Ollywood: The Shawshank Redemption Analysis

This action project was done for my elective course: Ollywood. Throughout this course, we studied what goes into pre-production, production, and post-production when creating a film. We also looked at the different meanings within film. The curriculum involved discussion, critiquing, and analyzing films and movies from different perspectives. My overall experience in the class was extremely helpful. I learned more about the movie-making industry than I ever thought I would.  During each unit of production, we learned the entire process that goes into creating that part of the film. We were taught all the roles that were involved in the making of the film, as well as types of camera work and editing. For pre-production, we learned about the people who do all of the preparation for the film, such as location scouts, and then did some activities ourselves. For production, we were assigned to make our own nanomovies, which helped me realize how time-consuming the filming process itself can be. For post-production, we learned all different types of editing techniques. For one of our FEs, we talking with our teacher's father, Ron Mix, who's an oscar winning nominee filmmaker. It was really insightful getting the chance to ask him our questions. On our other FE, our class went to the MorningStar building in Chicago, and got to see all the cameras and equipment they use for their production. This action project, I think, really helped us understand the process of actually going through pre-production, production, and post-production. It certainly helped me gain some insight on what it's like to produce a film, and I thought it was a great way to sum up all the units.

Investments for the Future

In Unit 2 for my Senior course, Economics: Risking Value, we went over the topic of wealth. Accumulation and distribution were two main points we focused on. We also studied different types of economic markets and systems while investigation the classification systems of wealth in our society. We learned how to add, multiply, and use different types of functions with matrices. For one of our field experiences, we went to see Sara Samuels, a financial advisor. There, we all asked questions about her profession and what it’s like to be in the business. Overall, I thought it was a fun and informative experience. In addition to our FE, we also talked to our former director, who explained to us his philosophy on investing and the right times to invest. I enjoyed the personal connections this unit made to issues I may have to deal with in the future. For our action project, we were asked to create our own investment portfolios that would help us set our own goals when trying to make a profit. Below is my Investment Portfolio, thanks for reading!

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First off, I’d like to explain my values for the companies I’ll be investing in. I value companies that drive innovation. I think innovation is what keeps businesses booming and drives our society forward. I’m not really focused on family or environment-friendly companies, but more on the ones who are interested in making money. If they’re making a profit, I’m interested in investing. My values revolve around development, whether this means economically or generally. I believe that if we’re not learning we’re wasting time. It’s important to me to learn about life and gain as much knowledge as possible. I’ve listed my SMART goals for the upcoming years below:

• 1-year goal: To break even or turn a small profit on my investments, since it takes most people about a year to make a profit.
• 5-year goal: Pay off any existing debts I have 
• 25-year goal: Have completely paid off my own house and car

After taking the Rutgers University Risk Tolerance Quiz, I learned that I have an average/moderate tolerance for risk. I scored a 27 out of 47, meaning I'm near the middle; I'd say I learn more towards 50/50 risks. For this portfolio, I decided to stay on the safe side when investing in companies. I chose businesses that have been along for a long time and are likely to be making in the future.

Risk Tolerance Quiz. SC. 2016

Taking my time horizon into account, I'll be mostly investing my money into my 25-year plan. The more time the stock has to grow, the more the payout will be as long as the stock market continues to do well. With this, I decided to invest the least money into my 1 and 5-year investments because I'll probably be needing money more often later than within the next few years. Also, I chose the companies I thought would be making the most profit for my 25-year investment.

Apple:

• Apple has a high economic moat, meaning there’s a low chance of them have any threatening competition in their industry. They have a P/E ratio of 13.74 and a dividend yield of 2%. Not only does this company demonstrate my values well, but the quality of their materials is outstanding, and a lot of their products have become the social norm to own. The iPhone, for example, has become a trend in the past 10 years, and I think there are many people who wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving the brand. From the graph below, you can see that from the past 5 years Apple’s stock has risen significantly, and I believe it will continue to rise in the future. For me, this will be a long-term investment, because I think that Apple grows and will be around for a long time.

Disney:

• While Disney’s main focus is not towards innovation, I do believe that they’re a rapidly growing company, and they sure know how to make money. They are part of the entertainment industry, which is something I think everybody needs and uses. Within the next few years, they plan to release a few new Star Wars movies, which I think will send their stock prices through the roof. Star Wars alone is an industry itself, and the previous release made over 30 billion dollars in revenue. From the graph below, you can see that their stock price has nearly tripled in the past five years. While it does look like it’s decreasing now, I’m sure it will skyrocket once they start releasing these film(s). They have a P/E ratio of 16.84, and a dividend yield of 1.51%. This investment will be short term for me, as I don’t know what they plan to do after the Star Wars franchise ends, and I’d like to stay on the safe side.

Microsoft:

• Similar to Apple, Microsoft also strives for innovation, which is probably what attracted me most toward investing. Their CEO, Bill Gates, claims that innovation is what keeps our world moving forward. Recently, Microsoft has shaved their old image and created a more fresh one, which is something that draws my attention, because this shows how devoted they are to change. Microsoft is part of the technology industry, which is no longer a want, rather, it’s becoming a need in today’s society; since Microsoft is in charge of over 90% of the software run on computers today, I think it’s a good idea to invest in them. As you can see from the graph below, Microsoft is at an all-time high in the past five years. To me, it looks like it will continue to rise. The company has a P/E ratio of 28.63, and a dividend yield of 2.61%. This investment will be a mainly long term investment for me since I think the products and software Microsoft will be releasing will take a huge effect on their stock prices.

Portfolio I - One-year investment ($2960.09)

• 17 shares of Disney @ $93.85 ($1595.45) - 53.9%
• 12 Apple Shares @ $113.72 ($1364.64) - 46.1%

These two companies have an ROI of 17.79%. Hopefully, this ROI will stay the same, and I'll be able to turn a profit on my investments. This will result in a $503.22 payout.

Portfolio II - Five-year investment ($15,215.06)

• 39 shares of Disney @ $93.85 ($3660.15) - 24.1%
• 193 shares of Microsoft @ 59.87 ($11,554.91) - 75.9%

Combined, these two companies have an ROI of 82% (for a five-year investment). By this point, I should have made enough money to pay off any of my debts (student loans, taxes, payments, etc.). This will result in a $12,476.35 payout.

Portfolio III - Twenty-five-year investment ($30,948.50)

• 270 shares of Microsoft @ 59.87 ($16,164.90) - 52.2%
• 130 Apple Shares @ $113.72 ($14,783.60) - 47.8%

Together, these two companies have an ROI of 462.5% (for a twenty-five-year investment). At this point, I should have made enough money to reach my goal of owning a car and house. This will result in a $143,136.81 payout.

Total Investment Portfolio Value: $156,116.38

Below I've posted a pie chart of my total investment portfolio, to help better understand the amount invested for each payout:

Portfolio Data. 2016. via MetaChart

I'm happy with the companies that I chose. Overall, I think that my 3 business's stocks will continue to rise and keep a steady ROI. The economic moats of these companies were a big factor I thought of when choosing what stocks to invest in. Protection against a business is extremely important because nowadays it's a cut-throat society; companies can take over others within months. The values of the companies I chose were also a big determinant. I wanted businesses that were focused on innovation, and it was essential to me that they weren't planning on putting out the same product in the future. Something I learned while picking my stocks was a market cap. This is the total value of all the company's stocks. I payed attention to this because I wanted to make sure they were experienced and had a lot of other's investing in them as well.

Assumptions:

1. I assume my twenty-five-year investment will make the most money, therefore I invested the majority of my savings into it.
2. With the increase in Disney's stocks after the first Star Wars movie release, I assume that they will continue to rise again after the upcoming releases.
3. The stock market won't crash during the 25 years I'm investing.

Sources:

• "Apple Inc." AAPL Stock Performance of Total and Trailing Returns. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.
• Downie, Ryan. "Buffett's Moat: Is Apple's Competitive Advantage Sustainable? (AAPL)." Investopedia. N.p., 20 June 2016. Web. 29 Oct. 2016.
• Harden, Seth. "Star Wars Total Franchise Revenue." Statistic Brain. N.p., 25 Jan. 2016. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.
• “Investment Risk Tolerance Quiz.” Rutgers. N.p.,n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2016. 
• "Walt Disney Co. (DIS) | Valuation Ratios." Stock Analysis on Net. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2016.

Optimism: Fueling Innovation.

For this Unit in Journalism, Sound, we learned about different types of music and how to create our own podcasts. In class, we were taught about Ira Glass and his ideas around storytelling, and how to formulate a good story. For our Field Experience, we went to Columbia College, where we learned about their Journalism department and how they operate everything on their end. For our Action Project, we were assigned to choose a specific figure from the  20th century whose voice had a lot of impact to the century. With this person, we needed to tell a story through our own podcast/interview. I chose Bill Gates, because I view him as one of the biggest innovator in the business and technology industries. Not only did he build one of the biggest companies from the ground up, but he became known as one of the biggest innovators in the world. With my story, I wanted to tell the story of innovation, and how he's built this entire empire. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy my project.

WHEN	WHO/HOW	WHAT
0:04 0:20 1:01 1:09 1:19 1:42 1:53 2:25 2:29 2:53 2:57 3:20 3:23 3:49 3:55	Bill Gates Sam Bill Gates Sam Bill Gates Sam Cowell Edwina Cowell Sam Cowell Edwina Cowell Sam Cowell Edwina Cowell Sam Cowell Edwina Cowell Sam Cowell Edwina Cowell	Whether you’re a scientist with a new discovery, or working in the trenches to understand the needs of the most marginalized. You’re advancing amazing breakthroughs in what human beings can do for each other. Hi, this is Sam from GCE Lab School in Chicago. Today we’re going to be talking about Bill Gates and his impacts on the 20th century. Bill Gates is an American business magnate, investor, author and philanthropist. Gates’ story began after dropping out of Harvard University in 1975 to pursue his ambition of starting a company with his business partner, Paul Allen. Microsoft rose to become one of the biggest companies in our society today. Although Gates was not in the public eye as he was making impact, his voice and character alone is something that has shaped the way we live our lives today. Innovation can solve almost any problem. Before we begin with the interview, I’d like to take the chance to ask that you think about the ways Bill Gates has impacted your life while you’re listening Even in dire situations, innovation fuels innovation and leads to new approaches that eliminate suffering. But if you never see the people who are suffering, your optimism can’t help them; you will never change their world. Today we have EC with us. Because you’ve gotten the chance to see Bill Gates progress over the past 40 years, I want to ask you what impact you’ve seen him make throughout the 20th century? He was the father of a vast amount of the technology we use today. When I was young, we didn’t have computers at all, so we weren’t able to use the tools most children have for education today. Although I didn’t see Bill Gates himself as a famous figure changing the world, I was able to see his impact through the electronics evolving around me. Are there any specific ways that he’s made an impact on your life? Absolutely. Almost all the work that I do today, and most of the work that I did in my 30s and 40s were done on Windows computers. I used to do some desktop publishing almost 20 years ago, and I remember using Microsoft Publisher to create newsletters for the animal shelter I volunteered at, and I was able to do them right from my desk at home. In what other ways do you think he has impacted the world around us? Not only did he make these revolutionary innovations in technology, but he became a leader in business itself. Not only was he able to create the foundation for a company that’s turned into one of the biggest companies today, but he has become, i guess you could say, a universal icon for innovation and business. Have you seen Gates change society for the better? Well, what I think most impresses me about Gates is that as he became more wealthy and powerful, he really became more philanthropic, and started to use his wealth and celebrity to help people everywhere. He and his wife created a foundation that is trying to eradicate poverty and improve health all around the world. Alright, well thank you EC for sharing your thoughts with me today, and thank you to those listening. You’re very welcome.

The Meaning of Life

For the first Unit of Journalism, we learned about the ideas of an image. In the beginning, we researched on an image that had a big impact on society. This helped us learn about how much meaning can be behind an image, and how pictures really can mean a thousand words. We watched a movie called Spotlight, which helped me visualize how effective Journalism in and of itself can be. For our Field Experience, we visited the Weinberg Newton Gallery, where we viewed an exhibit about the killings in Chicago. Each person who was killed over the summer of 2013 got their place of death photographed and displayed collectively on a giant wall. At the end of our unit, we compiled all the skills we learned and used them on our Action Project.

The Meaning of Life is a question that’s been pondered upon for years. Many people might say peace, money, or maybe friendships. Do we truly know why we’re all here?

Edwina Cowell, my mother and interviewee, defines the meaning of life as a connection through love. “Finding our own special gifts and talents and using them to connect with one another is my definition of the meaning of life.”

Mrs. Cowell lives in the suburbs of Chicago and works as a business owner and interior designer. She co-created a company named Spiritual Playdate with the help of her friends, which helps teach all different types of religion and spiritual curriculum for children. The idea for this sprouted after I was born when she had trouble figuring out how to educate me with her teachings. Mrs. Cowell says that through creating new forms of teaching, she’s making the most of the meaning of life: “I’ve been on a 30-year spiritual journey that has lead me to do what I do now.” Throughout this journey, she’s come to understand and make her own spiritual connections.

“When I was younger I probably didn’t think much about meaning, it was more about gratification, and as I’ve been growing older, I’ve paid a lot more attention to bigger philosophical questions such as “Why are we here?”, I’ve spent a lot of time studying different ideologies of faith, and those studies have lead me to believe that we’re here to learn to love.”

Because Mrs. Cowell runs a company where spirituality is so prominent, I decided to touch on the subject of God. When asked about the idea of God, she suddenly became more immersed in our conversation: “The concept of God may have come as an answer to the question of what happens after we die. My idea of God is more of a force; it is a light and love and energy that connects all matter, a vibration, if you will that’s powerful and runs through everything, but I feel it’s something that you can tap into.” During the creation of her business, Ms. Cowell has dealt with all different types of religious and spiritual beliefs. I thought it was interesting how she’s learned all these different teachings, which a lot of other people follow as their meaning of life. “There are many people that have faith in different things such as a monotheistic God which is a single creator, many Gods, or a force. People call all of these things God and find faith in their beliefs.”

Our interview took place in our backyard on the sunny day of September 28th, 2016. I thought it would be the best location for us so that we’re in a comfortable setting; one that’s a good temperature and not too noisy so neither of us would be distracted. We sat on our patio so that we could admire the trees and the sky. She mentioned how it made her feel relaxed, and that the energy around us helped keep her motivated to carry on with her best responses. Feeling the warmth nature was providing helped us appreciate the environment. I believe the atmosphere truly helped Ms. Cowell when illustrating the meaning of life.

During the interview, being in nature helped us both stay focused. After embracing our surroundings, I ended up changing one of my questions. I asked about whether theology and science can coexist: “We’ve barely begun to scratch the surface of our universe. We may never have an answer to where we came from. All we have are theories, but the discovery process of science is critical and always strives to provide answers for us.”

SC, Cowell, 2016

Out of all the pictures I took, I thought this one represented Mrs. Cowell best because of the naturalistic aura it gives off. Originally, the photo was darker in the background, but I used Photoshop to make some of the plants and trees more vibrant. It’s better to have the environment around her stand out as well as herself because it paints an idea of her character. Also, I blurred the trees farther back to make everything up closer stand out more. I decided to use the sharpen tool to make the bark on the trees more dynamic.

This photo was taken in our backyard. I think it captures an essence and represents Mrs. Cowell’s meaning of life very well. The settings on the camera used was a wide open aperture of f/1.4 and a shutter speed of 1/30. I took a few pictures with flash, but it made her face far too bright; I wanted Ms. Cowell to be represented well, but not the only think you should focus on when looking at the image.

As for my opinion on the photo, I think it depicts Mrs. Cowell’s character and profile extremely well and relates to a lot of stuff touched on in the interview. It would fit really well if this were posted as an article. If I could change one thing, it would probably be the weather, but it was cloudy the day of the interview and there was really nothing I could do except brighten the sky. From this, I’ve realized that I enjoy editing pictures and making things stand out rather than taking pictures themselves.

Plans for the Future

Overview of Unit 1:

For my first Unit in Econ at GCE, I have to say I really enjoyed the concepts we learned. Math has always been one of my stronger suits, so Supply and Demand came to me pretty quick. Learning from both a mathematical and conceptual view was something I’d never done before, and it was interesting understand the mechanics of the economy while also taking in the way people think about money. For our Field Experience, my class went to the Federal Reserve in Chicago, where we were lectured by an economist and learned about how money is dealt with; it was an enriching adventure. For my first Action Project, my class was assigned to formulate two different college paths we might take once we graduate high school. I chose the career of an Information Technology manager, because I’ve always had an insight for hardware and software programs. Not only did this help me pick my college major, but it aided me in mapping out my future financial plans, and how I’m going to pay off my student loans in the future, depending on the path I take. I’m glad we were assigned this for our introduction to the course, because it helped create a future guide that I otherwise would’ve been unprepared for.

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