Reflection

The Project

The biggest struggle we faced during the project was trying to film outdoors.  The sun and the wind were two huge factors we had to account for during the filming process. However, I was still very proud of the final product.  My favorite part is the ending when the music begins to play and there is a montage of B-roll. The only aspect I wish we could have changed is the quality of the footage.  But considering how limited we were on resources, phone cameras had to do. 
I was responsible for scheduling.  I was constantly in contact with people at the horse park to schedule interviews, filming dates, etc.  I also had to be sure that I shared this information with the entire group to schedule meetings.  Although each group member had a specific role in the project, I think we all evenly contributed to every aspect of the documentary.  I helped maintain this balance by keeping consistent communication between group members to involve everyone in each step of the process.  Also, I made sure that everyone's voice was heard when a final decision was made.

The Class

I feel that I did use critical thinking during this class; specifically through the blogs and class discussions.  I enjoyed thinking on the questions raised in class after a reading.  The blogs followed by a discussion was a great setup using different kinds of communication.  It was interesting how my opinion formed while writing the blog changed sometimes after listening to other classmates thoughts during discussion. 
The overall number of blogs and assignments were spaced out well throughout the semester.  I did not feel overwhelmed with work in this class which is certainly a good thing.  I also liked how the homework was not just busy work.  The blogs were backed by a class discussion so I did not feel that my time was ever wasted. 
I wish I had some constructive criticism for you, but I thoroughly enjoyed the class.  I can't think of anything I would change.

Born into Coal

Born into Coal was a great documentary.  I watched it twice: once as a viewer listening to a story and the second time as an analyzer breaking down each part of the documentary.  Watching as a viewer, I was immediately drawn in by the strong pathos element of the film.  The personal stories and emotional interviews with the families made the audience able to connect with these complete strangers.  I was also intrigued by the odd take on relaying this message about coal mining.  I certainly did not expect the documentary to be about a pageant but I think this is what made it unique and interesting to watch.

When I analyzed the documentary, I realized just how much B-roll was used.  It was obvious that the producer had hours of film before editing.  She started with 5-6 interviews, footage of the pageant, and footage in both households and the doctor’s office. The interviews seemed to be the backbone of this documentary because the audio from the interviews were the narration for the entire film.  Rarely was footage from the actual interview used.  The producer only used this footage when strong emotions were being shown by the interviewee. I thought this backed up the story of each person and made the interview much more powerful.  Although the producer used the audio effectively, she also used silence effectively.  When the producer wanted us to focus on the film or the words on the screen, there was silence.  This allowed the film to tell part of the story as well.  An example of this is in the beginning when the husband goes off to work and the wife watches through the window and the camera focuses on her saying a prayer.  Instead of using audio to tell the audience about the uncertainty of him coming back home for dinner, the film shows it.

YouTube vs. Pandora

I spend a significant portion of my day on the internet whether it is for entertainment or school work.  When it comes to entertainment, YouTube and Pandora are my go-to sites. YouTube is a wonderful website where random people can share videos.  These videos range from stupid stunts to any song ever created.  Although YouTube has a splendid collection of funny videos, I tend to use it to search songs and listen to music.  However, I also use Pandora which is an online radio where you can search an artist name, genre, or song name then Pandora creates a station with similar music.  This website is a great place to discover new music and unlike YouTube, it does all the work for you. 

Both YouTube and Pandora seem to target the younger generation which becomes evident when analyzing the visual strategies of each.  When searching YouTube, a very busy screen appears. The very first thing your eye catches is a large advertisement plastered on the center of the page.   These ads are typically for a new movie or video game placed in a prime location for the advertisers’ target audience (teens-young adults) to find.  On the left side is a tool bar with specific video categories to help navigate the vast website.  And at the bottom of the page is a section of recommended videos based on your search history.  However, if none of these sections appeal to the viewer, there is search bar at the top of the screen for free roam of the website. The internet is obviously a very untrustworthy source so ethos is difficult to come by.  I would say YouTube shows its credibility by posting videos on the homepage with a large number of views to portray its vast audience.  Also, if you scroll all the way to the bottom of the page there are multiple links to show YouTube’s credibility and website policies.

When searching Pandora, a very simple screen appears. Similar to YouTube, there is a tool bar on the left side with a list of all the stations that you have created.  In the center of the screen is a picture of the album cover for the song playing and just below this is a description of the artist and/or the lyrics.  Centered at the top of the screen are a serious of buttons to navigate the station similar to a car radio with a pause/play button and skip button.  And of course, to the right of the screen is a large, flashy advertisement cunningly placed on a popular website.  Again, ethos on the internet is difficult to build.  But Pandora, like YouTube, has a series of links at the bottom of the page to show its credibility being a website with free music. 

Overall, Pandora works best for me because being a lazy college student I like that it creates a station for you and has an ongoing track of songs.  It is difficult to find quality videos on YouTube and you must constantly search for videos.  On the visual side, Pandora has a much simpler design.  I think this simple presentation works the best out of both websites.

Visual Rhetoric

Both No Seconds and The Last Meal Project addressed the same issue, but approached the issue in different ways visually. Although both websites included a picture of the last meal chosen by each inmate, there was one visual difference that stood out to me.  The Last Meal Project included a picture of the prisoner.  I think including the picture made the author’s argument much more personalized because the reader was able to get a glimpse of that particular person’s final moments.  This author seemed to be targeting the readers’ emotions by including pictures of the inmates.  However, the author of this website seemed to have gotten carried away with visual rhetoric.  All the colored text, special backgrounds, messy font, and overlapping pictures were visually overwhelming. I also did not like the random “fun facts” thrown throughout the slides. In my opinion, these aspects made the argument less compelling because it was distracting and the actual argument seemed to be hidden under all of this extra design.

I found the No Seconds website’s argument more compelling for multiple reasons.  This author chose to include one important piece of information…the crime committed.  If these people received a death sentence, then as the reader I would like to know why.  The crime committed is an essential piece of information when discussing the death penalty.  Also, the visual aspects of No Seconds were much more “to the point” and plain.  Although this doesn’t sound aesthetically pleasing, it fit the topic of discussion which is a very serious subject.  The author did choose to use a messy font but it was balanced out by the use of a black color.  Also, I thought the pictures this author included supported the argument better than The Last Meal Project because it was one single photograph with all the same information. But, this high quality photograph made the food seem as though it was placed right in front of you and that you were now the prisoner. This allowed the reader to relate with the prisoner on a personal level.  Overall, the simplicity of this website allowed the reader to focus on the argument not the pictures and fancy fonts.

Speech Reflection

I have one of the worst habits when it comes to giving a speech...I memorize word for word.  I have done this since high school so it is a habit that is going to be very hard to break.  When I prepare for a speech, I begin by typing out everything I want to say and then organize those thoughts into a meaningful order.  This outline becomes my lifeline when I go up to speak.  Although our brains are amazing things, they can let us down when we least expect it.  I clearly experienced this when I took a long pause in the beginning, racking my brain for what I was supposed to say next.  This has to be one of the most terrifying situations when giving a speech because people don't always pay attention when you're talking, but when you stand there fighting for words, EVERYONE is alert then.  After this horrifying pause though, I was able to pick back up and finish without any other mishaps.  I have never watched myself give a speech so I was interested to see what other annoying habits I had.  Fortunately, I did not sway, use filter words, or avoid looking at the audience. When giving a speech, you become so focused on what to say next that you become completely unaware of your body.  I was pleased to find that I kept control of my movements and engaged with the audience more than I realized. Overall, I presented about as well as I expected.  I just hope I learn my lesson and avoid memorization for future speeches.

Questions I hate answering

I am Polish and I am proud of it. My heritage is probably the first thing people notice about me.

"Hi, what's your name?"

"My name is Madeline Strzelewicz."

From this point forward I wait for the inevitable series of questions that follow this introduction.

"Wow, what is that?"  This has to be one of the most irritating question among all the irritating questions.  Although this question is always poorly worded, I know exactly what the person is trying to ask about.  Either the person directly asks what my ethnicity is or even worse, they try to guess.  And for as many times as people have tried to guess, very few people get it right.  The people that do are my fellow Michiganders because Michigan and northern Ohio have large Polish populations.  But for the rest of you, no it is not Russian, German, or Greek. 

"Can you say that one more time?"  I don't mind this question too much because it is easy to answer, but what typically follows is the frustrating part.  Once a person has heard my last name they try numerous times to say it, butchering my name every single time even after I have tried to give helpful hints.  In all honesty, there have been points where I just give in and tell the person they are saying it right even when they are completely wrong.  At that point, I have weighed the pros and cons in my head and determined that I truly don't care if they know how to correctly say my last name.

Having to spell my name over the phone is probably the worst.

"Can I get your last name?" Yes, this is a simple question but usually when this is asked over the phone the person on the other line has to write it out...

"Uhh..Can you spell that for me?" This is the question I dread the most because spelling out an 11 letter last name that is spelled nothing like it sounds is always a disaster. Eventually, I have to break down every letter one at a time using a word that starts with that particular letter for the other person to understand what I am saying.  And sometimes after all of that, they read back through it one more time to make sure they spelled it all right and they still made a mistake. And trying to explain where that mistake is and how to fix it is a whole other pitiful story.

Last but not least,
"I bet you get that a lot."  Although this is not exactly a question, it is a statement that I hate responding to.  And all I have to say to that is why ask if you already  know the answer.  Yes I do get that a lot; thank you for continuing the trend. -___-


                            

TED talks

For some reason, we are comfortable conversing with friends and family but when it comes to talking in front of others our nerves get the best of us.  It is easy to watch speech after speech and criticize them because the elements of a successful speech are common sense. But when our turn rolls around, all of those "common sense" elements are thrown aside as we let fear take control. 

I chose to watch the TED talk "Diana Nyad: Never, ever give up."

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

I actually had to watch the video twice because the first time through I was so immersed in her story that I forgot why I was watching it in the first place.  The second time around I made sure to focus my attention on the specific elements of the speech.  The fact that she was obviously able to capture my attention so quickly was one of the better aspects of her speech.  Throughout the speech she told the story of how she accomplished her dream of swimming from Cuba to Florida (a 100-mile swim).  Although this is probably not a dream her audience shared with her, she made the story relatable to everyone.  She used her story to relay messages that we have heard many times "chase your dreams" and "never give up”; messages that the audience could take from and apply to their own dreams.  Also, Diana gave a conversational, relaxed speech that did not seem rehearsed.  Her thoughts and ideas flowed as she spoke.  I think Diana's body language also enhanced the casualness of the speech.  She seemed relaxed and used the entire stage to walk around and talk to each section of the audience.  It was obvious how passionate she was about the topic of discussion.  There were moments where she seemed to go back in time and recreate the scene through descriptive words and details so the audience could visualize it with her.  It was clear when she had a specific thought that she wanted the audience to hear because she would pause to gather everyone’s attention then speak in a louder, firmer voice to enhance the importance.  Diana used key elements like a hook, relevance, relaxed pace, and clear description to create an overall successful speech.