Reflection Essay

The documentary project that we worked on this semester was a very unique project compared to the projects I am normally used to doing. I found that some aspects were very fun and entertaining to work on while others were a tad difficult. My biggest struggle during this project was using a more advanced editing software than what I was used to. Although I did struggle with that, it will help me in the future with similar assignments that may require a similar editing program.  The aspect of the documentary that makes me the most proud is the incorporation of b-roll footage into the interviews that we got with the student workers. I really feel that it made the interviews more interesting to watch and allowed us to use footage we might not have been able to use if it had not been for us linking the b-roll footage with the information being spoken. One aspect of the documentary that I would have changed  would be the abrupt ending and more entertaining credits to watch at the end. The aspects of the documentary that I was personally responsible for was some of the filming and pictures that were taken, choosing the instrumental soundtrack that we had in the background and helping with the editing of the documentary. One thing that I feel I did, as well as the rest of my group, was always having a positive attitude when we were working together and being open to everyone's suggestions for the different aspects of the project. One thing that I wish I would have done more to help the group was plan going to the live concerts better so that we could have had more footage of that. I do feel that I contributed a fair amount to the overall project.

I do feel that this class was successful with helping me hone in on my critical thinking skills.  At first I wasn't sure how I felt about learning new technology and communication techniques, but I ended up enjoying it more than I anticipated. I would definitely prefer learning about how different styles of communication function rather than writing four essays. I feel due to the nature of the class, the styles of communication would be a more effective of getting the ideas across. I think your style was effective in bringing out the abilities I already possessed as well as new applications. I also feel that we had a good distribution of lectures, discussions and homework/blog posts. I personally don't think that any aspects of the class were overlooked in a way that I would suggest to include more of it in the course. One suggestion I do have is maybe spending more class time on the editing of the final documentary due to the fact that it can sometimes be hard for people to meet outside of class time as often as they would like to make the documentary the best it can be. If I could change one thing about the course it would be maybe putting the desks in a circle during discussion. I have seen in a few of my other classes that this sometimes makes people talk more due to the fact that everyone feels more comfortable and they are in a situation that causes people to feel more inclined to speak. Other than that I  think the class was very informative and I really enjoyed the semester!

Born Into Coal Response

Born into coal was much more interesting than I expected and even caused me to feel sympathetic for the families involved in the coal mining lifestyle. The beginning of the documentary shows a girl by the name is Ariana participating in a pageant in what seems to be her hometown. The documentary did a great job of expressing the pageant environment by showing the audience at the pageant, the contestants, and a close up of the girl’s dresses and shoes as well as Ariana speaking to the audience. After we get a glimpse into the pageant world, the documentary shifts to Ariana swimming in a pool in her backyard and she begins talking about she was born into a coal mining family. Seeing where Ariana lives and where she participates in pageants showed a great parallel between being a coal miner’s daughter and her pageant life. Throughout the entire documentary I felt that the picture was very vivid and helped make the audience feels like they were there. I also liked how there was no annoying, unnecessary music playing in the background to distract from the individuals speaking. When they were interviewing some of the people they used a harsh light on the side of their face which caused a shadow on the other and brought a gloomy feel to what they were saying. This was relevant because the people were talking about the problems and issues that come along with living in a coal mining family. I think that each scene was planned out to flow nicely into the next, like story boarding, and gives the audience a good idea of what really goes on in a coal miner’s world. There were also good facts and statistics shown through text that were insightful that included a subtle moving background that did not distract from the text.  The documentary beings and ends with Ariana’s pageant life but later explains how she decides to stay at home and continue protesting coal mining and the dangers that come along with it. 

Group Contract - 88.1 WRFL Radio Station

·         Interviews/Script Writing – Andy

-          Andy is in charge of doing the interviews as well as approving all questions that our group comes up with. We will all contribute to the script writing by suggesting questions to ask for the interviews and everyone must suggest at least one question per interview.

·         Filming/Sound Recording – Marissa

-          Marissa has an SLR camera so she will be in charge of the filming and sound recording process of the project since those two go hand in hand. If we decided to include extra background music she will also coordinate that. Everyone is expected to be involved in the filming by tagging along and being present while filming the various scenes of our documentary.

·         Storyboarding – Jessie

-          Jessie is in charge of the storyboarding aspect of the documentary. She will print out a template to use to plan out which scenes should go where so that the documentary will flow well and look good. Everyone is expected to have some input in this portion of the project and make suggestions when they feel it is necessary.  

·         Scheduling – Garrett

-          Garrett is in charge of scheduling and coordinating when to meet and film so that it is convenient for everyone. We have already contacted to station  and have the times that the office is open as well as the opportunity to set up times to speak with various workers and students at the station. If someone is unable to attend at a certain time they must let the group know in advance so we can all plan a time where as many people as possible can be present.

·         Film Editing/Sound Editing – Ryan

-          Ryan is in charge of the film and sound editing portion of the project. He will be the one to coordinate how to edit the video so that the transitions work and the documentary looks good. Everyone in the group is expected to accompany Ryan to the Media Depot we he is editing so that everyone can have some input and makes suggestions about things they want to see included or cut out.

Our group also plans to meet every Wednesday at 4:00 to work on the project and keep track of everything that is still left to do for the completion of the project. While we have one person in charge of each category, we all plan to help each other out and have equal participation in this project.

Pinterest vs. Etsy

When thinking about the various websites that I frequent the most often, the two that stick out to me the most are Pinterest and Etsy. Pinterest is a website as well as an app on the iPhone and is used to browse various pictures and quotes. One can make boards for specific categories like school, quotes, or even planning your future wedding. While Etsy is a website used to shop for unique things and has categories like apparel, vintage and home & living. Both of the websites are a fun way to discover new things and also pass the time. One of the biggest difference between the two though is the ease at purchasing things in Etsy and not being able to find where to buy certain stuff on Pinterest.

These two websites remind me of each other because of the of their layouts are square picture boxes that an individual can click on that will then lead to more information either about the product or the picture. The main purpose of Pinterest is to get new ideas for things like crafts, weddings or hairstyles.  You can also look up health and fitness tips, browse clothing or just look at pictures of funny things. In contrast, Etsy is designed to display projects that are available to buy and some items are relatively inexpensive. The audience for both is the same, both websites tend to attract females between the ages of sixteen and forty. While younger women tend to use them more, some older women use them for new ideas as well. I think that both of the websites make great rhetorical choices that cause the audience to either want to explore more or buy products that are presented. One style technique that I noticed both of the websites used is simplicity. There are not very many extra colors on the site which help with less distraction from the products and pictures displayed. I think this is a great technique that they use because I am always inclined to look at just what is presented and now what is around it. I think in the case of these websites, simplicity is best. 

"No Seconds" & "The Last Meal Project"

After reading and looking at both “No Seconds” and “The Last Meal Project” I had a whole new perspective on the death penalty and the idea of the last meal. The pictures included and some of the facts and responses were shocking to me and almost upsetting. If I had to pick one presentation over the other in terms of which one was more compelling, I would have to choose “The Last Meal Project”.

First, I will talk about “The Last Meal Project” and the rhetorical choices that the author made. The presentation begins with a quote that explains how a prisoner has the option of choosing a last meal before they are put to death. After the quote there are arrows to navigate through the presentation which includes slides with a picture of the sentenced individual and their last meal and then facts about them on the right side. Along with those images there was also images of what all the lethal injection entails, how much the death penalty costs and how much a citizen is paid to be the executor. One of the biggest things that surprised me was the minimal amount of food some of the people requested as well as the idea that some people rejected food altogether. The most moving last meal response that I read was Odell Barnes Jr.’s which read “Justice, Equality, World Peace.” This is the not the response one might expect from an inmate that is put in death row.

Second, I will talk about “No Seconds” and the goal that the author was attempting to present in his presentation. When looking at the pictures presented in “No Seconds” I noticed there was a lot of color and contrast in them. Some of the pictures even include colorful place mats in the background of the food. I think with “No Seconds” the author was attempting to convey the idea that it is almost a tease to offer someone on death row the option to eat whatever they want only because they are being put to death. There is this “positive” connotation put on it in a sense because they are granting the individuals their last wish before death.

I think that both articles has great visuals and did a good job of interpreting the reality of the death penalty and the last meal.

Speech Reflection

After watching my speech on the blog, I feel that overall I did a good job with my proposal. That being said I also found a few things that I need to work on to improve my speeches in the future. To start, I will talk about some things that I think I did well in my speech and were also an improvement from my speeches last semester. I feel that I sounded much more confident in my Shark Tank speech than I did in either of my speeches last semester. I also played with my hair a lot less and did not do as many of my nervous ticks as I normally do during speeches. As far as improvement goes for my speeches, there are a few things that I picked up while watching my speech. One of the biggest things that I feel I need to work on is eye contact with the audience. I seemed to look at my note cards a lot as a reference as well as the PowerPoint that I made. I originally decided to make the PowerPoint so that I could make talking about something like a radio station a little more interesting. After watching my speech though, I am not sure that I will do that again in the future. Although I did seem to play with my hair much less than I did last semester, I still did a few times throughout the speech so I still need to work on that. Finally, another improvement that I need to make is using filler words like “um” when making my speech. I think my presentation went as I expected and overall I think I did a good job presenting the information I had. 

Questions that I hate answering

I would have never believed anyone if they would have told me in high school that I would join a sorority in college. The reason for this is because of the stereotypes that I had heard about sororities, and it surely did not seem like an organization I would want to be a part of. My perception completely changed when I decided to be the first person in my family to rush and potentially become a part of Greek life.  After joining a sorority and wearing my letters, the same questions began coming up again and again. One of the most annoying questions that people ask me is “Do you go to frat parties like every night?”  While I do go out sometimes with friends, I by no means go out every night of the week or even every night on the weekends. Another misconception about sororities is that we get hazed before we are allowed to join. Many of my friends have asked “How did they haze you before you were allowed to join”. This can get annoying because none of my sisters would ever attempt to haze any of the new members or even joke about it.  In addition to those questions, another question many of my friends that are not in a sorority ask is “Why do you pay so much to be friends with those girls?” I found a really good quote that I think answers this question perfectly and it is “If I paid for my friends, I surely didn't pay enough”. The girls in my pledge class have become some of my best friends and the money also goes towards other things like house fees, our philanthropy, and social events that we plan. While I understand the curiosity that some people may have, it gets exhausting having to answer the same questions over and over again. I want people to see me as more than what sorority I am in and ask me questions about who I am and the things that I am interested in.  

Response to TED Talks: Ryan Holladay: To hear this music you have to be there. Literally

http://www.ted.com/talks/ryan_holladay_to_hear_this_music_you_have_to_be_there_literally.html

The TED Talks speech that I chose to watch and analyze was “Ryan Holladay: To hear this music you have to be there. Literally”. The reason that I chose this particular speech is because I am a huge fan on music and I am always so interested in hearing things about the music industry and new ideas that people have.  I think overall Ryan Holladay did a wonderful job delivering his speech to his audience. I could tell that he was very well educated on his topic and did his research. On top of that one could also sense the passion that he had for art and music which made the speech even more interesting to watch. I think the visuals that he used in his speech were perfect in supporting what he was talking about and helped me envision the ideas that he had much better. While he delivered the speech well and had good projection, his tone was a tad dull which could lead some people to lose interest in what he is talking about. Ryan seemed to be very comfortable on stage but he used his hands a lot when he spoke which was distracting at certain points of the speech. Ryan’s pace was perfect, not too rushed and easy to follow. This helped with understanding exactly what was going on and being able to understand everything he said so that I was left with fewer questions than if I wasn’t able to focus on what he was saying. After watching the speech I felt that I had a better idea of how to effectively deliver a speech but I also took some of the ineffective things that Ryan did to make a note for myself to try and avoid as much as possible. 

Response to "Detroit vs. Everybody"

When I first began reading the article, I was completely convinced that Detroit was just a rundown city in Michigan that really had nothing special about it. I have never been to Detroit and to be honest I would consider myself pretty uneducated about the city. This probably factored into why when I was reading about what was actually a movie set, I took in everything as if it was the reality of Detroit. That being said, Detroit may actually be a tad rundown due to its problems with the economy, but that does not have to define the city or what it has to offer. One of the most startling things that I read was when the desk women at the hotel that the author was staying at, smiled at him and mentioned that he might hear explosions. Since I was reading this, unaware that it was the area of a movie set, I found it so strange that she was smiling when she said that and it disturbed me.

Now looking back and knowing that it was a movie set, it changes my perspective. Perspective is really what is key when looking at the city of Detroit. When viewing Detroit from the outside looking in, many misconceptions and assumptions are made. Some of these assumptions can be refuted by the author’s pictures and explanations of places like Lafayette Greens and Belle Isle Park. I think these particular places are places that are probably overlooked not only by visitors but also the residents of Detroit. I think if more people visited these places and embraced what they had to offer, a new perspective of Detroit would be formed from a lot of people. Along with that the Heidelberg Project is an artistic approach at protesting, and in my opinion a beautiful way of going about something that is usually seen as violent. I love art and think it is one of the most important ways in which someone can express themselves. It made me so sad to see that someone took the liberty of burning down one of the houses in the project.

I believe that if the city of Detroit utilized the spaces that seem to be abounded these days, that this city has much more potential than its letting on. While the abandoned structure in Hart Plaza was disheartening, I think it someone took the liberty of cleaning it up and making good use of the space, simple changes like that could bring so many new opportunities for the city.

Response to "My Bodies of the Year: Kim Kardashian's Instagram Moment and 12 Unsexy Months"

While reading the article “My Bodies of the Year: Kim Kardashian’s Instagram Moment and 12 Unsexy Months” by Wesley Morris, I found myself not only intrigued but also somewhat surprised by what I was reading. While I am aware of the idea of body image and how it is perceived and how it is prominent in the media and pop culture today, I think because of how casual society has become with things like being naked and sex, people tend to look past just how common it is to see these things. Why should it matter if someone’s body looks perfect all of the time? That seems to be one of the main concerns on society this day in time. I do believe that bodies matter much more now in 2014 than they did ten years ago. Not to say that bodies did not matter ten years ago, but this obsession with looking perfect and in a sense “selling your body” to the media because you are a celebrity seems much more prominent. 

An example that I feel would complement this article is a picture of Justin Bieber that I came across a while ago that popped into my mind while reading the article. The reason I chose to include this image is because I think many times people look past of even young celebrity boys are portrayed in a sexual manner to sell things like magazines. The photo that I am going to include is of Justin Bieber on the cover of Vanity Fair with kiss marks all over his neck and shirt, as well as a women’s hand pulling his tie from the side. While it may seem innocent to some, I feel that for someone his age, this type of photo is unnecessary in promoting him on the cover of a magazine.  The media feels the need to always take something that would sell well anyway and either perfect and edit what was already okay or sexualize it so that it might sell better.

I think that the article did a wonderful job of talking about just how much the media feels the need to include sexuality in magazine covers or photo shoots of stars, and also why having the perfect body makes you more confident and likeable than if you are just an average person.