Class Reflection: 10/27

Today was one of the best classes of the whole semester! Everyone came dressed up in awesome costumes and brought delicious food for us to chow down on all class. We even got Panera to sponsor our party and hook us up with some amazing bagels. One of my favorite parts of the class was when Doc Chris had a dance party and the class got Gina to loosen up and dance with Doc Chris; she looked like she was having so much fun!!

All of the groups' presentations were awesome and all deserved an A++++! Everyone had really great examples, which Doc absolutely loves. I learned all about editing and sound in videos. I never realized before how much work goes into editing a live TV program like a news show. The control room has so many screens they have to pay attention to in order to prevent any serious bloopers.

Another thing I never realized was how important the camera angles are when you are filming an interview. In order to make sure the audience understands what is going on, the angles have to make the scene clear. In other words, you cannot shoot the interviewer from one angle and then shoot the interviewee from a different angle. It will confuse the viewer and prevent continuity in the shot sequence.

Doc Chris was really fun today and got the class amped by playing fun music and dancing around in his typical fly Doc Chris way!

Converging Index Vectors

Instantaneous Editing

The control room in a news studio is an example of the use of instantaneous editing. When anchors are on the air live, it is up to the control room to edit quickly so that everything goes smoothly and there are no serious bloopers.

In the following video, Katie Couric shows us the control room:

Class Reflection - 10/20

What did we learn in class today?


Today in class everyone came in dressed to impress for their presentations! Each group did such a great job and I think we are all demonstrating our growth and improvement as a class. Each group did two presentations this week. Despite some technical difficulties, we all managed to pull everything together and complete the presentations. This demonstrated our ability as a class to overcome small struggles and persevere in order to deliver a successful multimedia presentation.

What did I learn by working with my group?


Las Mujeres delivered another great presentation this week! As a matter of fact, we delivered TWO great presentations! we had some awesome examples, including the Michael Jackson Pepsi commercial I posted below to demonstrate one of the chapter concepts. Amanda also pulled up another great example from the movie "500 Days of Summer" that demonstrated how a split screen functions in a video:

What did I learn individually? How did I grow?


Today was the first time I used Google + video chat and it really helped me grow as a presenter. Because I could engage in the chat and see Doc Chris' comments on each presentation, including my own, I could take the constructive criticism and grow. For example, while I was presenting, Doc Chris wrote on Google + chat that I needed to point to the screen as I talked. The next time I spoke, I walked to the screen and motioned to what I was talking about. NTWITA!!


Evaluation of Dr. Chris:


Doc Chris saw my midterm today during class and said that he thought it was good so that made me really happy. I'm looking forward to hearing more of his comments on my whole midterm once he's had the time to really look over it.

I really like that Doc Chris uses Google + chat throughout the class, particularly when he uses it during the presentations. Seeing his comments as we are presenting really helps me understand what he is looking for and what makes a great multimedia presentation. I think it really helps the entire class, as well as me, individually, grow and become better presenters!

Inductive Visual Approach

This trailer is a great example of the inductive visual approach. The video begins with extreme close-up shots of different parts of Bella and Edward's wedding. For example, there is a close-up shot of Bella's hair clip and her hand on her father's arm as they walk down the aisle. It is up to the audience to determine the context of the scene. Eventually, the shot pans out and and the audience sees the entire wedding reception including all the guests, the location, etc. 

Visualization: Pepsi commercial

Pepsi always has the best advertisements! Remember these two iconic commercials? The first stars Britney Spears, Pink, and Beyonce and the second is Michael Jackson's Pepsi Generation commercial. Such great advertising!

These are both great examples of how visualization provides and determines context. The brand name and logo, in this case, Pepsi, is given and then it is accompanied by sounds that influence the viewer's beliefs regarding the product.

Midterm: Sights!

The following three pictures are images that I found on my camera from before even taking Introduction to Multimedia! I took the first picture when I was in my car waiting in a line of traffic. This picture demonstrates me taking a moment to stop and appreciate a sight that I found beautiful. I love how large and clear this rainbow is. I also love that I took the picture from behind the windshield because the viewer can see the rain falling down the window. The way the rain is falling, it makes the road and ground seem blurry while the sky appears clear. 

Another aspect of this picture I love is the lighting. My group did a presentation on lighting and in the presentation, we explained how lighting can function as a way to influence the viewer internally (i.e. their emotions, beliefs, etc.) The sky below the rainbow looks dull and almost grey while the sky above the rainbow is bright, particularly in the upper left-hand corner where it looks like the sun is trying to poke through. 

I absolutely love the next picture I took while I was waiting for my friend outside of her dorm building. Not only is this a beautiful demonstration of color, it also demonstrates perspective. When the viewer looks at the picture, it seems as if they are looking up toward the sky, emphasizing the sunset as the main object in the picture. I also love the contrast between the dark, almost black, objects in the bottom half of the picture and the bright colors of the sky. The juxtaposed dark and light colors adds to the intensity of the image.

I chose to include this picture in my midterm because it demonstrates how color can function as an idea of unity. I took this picture while I was at a University of Wisconsin football game. As you can see, the stands looks like a sea of red. I have never seen so much school spirit and, even though I don't go to the University of Wisconsin, the fact that I was at the game also wearing red made me feel as though I was a part of something. 

Midterm: Videos of me singing my three favorite Adele songs!

Most people don't know this about me, but I love to sing. I always have. When I was four years old I would put on shows for my family in my grandparents' kitchen. As I got older, I became involved in my church choir and in middle school, I was the lead in the eighth grade musical. Music is one of the most important sounds in my life. Melodies and lyrics have the ability to move and inspire me. During college, singing definitely took a back seat. However, this past summer I participated in several open-mic nights. I am using the following three videos of me singing as a creative and fun way to demonstrate sounds in music!

In the first video, I am singing Someone Like You by Adele. This is one of the songs that I sang at several open-mic nights last summer. The first time I heard Adele sing this song I got the chills. I think it is amazing how sounds like Adele's song can evoke such strong physical and emotional reactions from people.

I found the music in the background that I am singing along to in each video is on YouTube. You can find instrumental versions of practically any song on YouTube! This is extremely helpful when I'm practicing because I don't play an instrument.

In the next two videos, I am singing One and Only and Don't you remember, both by Adele. I chose these songs for a similar reason I chose Someone Like You. The way in which Adele marries a beautifully sad melody with powerful lyrics never ceases to amaze me. Most of us are bombarded with sounds every day. Whether it is the television, an advertisement, or people around us chatting, it is easy to take advantage of. However, when I hear a sound as beautiful as Adele singing her songs, I stop for a moment and allow the sound to move and inspire me. Not all sounds serve the same purpose or make us feel the same way. In fact, there are some sounds that probably don't make us feel anything at all. However, when a person like Adele has the ability to create a sound the does cause some kind of reaction, it can be an extremely effective way to get people to listen!

Midterm: Motion Shown in Photographs!

This assignment was really awesome because I was able to look back at pictures and videos I had taken in the past and use them to demonstrate sights, sounds, and motions. Looking at these pictures after taking Introduction to Multimedia, I realize that I know so much more about the images. I am now able to analyze and appreciate aspects of the pictures I have taken in the past that I wasn't even aware of when I was taking the pictures!

Both of these pictures demonstrate the ways that motion can still be incorporated in a still image. I took the first picture while I was driving to New York at night with one of my roommates. I thought the lights on the bridge were really pretty so I wanted to capture the image. However, because we were driving and in motion, when I looked at the picture, the lights were blurred. I think that this makes the picture even more interesting and, in a way, adds some extra context to the picture.

I took the following picture on a lake in Wisconsin. This picture shows motion in a different way than the picture of the bridge above. I love how choppy the waves in the water look. Although the picture itself is a still image, it is clear to viewers that at the time the picture was taken, the water was in motion.

Another aspect of this picture I like is the shadowing in it. When I took this picture, I was standing in front of a large house that was blocking some of the sun, creating a shadow over the beach and part of the lake. When a view is aware of the motion of the waves and the sight of the shadow, they are able to develop so much context. For example, they might infer that because of the shade, it might have been a chilly day. If they notice the motion of the water, they might be able to imagine the sounds of the water.

Midterm: Group Photos & Videos!

 The following pictures and videos were taken with my group, Las Mujeres, during class two weeks ago. We went outside and experimented with different concepts we have learned so far in class. It was a really fun experience because we were able to work together and actually apply some of the concepts from the text, like motion, perspective, etc. into our project. 

This first picture is one I took of Amanda as she spun in circles. She also took one of me doing the same thing. We were playing around with how our cameras would capture different motions in a photograph. The camera on my phone could not capture a clear picture as Amanda was moving so fast, which is why the photograph appears blurry.

The next picture is one that Amanda took. The way this picture actually came about and the way in which the idea for the picture evolved was interesting. We wanted to play around with the idea of perspective so, first, Kathryn thought that a good way to demonstrate this concept was to take a picture of a building from the bottom looking up. When Amanda and I saw her doing this, we though it would be even more interesting if each of us took a picture in order to achieve a picture within a picture within a picture! All three of us had different perspectives of the building and each other when we took this picture. 

The third picture I took outside was of a yellow fire hydrant. We had just learned about the rule of thirds in class during one of the group's presentations and this was my attempt to demonstrate the rule. The rule of thirds is a concept in visual arts that states that an image is divided by two vertical and two horizontal lines, and that the main object of the image should be placed along those lines. When I took this picture, I purposely placed the fire hydrant slightly off-center so that my picture would adhere to the rule of thirds and be aesthetically pleasing.

The picture on the right demonstrates the rule of thirds. As you can see, the image is divided by two vertical and two horizontal lines and the bird (the main subject in the picture) is placed along the right vertical line. If I drew the same lines on my picture, the yellow fire hydrant would fall along the same lines as the bird.

          

                                                       Google Images      

     

Last, but certainly not least, the following is a video I took of Kathryn and Nicole walking outside. I took this video in order to demonstrate sound and motion.