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.