What a Captone Should Have / Early Capstone Ideas

What is a Capstone?

I think a Capstone should show the student has thought about the subject matter in great depth and from many different angles. I think that the project should have a message, not something that is done “just because.”

The Capstone should be accessible to a wide audience. The project itself should have enough depth to be understood on the surface and have more for those who want to go deeper.

The Capstone should push the student. If they have mastered everything in the Capstone before they start, it is not a Capstone. The student should stretch themselves in one or multiple areas, technical, storytelling, etc. The area of growth can be more personal: By doing this project the student wants to explore an area of knowledge they are interested in on a deeper, more meaningful level.

Two semesters should be taken to have enough time to allow the Capstone to develop, such as having more depth. The time also allows the Capstone to grow and change from the original idea into a stronger Capstone that might not have been even thought of at the beginning

Capstone Ideas

1. Each type of storytelling has a structure no matter the media. I would like to tell a story that takes elements from many structures and combines them into something new.
Example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3Ue1AXSzyw
2. I would like to create a story where all the elements used in the story serve the story. There will be no “Wow, I should do that just because it looks neat.” It has to serve the story.
Example: Kill Bill Vol. 1. Kill Bill creates it’s own rules. It blends Quentin Tarantino’s over the top storytelling elements with martial arts movies where people are performing feats of superhuman ability. It works because they set the rules and then follow them to create an interesting world to tell the story.
3. I would like to create a project that plays with labels and the benefit of an accepting mentally: “Good, Bad, Light, Darkness, and the Balance are all labels that in some cases can be useful, and others can get in the way. It depends on the situation and the person applying the label.

Examples

A. Meditation and Buddhist teachings: One of the tenants stressed multiple times is “Allow, allow, allow.” This means accept things as they are, and observe events both in the outside world and personal inside world with a clear mind. With a clear mind the action will be a “mindful” movement rather than a conditioned reaction that the person might not be aware of.

B. Silence of the Lambs: Dr. Hannibal Lector is a villain who does unspeakable things, but he is put into a “hero” role with the audience because he has a code, and is helping the police in his own unique way to apprehend a man of greater evil.