This project includes the data collection and stories of both survivors and witnesses of sexual harassment in the film industry who work in behind-the-camera roles. The main piece goes through the data collected by a survey conducted by the author, concerning the amount of people who have been affected, the amount of times it has happened, the amount of people who have witnessed sexual harassment, and finally concludes with how they want others to react. It takes a look into the actual numbers of sexual harassment victims and witnesses and allows a look into just how common it is, even before and after the rise of the #MeToo movement. The second piece gives detailed accounts from people who were brave enough and decided to tell their stories, and this gives them a platform to do just that. These are their actual experiences while working on a film set, though the type of set varies from person-to-person. The author did not add or take away anything from the stories, only redacting the names of people or places who might put others at risk. People from all backgrounds, ethnicities, age, and gender participated in this study with the belief that their stories and responses would remain anonymous as they continue to work in the film industry or working their way there, and that is what was achieved. The two pieces work together to allow people to not only see the statistics, but the real-life experiences people continue to suffer while at the work place just doing their job.

In the Film and Media industries, it seems like it is completely male dominated both on and off the screen. With movements like Me Too and See Her it is important now, more than ever to make a change in the film industry. These movements have been great sparks to create changes in the field which lead to having more representation of women both on and off the screen and in film, tv and media. In my personal experience, when you are a woman on a film set it feels like you can get incredibly overshadowed or if you try to stand up for an idea you could be called bossy. A female mindset on a set, in major positions, seems like it can only be a good thing. Whether that is true or not there have been so few experiences and records of how an all-female set is ran. There is lot of fear that goes into running a set. Many women feel like they cannot handle the environment of a film set because of a certain stigma and stereotype of women in powerful positions. Women, while not always true, can be more understanding when difficult circumstances arise. The gender bias for larger film crews is almost 75 % male, this is a statistic that needs to change soon. It is important to teach the new generation that women in powerful creative roles in film is a normal occurrence and the only way we can get there is being more conscious about who is on our sets.

Historically, television was based on forty years of hitting the “reset” button every week. While jokes can be episodic—such as your standard sitcom—an ongoing narrative must be serialized. Viewers unable to regularly tune-in week-by-week and those joining a serialized show late would often abandon the series, resulting in lowered ratings and potential cancellation. With Netflix’s season-long release model (beginning in 2013 with their original, House of Cards) you can watch the entire season immediately, which challenges whether the customary marketing campaigns appropriately serviced finding new viewers, or if the efforts adversely resulted in lower ratings.
Through the internet, long-established customs in traditional distribution and marketing are quickly becoming obsolete as audience expectations of content delivery are shifting within the digital age. Online distribution and marketing have proven to be viable models for Hollywood and independent filmmakers alike in building, refining, developing and retaining audiences. This paper examines digital distribution platforms (from open-access to streaming), revenue models (VOD “Video-On-Demand), SVOD “Subscription VOD”, AVOD “Advertisement VOD” and TVOD “Transactional VOD”), the digital shift and future of consumption patterns (the rise of mobile viewing and streaming), release models (appointment viewing vs. season-releases), the transition from episodic to serialization, as well as various practices and advancements in digital marketing.
From this study, I detail a marketing and distribution plan for my own project, “Kiss, the Chef” an eight-episode online series. I present potential distribution platforms to host the content, optimal release models for my serialized narrative, phases of revenue models to maximize windows of monetization and methods of digital marketing utilizing interactivity and social media.

"Drama Drama" is an original story idea that I hope to one day develop into a full-length screenplay. For my honors creative project, I wanted to conduct the planning process of writing a full-length screenplay and start to work through the fundamental story problems, character motivations and the story itself. Loosely based off experiences in my own high school theatre troupe, "Drama Drama" tells the story of Josh Simpson, a diehard Thespian, whose only goal is to graduate and go to a New York acting conservatory. Josh counts on nabbing the lead in the school's spring play, using it to spruce up his resume and seal his admittance, however he loses out to Spencer, a first-year actor and otherwise dumb jock. Inspired by campy off-Broadway musical "Ruthless!," Josh accepts a role as stage manager and tries to get to Spencer to drop out. Sabotage doesn't come so easy, however, and in trying to ruin the show, he's forced to confront his future, his friendships and the kind of person he wants to be.

Our lives are full of possibilities but also of self-imposed limitations. For some, finding their purpose in life and their place in the society is instinctive, but for many of us it requires a deliberate search. For the latter, self-discovery is a journey; an intentional path of many turns and twists, ups and downs, some surprises. It requires a person to slow down and assess oneself. What has been so far, what is right there on the surface, what is hidden deep down, and what is it that one strives for? Now, imagine narrowing down that path even more, and try to answer the question: Who am I as an artist?

Since the 1960's, the sport of American football has maintained its stranglehold as the most popular sport in the United States. Both in viewership and participation, football has a massive lead on all other sports, but as of late many factors have led some to believe that trouble could be on the horizon. With various issues including head injuries, player protests, and television viewership decline plaguing football and its professional league, the NFL, the door could be open for another collision sport from across the pond to surge in popularity: rugby. Played in 119 countries by millions of people, rugby is currently one of the most popular sports in the world, but because of American football's dominance in the U.S. it has yet to really find its footing here; however, despite its popularity paling in comparison to football, rugby is actually the single fastest-growing sport in the U.S. Both sports share some strong similarities, and with football facing a myriad of issues, there is real reason to believe that rugby could be on the rise while football could continue to falter. By reading through articles and statistics on the subject, this thesis was divided into four main analysis topics to compare and contrast the two sports: injury problems and how they affect viewership and participation, international following for each respective sport, culture around the games themselves and how it could appeal to American viewers, and potential for growth domestically. By examining these factors within both sports, I was able to come to the conclusion that rugby's potential to take hold in the U.S. is growing, and in the coming years as American football's safety and importance continue to be called into question, rugby could one day even supplant football as the most popular collision sport in the country.

Animation is a medium that is not taken as seriously as live-action television and film. This thesis focuses on the representation of LGBT characters in American animation and attempts to give a rigorous analysis on a medium that should be taken seriously. Analysis is done on the stereotypes and coding from various animated shows, such as South Park, Family Guy, and Steven Universe. The shows are further divided into adult and children's animation, in which the analysis will track how LGBT characters are represented and have progressed in both. The thesis describes how problematic these characters may potentially be and how the images may project certain cultural and social attitudes towards the LGBT community. The thesis also considers the future of queer visibility and representation in other mediums, other than just in broadcast television. It was found that representation begins in the early 90s in adult comedy animation with Big Gay Al in South Park. In adult animation, the focus is usually more on the use of stereotypes and how these stereotypes are used for comedy. These stereotypes are sometimes enforced or subverted, depending on the show. It was also found that in adult animation, there has been a shift towards normalizing queer characters to fit a heteronormative framework. For children's animation, the sexuality of a character is subtler and coded with context clues. Some children and teen shows have decided to reveal the sexuality of certain characters in the last episode of the series. Children's animation also follows a similar trend that adult animation has taken with the normalization of queer characters.

Regardless of religious beliefs, all one has left when they leave this Earth is the meaning the individual has derived from building connections and relationships with other people. I propose whether or not one is able to reach his or her potential and the quality of life that follows is based inherently in the following question: How will you manifest your truth into reality, thus becoming the best at your profession or craft, and spreading your gifts to help the lives of others? The answer to this question, and ultimately the key to leading the best life available is in the equation: vulnerability through playfulness and connection instigates happiness, which results in spreading positivity and facilitating the ability to make fearless decisions that guides one's life as an artist or profession of one's choosing, leading one to their highest potential. This theory applies to everyone and does not discriminate. This is the beginning of a life-long exploration and discovery with these elements as I further my work as an artist, and I will explore these themes from my exposure to the Balinese people and culture, our theatre workshops and experiences there, and through additional inspiration and research. The workshop and clowning in Bali training helped form the theory I have proposed, and further introduced a different approach to acting that I utilize in my own work that incorporates taksu: an achievable state of being that is unanimously understood by the Balinese that influences and shapes how they approach life, work, and each other that I discuss more extensively in my work. I will continue to inquire about how one finds space for imagination and pursuit of taksu without traveling, although traveling is an amazing way to broaden one's scope of perspective. The combination of elements discussed and taksu help create a humanity that is more in touch with inner peace and happiness as a result of spreading both positivity and a positive mindset to others. This in turn, influences and shapes performance and how we approach the craft of acting, while creating emotional truth and integrity within one's craft.

There is a wide range of steps that go into making any film. Pre-production alone can take up to six months on feature-length films. The labor dedicated to bringing the director's vision to life can take over a year on long form projects. From concept to final cut, the process is simultaneously abstract and technical, demanding unique contributions from every member of the team. It is the director's job to make a film as entertaining as it can possibly be. This is done through careful planning put into the pre-production which is carried through to on-set production and post-production. The culmination of this hard work is the final film, but the process of making a film from the director's point of view can be seen through an important document known as the director's notebook. In a director's notebook, the creative process is captured through all the steps that go into making a film. The purpose of this creative project is to show the entire process of writing and directing a short film by documenting each step in a director's notebook to be shared alongside the final film, Shutter's Affection. Shutter's Affection is a narrative piece aiming to dissect the thought processes behind a serial killer. In this short, a photographer named Martin lives a blissful perfect life with his girlfriend, but soon finds his relationship with her isn't like it is in the photos he's captured of other couples going through their day to day activities. The director's notebook of Shutter's Affection documents all the steps of the creative process, from conception to shooting script, storyboard, and beyond.