FORDHAM UNIVERSITY
GRADUATE CAPSTONE PROJECT
JOURNALISM STUDENT
GRADUATE THESIS FILM
MASTER OF ARTS IN PUBLIC MEDIA | CONCENTRATION: MULTI PLATFORM JOURNALISM | MAY 2023
PROJECT TITLE: LIFE IN NEW YORK – MOVING ABROAD & NAVIGATING ADULTHOOD
Distinction: Awarded an "A" Grade
Core Framework: Personal Journalism, Immersive Media, and Visual Essay Structure
My Role: Wrote, filmed, scripted, and edited everything as a solo creator under the guidance of Professor LuBuono (Broadcast Journalist and Documentary Filmmaker).
PROJECT OVERVIEW
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Moving to New York City in my early 20s completely changed my life.
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This video is a personal visual essay capturing that big transition, the realistic day-to-day friction, growth, and the biggest lessons I learned along the way.
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My goal was to share an honest look at navigating life, dealing with change, and finding your footing in a big city.
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If viewers were navigating their own transtions or thinking about making a big move, I want this story to offer some comfort and perspective.
EDITORIAL STRATEGY & SCRIPTING
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This film essay is my Master's thesis project, a visual-first essay exploring what it actually feels like to move to NYC in your 20s
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Instead of making a loud, face-on-camera social media vlog, I wanted to create an honest documentary
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The goal was to make a video that speaks rather than the speaker, helping others navigate their own life transitions
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I focused on universal feelings that everyone goes through during major life changes, like loneliness, adapting to a new place, and growing up
FILMING & CAMERA CHOICES: I handled all of the camera work on my own, capturing footage spontaneously on the go. I wanted to show the real experiences in New York City. To do this, I used two different filming styles:
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Fast-moving shots to show how busy and overwhelming the city feels.
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Still, quiet shots to show how lonely it can feel to be a single person in a massive crowd.
EDITING & SOUND DESIGN: Since I wanted the city + video to be the main character, I kept the background music minimal. Instead, I focused heavily on the real city sounds. I recorded and layered actual sounds from the streets. This grounds the video in reality and lets the environment tell the story.
THE APPROACH
SCRIPT WRITING & STORY DEVELOPMENT
I wrote the script and planned the visuals together. I designed a video storyboard to let the video tell the story, using fast shorts to show the rush of NYC and quiet frames to show personal reflection
EDITING
I kept the background music minimal and layered raw street sounds, so the environment could act as the primary narrator
FILMING
I captured all footage, my goal was to document the real, unpolished side of New York City rather than a romanticized version
FEEDBACK & REVIEW
The final film was reviewed by Professor Frank LuBuono on narrative structure and pacing, earning a top-marks distinction
THE TAKEAWAY
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Solo Production Management: Successfully managed all stages of a documentary-style film alone, from filming to editing and audio mixing
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Visual Storytelling: Learned how to let the environment and camera angles drive the emotions of a story rather than relying on an on-screen host
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Environmental Editing/Audio Mixing: Gained experience capturing and layering real-world sounds to build an immersive atmosphere
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Empathy-Driven Journalism: Developed the ability to take a personal, everyday experience and turn it into a relatable story that helps others