Reflection Essay

Looking back at our documentary, I would say the biggest struggle would be our initial focus. We had a lot of different ideas for where we wanted to take the project, and it took a while for us to finally narrow in on one direction. The aspect of our documentary I was most proud of would definitely be the editing. Conner did a terrific job at editing it. If I could change something about the documentary, I would try to add more action shots, such as a ride along or interaction with the delivery drivers with the customers. I felt that this would make the documentary more exciting and interesting. My role in the group was to be in charge of filming. While others did contribute to filming, I did film most of the interviews and shots that were used in the documentary. I really enjoyed working with this group and didn't find it frustrating at all. To promote a healthy group environment, I did my best to be available whenever the others wanted to meet. I'm pretty sure that I was at every group meeting. I also contributed my ideas whenever I felt that they would add to the documentary. I wish I would have been able to help with the editing more, but I didn't know how to use the software. I believe that I contributed a fair amount to the group, and that everyone did an equally good job.
I just wanted to start of by saying that I really enjoyed this course. I think that it did help me to hone my critical thinking skills, as I learned how to look in depth into films and other types of media. This course definitely challenged my communication and technological skills. I had to learn how to properly use a camera to film and the different shots that make up a film. I also had to speak in front of the class, something that I struggle with but improved on. I think this method was much better than just writing essays, like in other WRD classes. I really enjoyed your teaching style. I liked how you would go over the basic details of what we were learning and then ask for our opinions on what we thought. There was a good balance between lecture and discussion and I don't think you need to change it. To make this class better in the future, I think that you should assign the final project a little bit earlier. This would allow the groups to have a longer time to plan out what they wanted to do, and also give them enough time to change their focus if they realized they didn't like where the documentary was heading. That is really the only thing I would change about this course. Thanks for being an awesome professor and having a really great class.

Born Into Coal

I thought that “Born Into Coal” was a very well-done, interesting, and engaging documentary. I enjoyed how the introduction and closing were connected. In the beginning, Arianna was preparing for the pageant and planned on leaving the coal behind. However, at the end of the documentary, she won and decided to stay and keep coal as a part of her life. One aspect of this documentary that I thought was successful was the style. Most of the shots were very quick and transitioned to the next one seamlessly. Also, the filmmakers did a good job at using B-roll to keep the viewer’s interest during the interviews. When they did show the person being interviewed, the shot was often a close shot. This is where I had one issue with the film. Occasionally, the person would be looking directly into the camera. Instead of adding a dramatic effect to the documentary, I found it off-putting. Another aspect of “Born Into Coal” that I enjoyed was the way the film showed the life of the coal miners. It showed a miner leaving and coming home from work, as well as another miner having to get checked for black lung. Both of these demonstrated the sacrifices that these men had to make to provide for their families. If I had to storyboard this documentary, I would separate the film into four parts: the introduction to Arianna and her family, the discussion of the mining deaths, the life of a coal miner, and the pageant. In conclusion, I thought this documentary utilized many different elements successfully and was very well-done.

Visual Rhetoric

The two websites that I chose to compare were IGN and Gamespot. I frequent these two sites quite often due to the fact that I am an avid gamer. Both websites are extremely similar in both their structure and audience. The target audience for both websites would be 18-30 year old males. This is typically the age group for "gamers". This audience is also reflected on the advertisements that run on the sites, as they are video games, movies, and products that would appeal to this demographic. As far as structure goes, both IGN and Gamespot have a toolbar at the top of their page that allows the user to be directed to reviews, trailers, and various consoles. This is then followed by the main story, which is accompanied with a large image that takes up a majority of the page. Other top stories, usually around 4, are listed horizontally after the main story. The rest of the page is filled with articles that are organized by most recently published. On the right side of both websites is a list of games that were just released, organized by the best review score. This allows the reader to easily view the best games out at the current time. Even though IGN and Gamespot are very similar, I believe that IGN has a more visually pleasing website. Everything is organized neatly, and the pictures that accompany each article are scaled nicely. On Gamespot, I feel like the pictures are too large and take up take much space, leading to a jumbled website. This just goes to show how important visuals are to the average person. If Gamespot had balanced their images, the website would be much more organized, and I would be more likely to visit it.

Visual Rhetoric

While both "The Last Meal" and "No Seconds" projects share a common subject, it is clear that they are also very different. They are also great examples of the use of visual rhetoric. The first piece, "The Last Meal", connected the meal with the convict. Each slide had a picture of the criminal who was about to be executed with their last choice of meal. This allowed for the viewer to look into the eyes of the criminals, something that "No Seconds" did not do. However, I do believe that this also took away from the actual meals, as the images were quite small. Another interesting point about "The Last Meal" was that after about 2 or 3, it gave information on the death penalty. I found these facts to be very fascinating and thought that they successfully added another element to the project. One aspect that I did not like about this was the text on the right of the images. I didn't like the notebook paper background and found the tilted writing to be sort of distracting. The next project that focused on the last meals of criminals was "No Seconds" (I enjoyed this title much more). The purpose of "No Seconds" was strictly to display the last meals of several different convicts. Each slide consisted of a birds-eye view of their last meal. The backgrounds differed on each slide, and the colors often complemented with the food. I found this project much more compelling because I was interested in seeing the different kinds of meals that the inmates chose, and this one displayed the meals much better. I also thought that "No Seconds" did a better job with displaying the information on each slide. The information was neatly displayed based on facts about the inmate and then the various food selections that they chose for their last meal. In conclusion, I believe both projects did a good job of using visuals to draw the audience into their work. While they both had similarities and differences, I felt like "No Seconds" focus on high quality images of the meals made it the better project.

Speech Reflection

When looking back at my speech, I feel that there are many things I can do to improve for future presentations. The area that I need to focus on the most is my preparation. It was obvious that I was not prepared for this speech because it only last 1:51 and I had to constantly look at my note card. This is something that I did not realize, until I looked back at the video. I used my note card far too much. By being more prepared, I wouldn't be dependent on looking at the note card, thus improving my eye contact. Also, by being more prepared I would have realized that I needed more information to talk about to reach 3:00. I also need to improve my focus. I didn't really make it clear where I wanted to take the project. I should have discussed how I wanted to focus on the people who host the movies, as opposed to those who go and watch them. When it comes to my movements, I stood in one place basically the entire time with minimal movement. I did use some gestures, but they mainly revolved around my note card. I should also try to avoid putting my hand in my pocket. Looking on the bright side of my speech, I did feel like my introduction was engaging and drew the audience in to my topic. In conclusion, I feel like by improving my preparation, focus, and movements, my next presentation will be much better.

Questions I Hate Answering

A common form of question that I get on a regular basis is about my last name. Most of the time I get “How do you pronounce your last name?” but I am also asked “How do you spell it?” I understand that I do not have a typical last name, but I really don’t see why it is that hard to pronounce? It is pronounced (pet-it). The extra T at the end of my name seems to throw some people off, as many people pronounce it (pet-ite). I don’t get annoyed as much when people ask how to spell it because I have seen many different spellings for the name and I do know that mine is unique.

            Other questions that I hate answering are ones that I have gotten recently. Since this is my first year in college, all of my family members and various other adults like to ask me “How is college?” or “Do you like college?” I usually just reply with “Yeah, I really like it.” I understand that they just want to know how it is going for me, but the fact that I get these questions every time I go home has become a tad bit annoying. I guess I should just be thankful I have the opportunity to go to college and as a result get these questions.

            Both of those types of questions don’t even compare to how much I hate getting asked this last one. The question I hate answering the most is “Do you have a girlfriend?” I don’t know why I hate being asked this so much, I suppose it’s because it is a fairly personal question. I can’t say “It’s personal” or “I’d rather not talk about it” because then I come off as being rude. And to make matters worse, when at times I do have a girlfriend and say “Yes, I do”, I get countless other questions about it. It’s a lose, lose no matter what.

Ted Talk

http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days.html

The “Ted Talk” I watched was about a man who wanted to try something new for 30 days. He took the challenge and shared how it ultimately changed his life. Also, he encouraged the viewers to give it a shot, because it just might change our lives too.  An area of his speech that I thought the speaker did a good job at was his tone and volume. He kept me interested in the speech by altering his tone, especially when he talked about how bad the novel he wrote was. Another part of his speech that I found effective was that he took short pauses after certain pieces of information. This really emphasized the important parts of the speech for the viewer. Another area that was a strong point of Matt Cutt’s speech was his body language. He used many hand gestures and walked back and forth to keep the audience interested. This gave the speech a more relaxed tone, as if he was having a typical conversation with you instead of standing in front of a large audience. One area that I felt was ineffective in Matt’s speech was his introduction. He immediately started in on his topic, when I felt like he should have addressed the audience to start off the speech. However, he did have a very effective conclusion as he summed everything up and challenged the audience to take a 30 day challenge. After watching this “Ted Talk”, I now know the importance of body language, tone, volume, and an effective introduction. These can all be used in my upcoming speech.