Finding His Balance: Ty Greenfield’s Path to His Senior Project
- Apr 23
- 6 min read
By Sean O'Carroll
A text comes in from “Ty (From Dance)” simply stating, “I see you.” He is watching me from the third-floor window of his dormitory, sitting in the agreed-upon blue hallway where our interview is to take place. Dressed comfortably in a hooded sweatshirt, lounge pants, a black beanie, and Adidas slides, he’s eager to talk about his senior project. He just woke up 20 minutes prior, but is full of energy. Ty Greenfield is a 23-year-old student from Long Island majoring in cinema and television studies. He transferred from Five Towns College, where he was studying film and television production. At Purchase College, Greenfield juggles extracurricular activities, a change in majors, class and his research paper, all while finding his passion.
Is that what led you to choose cinema studies?
Part of the reason I joined cinema studies instead of being in the film conservatory was because of the credits, but I also personally realized that I didn't vibe with the process of making film. I'd rather talk about them. When I was at FTC [Five Towns College], I realized I didn't really like being with the cameras and on set as much as I thought I would.
Did you get stuck on being boom mic [microphone attached to a pole] too often?
Actually, no, being a gaffer. [Laughing] Yeah. I got stuck as a gaffer [lighting technician] for a bit, and that wasn't very fun. I did work with an F6 box [field recorder], a boom mic and stuff for a little fake show that we were running. It was fun, it’s just not for me.
It seems like you're creative. Have you found another channel to let your creativity fly through?
I'm very out there, you know, I'm on the swim team, which it's technically this one club now. I'm also part of the circus skills club because when I first came here, I just fell in love with that shit. I actually have such a funny video of me busting my ass on the stilts. I was part of the soul ensemble [Soul Voices] on campus. I'm part of the outdoor skills club. I took yoga here, I still do yoga to this day. I dip my toe into everything I feel.
Is it really a balancing act?
Definitely a balancing act. But I take circus, I can balance.
Do you have a preferred activity amongst the ones you do outside of your classwork that really resonates with you the most?
I love music. I used to play the drums. I've done some traditional drumming in general, but like usually everything I've done was like marching-oriented. I've marched in the St. Patrick's Day parade in the city, and I had to do the whole thing backwards because I'm conducting the whole band. I've also been a part of a drumline.
So, we kind of got to see this extracurricular side of you. Let's peek into your academic side. What is your course load?
Outdoor Skills.
That's a class as well?
It is a class.
You're just like blurring the lines for me here.
I am part of the Outdoor Skills class, but I do hike outside of the class. I'm in the Global Cinemas class as well. We're in the ballroom dancing class together. Then the last class I'm in is technically not a class, but it's my senior project class.
Let's dive right into it; what's your senior project?
My senior project is advocating for the existence of [young adult] book adaptations to film. So, you know, take “Harry Potter,” take “Twilight,” take “Hunger Games,” take “Maze Runner,” like any of those. A lot of people are like, ‘Why does a book need a film adaptation?” That’s where I step in, and I'm like, “Hey, there is some validity in these movies existing for X, Y, and Z reasons.” So that is basically what my senior project is about.
In your research, are you covering the adaptation process?
Yes. If you want an example, one thing I found really interesting was the process for choosing a director for the third film of the “Harry Potter” movies. Part of the reason he [Alfonso Cuarón] was even chosen as a director for the film is the direction that he wanted to take the characters. He had a conversation with J.K. Rowling and had a lot of different ideas that went against her own, but they both believed were better for the story that the films were telling. That’s a very human story.
What surprised you the most about the adaptation process?
It's a very collaborative thing, and it's interesting to see that. People see them as separate. Why is this director ruining the author's vision? Well, no, a lot of time, an author has a say on the film.
You brought up “Harry Potter,” “Twilight,” “Hunger Games.” What do those stories mean to you, because you're clearly passionate, and these are central to your research?
Oh, that's an interesting question. I think one thing that sparked my interest in young adult novels like that, specifically adaptations of these, is when I was in middle school, we were assigned to read the first Percy Jackson book. I was like, “Oh, I don't want to read this.
That's boring, as hell.”
It came time for me to write my essay about it, [and] I hadn't read the book. So, I decided to watch the movie. I wrote my whole book report on the movie, and I turned that in to the teacher. At the time, she was like, "This is the movie, not the book.” I was like, "What is the difference?” I ended up actually reading the book because I was so compelled. I think that interaction as a kid made me realize, "Oh, these are very different.” That was my first time ever having to think about that. And I think that's where my admiration for these books came from. Then I went down a rabbit hole. I started reading the “Hunger Games.” But I think after everything I've been through, reading all of them over again, I think “Hunger Games” is actually my favorite.
Have you found any challenges with working on your senior project?
If you were to ask my mom, “How is Ty with time management?” I'm the biggest procrastinator on the planet. The biggest issue for me working on this project has been dedicating at least four to five hours a day to watching anything related to film and adaptations in general, or reading in general. So yes, that is my answer for that. Time management is so hard for me.
You’re putting all this time into this research paper this semester, it's your final semester here at Purchase. You want to reflect upon that?
I feel like this semester has been one of the most rewarding semesters I've had. I don't know what it is about writing this paper that has made me so proud, but I'm very proud of it. It’s extremely self-fulfilling. Maybe it's the same feeling as when someone releases an album or the same feeling as when someone releases a movie. I'm getting that same rewarding feeling, writing my paper and doing my research.
Where do you see yourself post-Purchase?
I think the goal that I want to strive for is to keep engaging with this topic in some way, shape or form. Journalism is always an option, being some sort of critic, maybe, could be in my cards. I definitely know that I'm gonna be doing some silly stuff along the way, too. Maybe I'll join a different swim team local to my place, or I'll join a little circus crew somewhere.
What is a word of advice you want to leave behind, something you would like to either have known beforehand or someone told you?
It's definitely okay to not have everything figured out right away. I think that’s something that stresses me out, and I'm assuming stresses new students. They feel they need to define their major right away, or they feel they need to have what their senior project is kind of set in stone. I went through a couple iterations of my senior project before I ended up finding something that’s personal for me, that still applies to my major. I think I would tell my younger self, or a new student, just to chill out a little bit, it's not the end of the world.
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