Designers experience the site first hand. A medley of voices from the townspeople, specifically those connected to the high school; students, a parent, a teacher, a principal. Interviewees give their opinions on student and nature interaction. The scene also serves as a glimpse of the rich character of the small town.



	Sequence Three: The relationship of father, sons, and nature. A father expresses his desire for his son to understand the processes of nature. "The discovery of nature builds independence and provokes inquisitiveness. The connection to nature also fosters a deeper respect for all living things."

COMMUNICATIONS HONOR AWARD

Shoshone, CA
Joshua Llaneza, Student ASLA, Courtney Embrey, Student ASLA and Matthew Kizu, Student ASLA
California State Polytechnic University Pomona, Pomona, California
Faculty Advisors: Joan H. Woodward, FASLA; Andrew Wilcox


	"A very professional film that actually tells a story—a new media for landscape architecture. The sound editing was excellent, bringing in the ambience of the landscape, the narrator was articulate and interesting, and the music was great." — 2008 Student Awards Jury Comments

Project Statement:

This is a two fold communication film demonstrating the use of film to deliver design concept, and, the journey of landscape architecture students through a design process.

Project Narrative:

Intended purpose: This is a two fold communication film demonstrating the use of film to deliver design concept, and, the journey of landscape architecture students through a design process.

Intended Audience: Design students

Research and Analysis: The first phase of our assignment we mapped out the ecological patterns of our specific site. We overlaid gathered data on base maps of the site.

Group formulation and discussion: Within the completion of research and analysis, a trend in similarities of data and observation showed among our classmates. To strengthen the approach to this design it was decided that a group effort would be involved. We formulated a group of three and begun our design process in the form of discussion and brainstorming.

Narration and storyboard: The narration was developed to set up the story line of our documentary, and hit key points that would otherwise not be revealed but supported by animation and footage. The purpose of the storyboard was schematic organization of production and clarity.

Cinematography: The firm was based on the actual project site in Shoshone, California. We gathered equipment and camped out for one night to conduct interviews with Jim Copeland, superintendent of Death Valley Unified, Thom Love, Science teacher, Love’s class, and David Washum, local café owner and parent. We chose these particular interviewees because each encompassed a particular role in Shoshone that would further support our intended purpose. Meanwhile, we captured footage and still shots of the surrounding natural environment, and ordinary conducts of daily life in the small town of Shoshone.
Many supporting shots outside of Shoshone were conducted at our university studio facilities using actress, Jennifer Rueda, and posing her in reenactment of our original procedure of research and analysis in the first phase.

Editing: 10 Hours of potential footage was complied into separate electronic files, viewed, summarized, and footnoted to organize each large file. 10 To 15 minutes of a variety of material was selected by group decision to make the final cut. Raw footage, recorded narration, sound bites, animation, and music scores, were imported into an Adobe Premiere file and engineered and refined to create all the sequences.

Presentation: The final product is a 15 minute length film that articulates design processes and design solutions with the use of tone-setting audio, voiceover narration, stated footage, non-staged events captured, interviews, and moving imagery. Details and storyboard of the completed film project are presented in the following image based pages.



	Sequence Four: Mr. Love's Class A teacher takes advantage of a small class and a small school with little bureaucracy, and brings the students to the outdoors. The high school students are assigned as class participation to construct and repair a nature trail behind the school.



	Sequence Five: The design for outdoor instruction. The design serves as a vehicle to enable the students to explore the infinite mystery of the outdoors. The design is also an opportunity to study the various ecologies of the desert region. It will give students the change to learn by doing, and go out and find the answers for themselves. The students will form the land and in accord, the land will form the students.



	Sequence Five: Continued.



	Sequence Five: Continued.



	Sequence Six: The student and the land, the designer and the land. How can we ask our children to save the environment when they don't teach them understanding? Likewise, how can you ask designers to be stewards of the land when we don't even know the land? We can continue to take in the mysteries of nature as adults, just as we encourage it to our children.