Proposal for The Jacobs Prize

April 15. A day forever etched into our psyche as Tax Day. But for some of us, this date holds another meaning—a deeper and more relevant meaning; April 15 is the day to celebrate the life of a hero for those of us who long to dance between the arts and sciences. April 15—the birthday of Leonardo da Vinci.

Da Vinci was one of the greatest creative spirits to walk this planet. He spent a lifetime finding harmony between art and science. History writes that he was a painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, inventor, writer, engineer, anatomist and most of all, a teacher in his time and long after. He forever proved the point that a mind does not suffer from pursuing multiple disciplines. Rather, for some, it is deeply enriched by doing so. He showed the world that a life integrated within multiple disciplines had the potential to bring forth tremendous fruits of creativity, passion and wonder in all of them.

I humbly begin my proposal for the Jacob’s Prize by mentioning Da Vinci. Here is why. I love my job as an educator. The joy I personally experience when my students have “ah-ha!” moments in my 9th grade Conceptual Physics and my AP Physics classes is something that fuels me. Helping others understand challenging ideas by guiding them through their own path of personal discovery is the principal reason why I teach. Looking back, I could have gone down several different professional paths—exciting areas of scientific research and discovery in astrophysics or hydrology. But throughout graduate school I found that I spent more time coming up with creative ways to introduce complex ideas to the students I taught than I did working on my research and thesis topics—simply because it was more rewarding. I had a calling, and had to answer it.

I count it a great privilege to teach, and especially here at The Bishop’s School. Over the past four years I have observed our students becoming more energized by having the opportunities to express themselves in various productions in the arts. And like Da Vinci, the balance they achieve between academics and creativity is something I not only respect and admire, but it also serves as a reminder to find the balance in my own life and follow my dreams to create art. For me this takes the form of writing and filmmaking. Like other educators before me I find that my artistic creative outlets work to enhance my career as an educator.

The past three years, I have entered creative writing contests. This year marks the 3rd straight year that I have entered the NYC Midnight Challenge Flash Fiction contest, going up against over 500 writers from around the U.S. and the world. It is also my 3rd straight year of getting to the 3rd challenge—the semi-final round where only 100 writers remain. Participants are given a genre, prop, and setting with which they must craft, on the fly, a 1000-word fiction work within 48 hours. Two have done well enough in the judge’s eyes to finish 1st and 2nd place in early rounds. A third story had one fellow competitor tell me it was the best story she had ever read in this annual contest. Needless to say, this has been a very enjoyable experience. I feel well rounded like our students in that I have found balance between academics and the arts. This makes me feel even more connected and integrated with my students. However, as is often the case, one creative endeavor give birth to another.

I have developed a desire to bring my stories to life on the screen. The past three years in the writing contests I have entered, I have come up with various stories that, once completed, have seemed to call to me, telling me they want to be told on the screen. This past summer I had three tasks I wanted to accomplish. The first was to study film, especially the art of the short film. I purchased about a half dozen books and studied the art of making short films, lighting and sound, production, and how to get one’s film entered into film festivals. I also joined local meet-up groups. The second was to convert one of my flash fiction pieces into screenplay format, which I did. The third, and perhaps most importantly, I purchased one of the best DSLR cameras for shooting short films. I spent $3,500 on Canon’s 5d Mark II because all of my research told me it was the best in terms of shooting scenes in available light, capturing color images, depth of field, usability, and as a bonus, it takes amazing still pictures.

I am writing my proposal because filmmaking has become a creative passion for me. And every summer my dream is to write, shoot, and edit at least one short film. The equipment I am requesting with this prize will allow me to improve substantially the overall quality of film I would like to bring to the screen. This is also a proposal for a gift that will keep on giving—the equipment I am requesting would have the ability to make each and every summer fantastically memorable, where my creative side can be fully quenched, and where I can come back in August for another great year of teaching and also having even deeper connections with our kids and the well-rounded balanced lives they lead.

Thank you for giving me your time to share my dream and my passion. Like Da Vinci, I want to keep living a life balanced between science and art. Being awarded this prize will simply enhance my ability to create the art that yearns to be expressed. I have attached a budget of the items I would like to purchase if your committee decides that my proposal is one you recognize as worthy enough to be awarded.

Budget for Creating Short Films

In Chapter 13 of DSLR Cinema by Kurt Lancaster, he lays out various budgets for equipment (and recommendations) needed to make one’s first short film. Under camera, I decided to go with the “higher-budget” recommendation because it has been incredibly well reviewed in various websites and publications. Thus, I already made a significant financial investment into my projects.

The main purchases I would be making are for professional video editing software, Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5 ($1195), and for a new iMac that can handle the processing power this software requires ($2349). I currently have a 7-year-old iMac that cannot handle the processing power required in short film video editing. Other high-end items are for external audio equipment and lenses. Most film books say never go cheap on sound—that great sound can really enhance the viewer’s film experience. Regarding lenses, purchasing the three Canon’s L series lenses mentioned in my proposal will enable me to shoot exceptional quality scenes. Yes, they are expensive, but especially important because they are what capture the scenes you strive to create. I decided to take the first step and have ordered the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L in early November ($1,419). There are two other lenses that I need for the variety of shots I’ll be shooting. It is important for me to emphasize that I am making significant financial contributions to my original list. I know I have gone over the $5,000 minimum prize amount. So, in order to reduce my total I would gladly remove the lenses from my proposal and purchase them on my own (since they are the items that can be easily upgraded or downgraded in future shooting requirements).

Budget Pre-Total: $9,196

Removing both Canon lenses ($3907) from the list brings the budget closer to the “minimum” Jacobs Prize allocation of $5,000, at $5,289. I mention this because I would like to be considered and am ready to make some of these purchases myself in order to be closer to the prize total. I also am planning to build my handheld support cage with a friend. These cost around $1,000 new, but much cheaper when made from scratch.