What Is a Capstone?

In Mark Pfaff's Advanced Audio class, we (the students) were given several different assignments that forced us to utilize different techniques and do certain things. Certain elements were explored in each project, so that after all of them were completed the student would have a strong grasp on many different elements of audio production. Then the final project came, and it differed from all the other projects in a couple of major ways. It forced the student to utilize most if not all of what they had used in the other projects, and it gave the student much more freedom in what exactly the project would be and how to do it. It was also the largest project in the class, and the most rewarding to complete.
I say this to say that I think of a capstone like that on a larger scale. As new students, we are put through several classes that teach us different things. Then, at the end of it all, we have the most weighted, most important project of all. We have to use many if not all of the things we've learned in our classes so far, and we have freedom to choose exactly what we want to do and how to do it.
Also, like the audio final, I expect that the capstone will be very rewarding. Of all the work in all the audio classes, I feel like that final project was the most beneficial part because it forced me to really do work on a scale that I hadn't done before, and it really encouraged me to make something I liked and cared about. That's what I expect out of the capstone: being forced to work on a bigger scale on something I really care about, and I expect that after it's done and all the inevitable stress of completing it has faded, I will look at it as one of if not the single most valuable part of my college education.
I suspect that the reason students are forced to do at least two semesters of work on their capstone is to force them to be more involved in it, and to magnify the scale of it so the students will really be able to do something great.

Capstone Ideas

I have already decided what I am doing for a capstone. I am doing a documentary on a friend of mine who is an art student at Herron. Here are my three ideas on how to accomplish the project:

1. I want to draw a narrative from the subject. If Jordan (my friend the art student) talks in his interview(s) a lot about the challenges of getting a degree in painting, that's what it'll be about. If he talks mostly about having an art degree post-graduation, it'll focus more on that.
2. I want to make the documentary relevant to more than just my friend, those who know him, and fans of his work. By showing and talking about him - his experiences, influences, opinions, etc. - I want to make or draw out a statement about art, or at least about art students (or whatever narrative comes up).
3. I want to make the documentary somewhat non-conventional. It's easy for art to have a perspective of being "boring" or "stuffy," and I want to avoid that and make it interesting.

Here are three things that inspire me in the project:

1. "It Might Get Loud," which is a documentary showing three electric guitarists, but makes a statement (or several) about music and art in general, as well as is very entertaining.
2. "Exit Through the Gift Shop," a documentary about street artist Banksy. Similar ideas and reasons as "It Might Get Loud."
3. Conversations I've had with Jordan, in which we've discussed things like the seeming issues of getting a "useless" degree, and the value of eductation, and so on. These conversations really made me think and reevaluate some things, and I think it's poignant enough that I would like to portray some part of it in this documentary.