I've made some kind of progress on my senior project this week. I got some footage from the Josh Ridings Band pre-release party, despite some technical difficulties. I've also been trying to get on the phone and discuss documentary plans with Josh, but due to some difficulties with illness, we haven't had a chance yet. I'll keep calling until we get to talk about the important business of the Josh Ridings Band Documentary.

As of this week, I have my first footage for the documentary. (It's of Josh and company opening the first batch of cd's.) I'm really excited for Saturday, when I'll be filming the album pre-release party. (If you're there, you might be in the movie!)

I'm really interested in this project because I love experiencing the documentation of music. I like reading biographies and watching documentaries on every kind of music and artist. This is related to my research paper because I feel that my documentary is a documentation of rock music, even though it's not on a huge band and it won't be widely distrubuted

This week was particularly productive for me. Not only did I sit down and have a meeting with my mentor, Mrs. Amanda Ledbetter, I got in contact with the man himself, Josh Ridings. Josh and I have arranged to have a phone conversation when we both have some time, which will hopefully be this weekend. Mrs. Ledbetter and I discussed the use of cameras and some of the shots and interviews I hope to film for the documentary.

I've also been thinking about my timeline for my senior project. I've planned to film all, or as many of the Josh Ridings Band gigs as possible. Some of the specific ones I'd like to go to are the ones on September 19th, October 10th, and October 24th. I plan on continuing filming until about March or April, when I can sit down and edit all of the footage I'll (hopefully) have.

I've also found some resources that I'll be using in my research paper. I haven't found a resource specifically on the documentation of rock music, but I'm searching instead for resources that describe a certain scene or movement and how they've been documented (Punk fanzines, 21st century media, etc.) I've decided to start with the Encyclopedia Britannica entry for "rock music". I'm also looking into seeing if I can get a copy of this book, for a general starting point.

I've been starting to make preparations for the actual creation of the documentary. There's at least release party for the CD in September that I'm planning on being at. I've also gotten a pair of DVD's that I've had suggested to me to try and give me some ideas creatively. (This American Life from Mrs. Moore and End of the Century from Mr. Tucker.) I need to start getting in contact with Josh Ridings so we can get on the same page and start discussing our ideas. Until then, and after I've started, I'll keep trying to think of creative ways to film and portray the adventures of the Josh Ridings Band.

Additionally, I've decided to make my paper on the documentation of music over the last 50-odd years, and the ways it has progressed. My essential question is "How has Rock 'n' Roll been documented over the years?" My thesis looks something like this:

"Since the start of the original Rock 'n' Roll era, people of all ages and backgrounds have been fascinated by the sounds and sights associated with it. With changing musical trends, just as many changes in print and visual documentation will continue to form"