First of all, I’d like to thank Alina, my instructor, for giving me the opportunity to explore my interest and passion in this class. Instead of looking into a local issue like what I did in Gateway, I was able to talk to two great pianists in our music school and share their stories via my multimedia story.

It’s been a while since I interviewed and filmed subjects. I’m lucky to have met LiLi who is really experienced in filming and production. She has helped me a lot in different ways. I’m so fortunate that I have contacted and interviewed Priscilla Dantas and Nattapol Tantikarn. I find them both interesting because both subjects are international students who came all the way from another continent to pursue their dreams and passions. Priscilla was honored to play with the Symphonic Orchestra of Recife and Nattapol has won a few UO piano competitions and has recently performed at his Doctoral Recital. Both of their dreams is to becoming an international concert pianist and they are both working hard to strive for what they want. As a pianist (or I’d say – a girl who has played piano for more than 15 years), I respect the two of them because I know being in the music career is not an easy route. Through the conversations I had with Priscilla and Nattapol, I can see their enthusiasm and passion.

I am really grateful for both of my sources because they have great stories to tell. Even though they have a busy schedules and it took them a while to reply to my requests/emails, they were able to sacrifice their practicing period (they practice piano for up to 5 hours a day!) and let me interview them. I really enjoyed interviewing them and editing the video because every time when I watch those clips, I feel their passion. I love to watch them playing the piano and immersing themselves in their music.

Overall, I’m really satisfied that my subjects have great personal stories and have showed their excitement and passion for music and piano. I hope I could have more time to work on my project and can spend more time with the subjects to create a short documentary of their music career. I think this story can really inspire people who also have the same dream and passion. I think I could have put in a few of their old (childhood) pictures that could resonate with what they were saying in the interview. At first, I thought by showing more of the clips of the interview, the audience can see the subjects’ excitement through their facial expressions and gestures. But I guess some audiences might not be able to relate with the interviewees, so I think I could add in some visual images. I also wish that I could learn how to use the three-point lighting equipment so I could produce a better quality video for my multimedia story.

Photo Gallery:

Priscilla Dantas and Nattapol Tantikarn came all the way from Brazil and Thailand respectively to Eugene to attend the School of Music and Dance at the University of Oregon. Both Priscilla and Nattapol are talented piano performers who aspire to be international concert pianists. Their passion of music has motivated them throughout the years. I hope this video can inspire people who has the piano passion too!

The short film “Follow My Steps,” by Andrew Hida, describes the friendship of two young men whose physical disabilities have brought them together. 13-year-old Andrew Cunningham was born with a form of muscular dystrophy. The film shows Andrew’s daily life and his reliance on his father, Tom. While Andrew’s parents were worrying about their son’s disease and condition, Andrew met his 20-year-old mentor, brother, best friend, Tony Reuter, through Power Soccer.

Tony, like Andrew, is also going through the same situation due to his brittle bone disease. He can break his bone easily and have already broken more than 30 bones. Both Tony and Andrew have difficult childhoods due to their inborn disabilities. As a mentor, Tony knows it is tough to be different. He guides Andrew to find his way out and he inspires Andrew. Unlike Andrew, the film shows Tony’s independent life. “I want to be like every other kid and that’s probably the hardest thing I had to deal with,” Tony explains. He learns to overcome his physical challenges and to be strong. He goes to bed himself, he drives, and got a diploma from college like everyone else.

One thing I noticed from the film is that Andrew’s father and Andrew have normal conversations like any fathers would have asked their sons if they are nervous about their exams before sending them to school. Yet, during the same time, the visuals (and the background music) sadden the mood when showing his father helping Andrew to get ready for school. Andrew is mentally fine and does well in school, yet as his mother believes that “Andrew still hasn’t outgrown his infant stage,” he depends heavily on his father.

The title of the documentary and the still with Andrew sitting on a chair drew my attention. The film is saddening but it is also touching and inspiring. It shows the process and the struggles for both young men trying to overcome their growing challenges and uncertain futures. Visuals and the narratives are really important in this film. Different narratives have shown different perspectives. As Andrew’s mother has said, “it’s a different life in a normal family,” everyone in the film knows the fact and they are dealing with it differently. The film also shows the machines and complicated medical equipment that Andrew needs to use. This adds to the elements of the ‘unordinary life’ in a normal family. I think even though Andrew’s parents worry a lot about Andrew, Andrew is somewhat a mature kid and he accepts the fact that he was born with a genetic disease. When Andrew is hanging out with Tony, Andrew is able to be normal and be who he is. They understand each other and can help each other through their everyday life. Andrew treats Tony as a role model and is trying to follow Tony’s steps.

“Shoot for your goal. But if you’ve missed, you’ll still get pretty far and do a lot of things. You won’t if you don’t try.” That is what I have learned from Andrew Cunningham.

“Follow My Steps” has won the 2^nd place of National Press Photographers Association (NPPA)’s Best of Photojournalism 2013 under the Documentary Multimedia Story category. Andrew Hida is a freelance producer and multimedia storyteller.

Native Oregonian, Dog Lover, and a Tech Enthusiast 

Meet Andrew Poecker. Andrew is a native Oregonian who goes to the University of Oregon. He was born on Leap Day 22 years ago in Salem, Oregon. He then moved to Sublimity, a small town close to Salem when he was a year and a half.

Andrew is a dog lover, he has owned 3 dogs in his life. He thinks dogs are a great companion and they are always there for him when he needs someone to play with. It was Andrew’s fondest memory during his childhood period when he received his first dog, Woody, in second grade. Woody was a cocker spaniel/golden retriever mix. He always let Andrew dress him up and took funny pictures of him. Andrew also brought his little companion to school a few times and he loved the attention and love. It was absolutely traumatic when Woody died at 14, Andrew felt so heartbroken because Woody was his first dog and had him for eight years. He now owns an amazing long hair black chihuahua/sheltie mix, Misty. Misty is the most loving dog Andrew has ever had!

Andrew is also a computer-tech person. He is interested in design and obsessed with everything related to the computer and technology. He loves computers so much because he has been using one since he was 3. He loves troubleshooting and problem solving. He was an editor and manager for his high school newspaper. That was why he chose to major in Advertising and have two minors in Digital Arts and Computer and Information Technology. Andrew also worked for Oregon Daily Emerald as a designer when he was a freshman at the University of Oregon. He always got an outstanding award for his design works at Emerald. 

Andrew is also a major TV series fan. “I love watching TV so much because it is a great way for me to relax and I like the story lines that a lot of TV shows have to offer. You never know what is going to happen next!” says Andrew. His most recent favorite show is The Big Bang Theory, a sitcom centered on a gang of geeky and socially awkward characters. He explains, “I was always being looked down as a nerdy person, and I have appreciation for the show because it kind of makes fun of the ‘regular’ people.” 

Even though Andrew’s stayed in Oregon for his whole life, he has traveled to different places across nation- Washington D.C., Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and New Mexico. His most exciting trip was to D.C. when he was 15 years old. As an only child, Andrew was super thrilled visiting his cousins, and touring around the White House, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Lincoln Memorial, and other historical places. He enjoyed spending time with his cousins and paddling a boat on the private lake named Champion Lake in Herndon, Virginia. Even though it was 106˚and there were a lot of bugs and insects around the lake, Andrew was really happy enjoying his family reunion during summer vacation .

Other than traveling to different states, Andrew has traveled out of the country once for a day. He traveled to Canada to visit the Glacier National Park in August of 2008. It was his most recent memorable vacation. Even though it was just for a day, Andrew enjoyed the breathtaking glacial scenery. It was an amazing trip for Andrew because he got to see so many new places and so much wild life, he was super excited when he saw bears and mountain goats.

For more information on Andrew, check out his portfolio website here.

Hi, I’m Nicole and I am a music lover and an instrumental music enthusiast. I used to attend concerts every now and then and I love to watch the performances of amazing and talented musicians on Youtube. Check out this inspiring musical group, PianoGuys.

That IS REALLY the Great Wall of China. The musical group’s goal was to film in front of all Seven Wonders of the World. This was their first stop, they also performed in front of the Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. Isn’t that amazing?

Now, after watching that awesome performance with the breathtaking view, let me give you a short introduction of various musical instruments.Musical instruments can be classified into four families: brass, percussion, strings, and woodwinds, according to their construction, tone quality and pitch range.  The earliest musical instruments were constructed with wood and metal. Instruments were then developed by different generations and cultures.

Here are some images that show the name and the image of the instruments:

In 2009, scientists have found a 42,000 year-old Aurignacian vulture-bone flute in the Hohle Fels Cave in Germany. It was believed to be the oldest-known musical instrument in the world.

Lastly, piano was invented by a Italian mechanical genius, Bartolomeo Cristofori, in the early 1700s. He created this keyboard instrument that worked by pushing a key, the mechanism inside makes a hammer go up or forward to strike the strings. For more of the story behind the evolution of piano, read The “Why of the Piano by Dr. William Leland.

You might ask: why don’t I see a piano in any of the families? Piano can be argued as a Percussion because we play the piano by striking the keys. There are also an ongoing debate that piano belongs to a String because there are strings inside the piano. What do you think? A string or a percussion instrument? Or a hybrid?

Over the term, I am hoping to explore and talk to a number of instrumental musicians at the University of Oregon or in local Eugene. Students and musicians like Priscilla Dantas are talented and are genuinely passionate about music. Dantas is a Brazilian pianist and a student in the School of Music and Dance, who performed during the Oregon Coast Music Festival, described music is a way for her to express herself without any words. She originally grew up in several slums in Brazil where there were high crime rate and drug activity. She did not give up on music, and now, she has even performed with the Symphonic Orchestra of Recife. I would love to hear personal stories from different musicians.