🎬 My Video (Final Product for this Project)

🧭 Introduction

Wow! The first project of the year is already done, I can’t believe it. In this post, I’ll go over what we learned, how I grew, and my main takeaways.

As you might remember, I’ve already made a post this year about my learning intentions. Here’s the link to that post ← (add your actual link here). Looking back, I can see that I’ve started in the right direction with this project. My two big intentions this year were:

1. Creating quality work, and
2. Understanding what I do and keeping it authentic.

💣 Learning About the Atomic Bomb

At the beginning of the project, we explored why the atomic bomb was dropped, what happened when it was dropped, and the ethics behind it. One of our main learning sources was the book Hiroshima by John Hersey. It followed the lives of five survivors and showed how their worlds changed forever. Reading about their feelings and trauma really helped me understand the human impact of this event.

🧠 My Project Focus

Our first assignment was our project pitch, something we in PLP are used to doing. We were told to focus on the impact of the bomb and how it affects us today. I decided to study the survivors and how they lived afterward while dealing with trauma, depression, and PTSD.

To get another perspective, I spoke with an expert in trauma, Dr. Tatiana Jensen, which helped me connect the emotional effects of the bombing to modern examples of trauma caused by war.

🎥 Final Product: Explainer Video

Our final product was a simple explainer video that educated the public about the Manhattan Project, Hiroshima, and how these events shaped the world, all while connecting to our personal “angle.”

Before creating the video, I made a game plan with three key steps:

1. Finish my literature notes,
2. Complete a proficient storyboard, and
3. Write a strong script.

Screenshot

It might not sound like much, but doing all this in two weeks while balancing seven other classes was a challenge!

⚛️ Understanding the Manhattan Project

The Manhattan Project was originally created so the United States could better understand uranium and fission. A physicist named J. Robert Oppenheimer led a team of about 6,000 scientists working under the U.S. government to develop a bomb before the Nazis could.

That bomb became the atomic bomb, the most feared weapon ever created. When it was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, it destroyed the Peace Arch area and killed around 140,000 people instantly, with many more dying later from radiation.

Years after, Oppenheimer and his team expressed guilt for what their discovery had caused, showing how science can both save and destroy.

💭 Reflection

Overall, this project taught me a lot, both individually and as a class. I’ve actually been to Hiroshima before, so I already had some background knowledge, but this deepened my understanding.

The atomic bomb changed the world forever, in both good and bad ways. The discovery of atomic energy has killed and saved thousands of lives over the past 80 years. I can only hope that humanity continues to use this power responsibly and never for harm again.