Public Relations Event: Book Fundraiser for library at Providence Christian Academy
Overview:
Our book collection is in full swing. We have gotten things in to place, so at this point, Sharon and I are making sure that our publicity stays intact. We also want to make sure that we are collecting as many books as we possibly can. We are not at a complete stand-still point but a lot of what we do at this point in our project is merely manual labor, as books continue to come in and need placing and storing.
Work Completed:
We had a successful time with our presentation and kickoff for our project. Everyone seemed to enjoy the pizza party, powerpoint presentation, younger visitors, and room decoration as much as we hoped they would. We were able to gather some good suggestions from our classmates, many of which we have already implemented. One classmate even recommended us to her sorority president, so that we might put a word in with her service sorority and get extended help. Our flyer has been copied, approved by officials at Hendrix, and hung around campus for all to see. We wrapped our collection box in tissue paper and placed it outside of the 1941 Communications Studio in Daniel Hall. We wrote a press release, which we gave to Professor Holmevik to send out to other faculty members.
Next Steps:
We would like to send a campus-wide email out on the school server, but we are not sure if this will happen or not. We are in the process of doing some research and seeing how doable it actually is. We want to continue collecting books on our own, outside of just gathering what comes about in our box located outside of the 1941 Communications Studio. We have found various locations that have additional books to give away for free, so we’re keeping our ears and eyes open for that. Our most important “next step” is our paper. We recently learned that the paper is supposed to be anywhere between twenty and thirty pages, which scares us, honestly. We have an idea of what we are supposed to include in the paper, and we know what we have already included in the paper thus far, but we are not sure that we can meet the minimum length requirement. Even with visuals included, which we do not want to overload the paper with, meeting the minimum length requirement is going to be our biggest obstacle of all. We tried to meet with Professor Holmevik about it today, but he was not in his office, so we will schedule another time to get his input.
Conclusion:
Sharon and I are so satisfied with the support we have received thus far in the book collection. Of course we set our hopes high, but we are actually achieving what we set out to accomplish from the start. I think the reality of the situation really started to hit us when we saw our first twenty books come in. The Clemson community, and surrounding areas, are so eager to get rid of books, especially during this time of year, so I think we hit the nail on the head when we decided to do a public relations campaign for our project. We have each learned a great deal about public relations and the fundamentals of making a campaign a success, so we will exercise what we learn through this small book collection in our real-world jobs and internships in the future. For now, though, we must focus on the books for the kindergarten through twelfth graders!
Monday, December 3, 2007
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Study of Videogames
Upon returning from Thanksgiving Break, our class continued to study different forms of video games. One particular game that we looked at was geared towards the United States Army. We also looked at War of Worldcraft. I am not a big videogame-player, but i'm familiar with the games that Professor Holmevik has presented to us.
It's interesting to take a different look at these video games by closely examining the effects that the visuals have on the players. For instance, in the United States Army game, not only did the characters look and act like real members of the army, each character had an individual profile about themselves, including their job title and involvement with the army. When your character approaches another character, the other army men introduce themselves and state their positions, as a real army member might do.
The player navigates through an army world in such a way that the player on the computer feels as though they are walking through the rooms and the places outdoors that their army character is walking through. Although at times it felt dizzy, it was much easier to navigate as if you were in the characters body than it would be if you weren't "walking in your character's shoes"
The setting that the creatos of this game designed is quite interesting. According to some of our classmates that have either served time in the army or have lived near an army base, the scenery portrayed in the game, both indoors and outdoors, is very realistic. One of our classmates that served time in the army explained to our class that the reason that the army members sit in an upright position with their hands on their laps is because this is a required way of sitting for all army members. That is one detail that the creators made that is just as realistic as the real-world army base setting. Another classmate is from the area in Georgia that this particular game is supposed to be based out of, and she said that everything from the color of the sky to the trees surrounding the practice shooting field looked real.
Even though I don't know much about videogames, I feel like I have a deeper appreciation for them after studying them in class. Discussion of the games effects on players even flourished a conversation about the possibility of terrorists logging into the game and learning about the United States army. The boy that is in the army told our class that there was nothing in the videogame that the terrorists don't already know, as army "rituals" and "traditions" haven't changed over the past ten decades.
Now, if I can learn how to play these games in a successful-fashion, i'll be uptopar with everyone else!
It's interesting to take a different look at these video games by closely examining the effects that the visuals have on the players. For instance, in the United States Army game, not only did the characters look and act like real members of the army, each character had an individual profile about themselves, including their job title and involvement with the army. When your character approaches another character, the other army men introduce themselves and state their positions, as a real army member might do.
The player navigates through an army world in such a way that the player on the computer feels as though they are walking through the rooms and the places outdoors that their army character is walking through. Although at times it felt dizzy, it was much easier to navigate as if you were in the characters body than it would be if you weren't "walking in your character's shoes"
The setting that the creatos of this game designed is quite interesting. According to some of our classmates that have either served time in the army or have lived near an army base, the scenery portrayed in the game, both indoors and outdoors, is very realistic. One of our classmates that served time in the army explained to our class that the reason that the army members sit in an upright position with their hands on their laps is because this is a required way of sitting for all army members. That is one detail that the creators made that is just as realistic as the real-world army base setting. Another classmate is from the area in Georgia that this particular game is supposed to be based out of, and she said that everything from the color of the sky to the trees surrounding the practice shooting field looked real.
Even though I don't know much about videogames, I feel like I have a deeper appreciation for them after studying them in class. Discussion of the games effects on players even flourished a conversation about the possibility of terrorists logging into the game and learning about the United States army. The boy that is in the army told our class that there was nothing in the videogame that the terrorists don't already know, as army "rituals" and "traditions" haven't changed over the past ten decades.
Now, if I can learn how to play these games in a successful-fashion, i'll be uptopar with everyone else!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Class Notes, November 15
Games
-Serious Games
-Entertainment
-Story Telling
-Education
-The power of "flow" (psychology)
-Cartoons
-Dealing with things as complex as terrorism
-Delay, sound, explosion, counting the number of terrorists (game mechanics)
*Madrid
-Game provoked emotions of frustration because the player cannot possibly keep track of making sure that all of the candles are lit or re-lit.
-Purpose of some things, like Solitaire, is to relax the player
-Visual design must take certain things into account
-Serious Games
-Entertainment
-Story Telling
-Education
-The power of "flow" (psychology)
-Cartoons
-Dealing with things as complex as terrorism
-Delay, sound, explosion, counting the number of terrorists (game mechanics)
*Madrid
-Game provoked emotions of frustration because the player cannot possibly keep track of making sure that all of the candles are lit or re-lit.
-Purpose of some things, like Solitaire, is to relax the player
-Visual design must take certain things into account
Progress Report, November 15
Public Relations Event: Book Fundraiser for library at Providence Christian Academy
Overview:
Our project is moving along well. I continue to be pleased with the communication that Sharon and I have been able to have about our ideas to put forth towards our project. What we’re doing take a bit of creativity and organization, and I have no doubt in my mind that we are on the right track with implementing the skills that each of us has with organization and creativity. Our ideas just keep getting better.
Work Completed:
Over the past week Sharon and I have been working on our lay and expert documents for English 490 so we managed to get a few things done. We went by Tiger Town Graphics and put the order in for our t-shirt designs. Now we are waiting to get the proofs back from them to see what the t-shirt look likes and give them the go. We straightened our flyer out so that once we get the photo placed on it the flyer will be ready to print and distribute. We continue to run our classified in the The Tiger and we have a Facebook group.
Next Steps:
Our next step, as mentioned above, is going to be securing our t-shirt order, by finding out how many people want to purchase t-shirts. We thought that we could encourage people to order a t-shirt, or two, by giving them service hours in exchange. After all, by bringing books and ordering a t-shirt they are contributing to community service activity. We also need to decide what pizza company we will use for the party as well as secure the 1941 Studio in Daniel.
Conclusion:
We are very busy at the moment, and will be for the next few weeks, but having people already contacting us about the book collection, with books to donate, has secured Sharon and I’s feelings about being successful with our event. We collected a number of books, over 20, from a woman in Seneca on Tuesday, and we continue to get calls from people willing to donate. We will find a place to keep our books, whether it’s at my house or Sharon’s. Everything seems to be moving along as well as can be expected, we will just use our time after Thanksgiving to start compiling our documents and producing our papers.
Overview:
Our project is moving along well. I continue to be pleased with the communication that Sharon and I have been able to have about our ideas to put forth towards our project. What we’re doing take a bit of creativity and organization, and I have no doubt in my mind that we are on the right track with implementing the skills that each of us has with organization and creativity. Our ideas just keep getting better.
Work Completed:
Over the past week Sharon and I have been working on our lay and expert documents for English 490 so we managed to get a few things done. We went by Tiger Town Graphics and put the order in for our t-shirt designs. Now we are waiting to get the proofs back from them to see what the t-shirt look likes and give them the go. We straightened our flyer out so that once we get the photo placed on it the flyer will be ready to print and distribute. We continue to run our classified in the The Tiger and we have a Facebook group.
Next Steps:
Our next step, as mentioned above, is going to be securing our t-shirt order, by finding out how many people want to purchase t-shirts. We thought that we could encourage people to order a t-shirt, or two, by giving them service hours in exchange. After all, by bringing books and ordering a t-shirt they are contributing to community service activity. We also need to decide what pizza company we will use for the party as well as secure the 1941 Studio in Daniel.
Conclusion:
We are very busy at the moment, and will be for the next few weeks, but having people already contacting us about the book collection, with books to donate, has secured Sharon and I’s feelings about being successful with our event. We collected a number of books, over 20, from a woman in Seneca on Tuesday, and we continue to get calls from people willing to donate. We will find a place to keep our books, whether it’s at my house or Sharon’s. Everything seems to be moving along as well as can be expected, we will just use our time after Thanksgiving to start compiling our documents and producing our papers.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Class Notes, November 8
Computer Graphics
-Computer generated images
-Film
-Animated photo realism
-Special effects
I use a lot of computer graphics with my job at the newspaper. Each week, I would have to work with an assortment of design and layout that involved creative computer generated images. I did not have to work with many animated photo's in the news section, but I did work with special effects in certain photographs. There were things we had to alter in certain photographs on the computer before they were submitted for layout to make them look appropriate for what we were using them for. Some stories called for black and white photographs while others needed color photographs.
Our graphics department worked closely with computer graphics, and it was in watching them over their shoulders that I really learned to appreciate what sort of things they were creating. Computer graphics can range from video games, to computer games, to newspaper pages.These messages that we create through computer graphics and other technology help our staff communicate certain messages to our audience, whether they're cartoons, political graphics, or photographs.
-Computer generated images
-Film
-Animated photo realism
-Special effects
I use a lot of computer graphics with my job at the newspaper. Each week, I would have to work with an assortment of design and layout that involved creative computer generated images. I did not have to work with many animated photo's in the news section, but I did work with special effects in certain photographs. There were things we had to alter in certain photographs on the computer before they were submitted for layout to make them look appropriate for what we were using them for. Some stories called for black and white photographs while others needed color photographs.
Our graphics department worked closely with computer graphics, and it was in watching them over their shoulders that I really learned to appreciate what sort of things they were creating. Computer graphics can range from video games, to computer games, to newspaper pages.These messages that we create through computer graphics and other technology help our staff communicate certain messages to our audience, whether they're cartoons, political graphics, or photographs.
Progress Report, November 8
Progress Report
November 8, 2007
Public Relations Event: Book Fundraiser for library at Providence Christian Academy
Overview:
Our project is moving along well. I am pleased with the communication that Sharon and I have been able to have about our ideas to put forth towards our project. What we’re doing take a bit of creativity and organization, and I have no doubt in my mind that we are on the right track with implementing the skills that each of us has with organization and creativity. Our ideas just keep getting better.
Work Completed:
We decided that instead of having a graphic drawing (produced by Sharon and I) on the back our t-shirts we want to take a photograph of a few of the students from a young class at Providence Christian Academy, gazing up at a bookshelf with very few books, and have that printed on the back of the t-shirt. This would express their need for books in their library. Sharon visited Tiger Town Graphics after our meeting while I went to another class and got some prices on different designs. It turns out that the photograph idea is going to be a little more expensive than a graphic drawing, so I think we’re going to draw up a graphic for them to use and keep the shirts two colors only. We are going to offer our class the opportunity to buy a shirt for cheap to help us afford the costs. We’re hoping to get about 10-15 shirts. We have the flyer complete, and we want to use the photograph that we’re not using on the t-shirt on the flyer, so we’ve just got to add the photograph to the flyer, get it approved by Professor H., and then get it approved by the University for distribution. We chose an event name, “Once Upon A Time Book Collection” as well as a slogan for the back of the t-shirts, “Happily Ever After Begins with a Book…”. These names sort of stemmed from a font that Sharon saw that would work perfectly to convey our message. The font is called Odette, and it’s a fairytale-like font. That will be used on the flyer and the t-shirts so that everything is somewhat in sync and able to be associated easily by the eye. We are going to start putting together our digital portfolio, which we will do through Google Page Creator.
Next Steps:
We thought that the book drive in Emily Yelton’s honor might mess our book drive up, but I think we are going to be ok. We have already gotten replies from the classified that we placed in The Tiger. People are ready for us to pick up some books! We have to finalize the flyer, distribute the flyer, create the Facebook group, solidify the t-shirts, get the t-shirts made, and poll our class on who would like a shirt. We have spoken with a few pizza companies about pizza for the day of the “party”, but we’re going to take each day step by step and wait until some holiday specials might strike up on pizza in the area. We got the date of our presentation approved by Professor H. (November 27 at 3:30 p.m.), so now we just have to check back with the 1941 Studio to make sure it’s still available. We also need to make sure that we collect photographs for what we need photographs for. That’s a work in progress. We need to start compiling the stories that we are going to use from a class of students at Providence to make our “story book”. We will also start producing our slide show for the party/presentation soon, as we continue to collect photographs.
Conclusion:
We are very busy at the moment, and will be for the next few weeks, but having people already contacting us about the book collection, with books to donate, has secured Sharon and I’s feelings about being successful with our event. For distribution of our flyers, we want to try to extend our areas that we cover to outside of the university and go to some of the neighborhoods that might be cleaning out their closets as the holiday nears; we thought this would be another good way to involve the community. We toyed with the idea of sending a campus-wide email out a while back, so we should touch back on this idea and see if anyone around campus will step up to donate that way! Simplicity, consistency, and creativity continue to be the driving forces behind our work.
*Pictured above is what our font will look like on our t-shirts and flyers. It is called ODETTE. :)
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Update for Progress
Full progress report to come on Thursday...
We have finished the design of our flyer. Here is how it will look, pending the approval of Professor H.: (I cannot figure out how to import the flyer from Microsoft Word into my blog so I am pasting what is on the flyer, so far; imagine it on a word document, with more creative fonts like you will see...)
I sent this to your email, Professor H.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flyer:
“Once Upon A Time”
Book Drive
(Insert picture of students reading here)
Do you have new or used books that you would like to get rid of?
Want to donate them for a good cause?
Send an e-mail to:
Jennifer Salane or Sharon Reese
jsalane@clemson.edu sreese@clemson.edu
to find out how you can make a difference in a child’s life with one simple, timeless donation!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sharon and I also decided on several other things in our meeting this past week, which I will bullet right now but go into more detail with in my progress report for Thursday (as things are still "bubbling")
- We have come up with the design for our t-shirt and gotten prices on their production from Tiger Towne Graphics; we have some decisions to make about price and colore, but we're thinking doing a blue t-shirt with white writing, with a graphic drawing of a child looking up at a bookshelf. This is still in the works.
-The flyer needs a photo, Professor H.'s approval, and the university's approval and then we will start distributing it around campus and the community.
- Our event name will be, "Once Upon A Time Book Drive" and our 'slogan' will be, "Happily ever after begins with a book...". The event name will be used on the flyers and the t-shirts and the slogan will be used only on the back of the t-shirts. We will incorporate both in our facebook group.
- Our "event date" where we will present our project to the class and share pizza with everyone will be on November 27 from 3:30 to 4:45 in the 1941 Studio in Daniel. We have to double check that it's still available and then that is a go.
- We want to announce to our class on Thursday that if they are interested in purchasing a t-shirt they can, to help us fund the t-shirt idea. It's not mandatory, though.
This is our update for today, but i'll have much more information available in the progress report on Thursday. :)
We have finished the design of our flyer. Here is how it will look, pending the approval of Professor H.: (I cannot figure out how to import the flyer from Microsoft Word into my blog so I am pasting what is on the flyer, so far; imagine it on a word document, with more creative fonts like you will see...)
I sent this to your email, Professor H.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flyer:
“Once Upon A Time”
Book Drive
(Insert picture of students reading here)
Do you have new or used books that you would like to get rid of?
Want to donate them for a good cause?
Send an e-mail to:
Jennifer Salane or Sharon Reese
jsalane@clemson.edu sreese@clemson.edu
to find out how you can make a difference in a child’s life with one simple, timeless donation!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sharon and I also decided on several other things in our meeting this past week, which I will bullet right now but go into more detail with in my progress report for Thursday (as things are still "bubbling")
- We have come up with the design for our t-shirt and gotten prices on their production from Tiger Towne Graphics; we have some decisions to make about price and colore, but we're thinking doing a blue t-shirt with white writing, with a graphic drawing of a child looking up at a bookshelf. This is still in the works.
-The flyer needs a photo, Professor H.'s approval, and the university's approval and then we will start distributing it around campus and the community.
- Our event name will be, "Once Upon A Time Book Drive" and our 'slogan' will be, "Happily ever after begins with a book...". The event name will be used on the flyers and the t-shirts and the slogan will be used only on the back of the t-shirts. We will incorporate both in our facebook group.
- Our "event date" where we will present our project to the class and share pizza with everyone will be on November 27 from 3:30 to 4:45 in the 1941 Studio in Daniel. We have to double check that it's still available and then that is a go.
- We want to announce to our class on Thursday that if they are interested in purchasing a t-shirt they can, to help us fund the t-shirt idea. It's not mandatory, though.
This is our update for today, but i'll have much more information available in the progress report on Thursday. :)
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Class Notes, November 1 & Reaction
CSI:
Music is lively much like the people appearing in the first scene are
The Wallflowers! :)
Casino scene seems very,very realistic with noise level, crowd, lighting
Women compared to food
The tempo of the music really keeps up with the action of the opening act
Music stops, murder discovered
Slow, creepy music starts when "party stops" and detectives arrive
All pictures change quickly as images flash different words, characters, and colors
View from the car
Sound of traffic
People taking pictures on the side of the road
View of eyeball (up close)
Sound of wharped voice
Surveillance tape
Image of land (open) as we return from commercials
Like "victory" music at the end
After watching an episode of CSI: Las Vegas in class on Thursday, I have a new-found appreciation for the visual effects of such shows. It's amazing what kind of impact that light, sound, and takes after and before commercials can have on a viewer. It makes me realize that a lot of people do not understand what goes into making the visual appearance of a show what it is, especially a show like CSI. The visual aspects of each scene have such a large effect on the way that the viewer interprets what is going on, and what might happen next.
I noted several things as I watched this particular episode that I thought contributed to the overal visual effect of the show. The music throughout the entire episode almost always matched the action that was going on. For instance, when the episode begins the characters are in a club. The music is real happening and lively, much like the activity in the scene. Then, when the scene shifts to the characters in the crime lab, the music gets more melodramatic and low. This change in music helped me to put into perspective what was happening and follow the action more closely. The tempo of the music conveyed a sense of movement, too.
I've always noticed the lighting in CSI. Like we talked about on Thursday, one of the main colors that seems to help viewers identify with CSI is the neon green that is used. In other cases, the lighting in the club is real dark, whereas when the scene shifts to the crime lab, the colors are more fluorescent and bright. In some scenes the light even appears to glow, putting more emphasis on what it is that's glowing. At other times, the sun was shining when the characters were outdoors, or like when the scene from commercials started with a shot of the desert.
The way that the camera moved during each scene also caught my attention. I don't know much about camera movement, but from what I could tell, instead of moving the camera slowly from one person to another, the camera person shot one person's head and then switched completely to another person's head as the people were conversing. It was real quick movement, but it intensified the moment. Another example of camera movement was when the female investigator was sitting at the table, reading over something, and the scene opened with a news report on the television and then faded backwards into the woman sitting at her table. I thought that was neat because the camera never focuses on the television in the background, but merely zooms in on it, but then it focuses on the woman. Weird choice, but it was certainly effective. This idea goes along with the way that the camera zoomed in to the eyeball at one point.
Everything else that I noticed was relatively minor, but I noted each in the list above.
Music is lively much like the people appearing in the first scene are
The Wallflowers! :)
Casino scene seems very,very realistic with noise level, crowd, lighting
Women compared to food
The tempo of the music really keeps up with the action of the opening act
Music stops, murder discovered
Slow, creepy music starts when "party stops" and detectives arrive
All pictures change quickly as images flash different words, characters, and colors
View from the car
Sound of traffic
People taking pictures on the side of the road
View of eyeball (up close)
Sound of wharped voice
Surveillance tape
Image of land (open) as we return from commercials
Like "victory" music at the end
After watching an episode of CSI: Las Vegas in class on Thursday, I have a new-found appreciation for the visual effects of such shows. It's amazing what kind of impact that light, sound, and takes after and before commercials can have on a viewer. It makes me realize that a lot of people do not understand what goes into making the visual appearance of a show what it is, especially a show like CSI. The visual aspects of each scene have such a large effect on the way that the viewer interprets what is going on, and what might happen next.
I noted several things as I watched this particular episode that I thought contributed to the overal visual effect of the show. The music throughout the entire episode almost always matched the action that was going on. For instance, when the episode begins the characters are in a club. The music is real happening and lively, much like the activity in the scene. Then, when the scene shifts to the characters in the crime lab, the music gets more melodramatic and low. This change in music helped me to put into perspective what was happening and follow the action more closely. The tempo of the music conveyed a sense of movement, too.
I've always noticed the lighting in CSI. Like we talked about on Thursday, one of the main colors that seems to help viewers identify with CSI is the neon green that is used. In other cases, the lighting in the club is real dark, whereas when the scene shifts to the crime lab, the colors are more fluorescent and bright. In some scenes the light even appears to glow, putting more emphasis on what it is that's glowing. At other times, the sun was shining when the characters were outdoors, or like when the scene from commercials started with a shot of the desert.
The way that the camera moved during each scene also caught my attention. I don't know much about camera movement, but from what I could tell, instead of moving the camera slowly from one person to another, the camera person shot one person's head and then switched completely to another person's head as the people were conversing. It was real quick movement, but it intensified the moment. Another example of camera movement was when the female investigator was sitting at the table, reading over something, and the scene opened with a news report on the television and then faded backwards into the woman sitting at her table. I thought that was neat because the camera never focuses on the television in the background, but merely zooms in on it, but then it focuses on the woman. Weird choice, but it was certainly effective. This idea goes along with the way that the camera zoomed in to the eyeball at one point.
Everything else that I noticed was relatively minor, but I noted each in the list above.
What IS the big deal with television?
I've thought about this question a lot since we talked about it on Tuesday in class; What is the big deal with television? Some people seem to think that television is merely a form of entertainment, a tube that sits on the floor and releases a ton of invaluable information that make you laugh. I tend to disagree with this feeling, probably because I was raised during a time when the televsion was steering away from merely providing entertainment and towards incorporating education, reality, and even religion. Most of what I watch on television now is constructed in such a fashion that it is form of educational messaging. The history and discovery channels are two of my favorite channels, which we discussed in class. Reality televsion can be annoying at times, depending on what you're watching (I Love New York versus The Real World versus The Bachelor), but I tend to learn a lot from reality television, too. Plus, reality television actually gives people that are not necessarily actors from Hollywood a chance to debut their lives and talent in the form of a "show".
Television is also used for communication in the form of advertisements and commercials. Without these commericials, the television shows that air in between the commericials would not be a success. Sure, there is Ti-Vo and other mechanisms of blocking out the commericals, but the idea that people hate commericals and love the shows is two-fold. Some people might actualy enjoy watching the commericals, particurly ones like the commericals shown during the Super Bowl; they are funny, appealing, and often solicit a product or idea so that the viewer goes out and buys it or takes part in it. That seems pretty effective to me. I am not a Ti-Vo user, and sometimes I record shows to watch them later on, but I don't do this to avoid commercials, necessarily. I do this because it's convenient for me. I don't like all commercials, but I think the invention of commercials was absolutely genius of someone to think of. Without them, television really wouldn't be what it is today. I mean, imagine this: What would the USA channel, or even the TBS channel, be without the constant, repetitive commericals that come on between EVERY SINGLE SHOW soliciting what will be aired next, or what show will be on that night? It's so annoying but it's very effective. Even the small pop-up messages that spring up on the screen as you're watching your favorite episode of Friends is obnoxious, but you've to admit, it's effective advertising.
Television is also used for communication in the form of advertisements and commercials. Without these commericials, the television shows that air in between the commericials would not be a success. Sure, there is Ti-Vo and other mechanisms of blocking out the commericals, but the idea that people hate commericals and love the shows is two-fold. Some people might actualy enjoy watching the commericals, particurly ones like the commericals shown during the Super Bowl; they are funny, appealing, and often solicit a product or idea so that the viewer goes out and buys it or takes part in it. That seems pretty effective to me. I am not a Ti-Vo user, and sometimes I record shows to watch them later on, but I don't do this to avoid commercials, necessarily. I do this because it's convenient for me. I don't like all commercials, but I think the invention of commercials was absolutely genius of someone to think of. Without them, television really wouldn't be what it is today. I mean, imagine this: What would the USA channel, or even the TBS channel, be without the constant, repetitive commericals that come on between EVERY SINGLE SHOW soliciting what will be aired next, or what show will be on that night? It's so annoying but it's very effective. Even the small pop-up messages that spring up on the screen as you're watching your favorite episode of Friends is obnoxious, but you've to admit, it's effective advertising.
Progress Report, November 1
Public Relations Event:
Book Fundraiser for library at Providence Christian Academy
Overview:
Sharon and I did not have a chance to meet with each other this week due to our hectic schedules, so we did an email interview. We usually talk over email anyway, so it worked out perfectly and flowed smoothly for each of our schedules. Things are still moving along progressively, though, and with the tweaking of some scheduling plans and artistic designs, our project will be in full swing by Monday, October 29. Book collection has begun. We do have one “bump in the road”, though.
Work Completed:
We have each completed sketches for our t-shirt design so we have to pick one of these and submit it to the t-shirt company. We are still trying to design on an event name, which we hope we can ask the class about today. The flyer is still waiting on the event name, but a classified has been placed in The Tiger for our fundraiser so that students and faculty might make donations. That classified continues to run for the second week in a row.
Next Steps:
Our next step involves making an important decision. While I was working at The Tiger office last night, I learned that the Delta Zeta sorority sisters are doing a children’s book drive in honor and remembrance of their fallen sorority sister, Emily Yelton, who passed away in the beach house fire at Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. on Sunday. I think this might interfere with our project. If I had to guess, I’d say that most of the book donations are going to be made to Emily Yelton’s sorority; it makes more sense to do that, I agree. I am worried that we will not have a successful collection, so I’m now wondering what we should do. Should we change what we’re collecting, who we’re collecting it for, etc? This is something we need to talk to Professor H. about, and perhaps even our classmates.
Conclusion:
We have a lot of work ahead of us, but our main task is to decide what to do about the other book drive that has now come about. Even if we have to come up with another public relations event, I think it’s still possible to conduct and carry out a project with almost a full month left of classes. I will continue to worry, but hope that Professor H. has some suggestions.
Book Fundraiser for library at Providence Christian Academy
Overview:
Sharon and I did not have a chance to meet with each other this week due to our hectic schedules, so we did an email interview. We usually talk over email anyway, so it worked out perfectly and flowed smoothly for each of our schedules. Things are still moving along progressively, though, and with the tweaking of some scheduling plans and artistic designs, our project will be in full swing by Monday, October 29. Book collection has begun. We do have one “bump in the road”, though.
Work Completed:
We have each completed sketches for our t-shirt design so we have to pick one of these and submit it to the t-shirt company. We are still trying to design on an event name, which we hope we can ask the class about today. The flyer is still waiting on the event name, but a classified has been placed in The Tiger for our fundraiser so that students and faculty might make donations. That classified continues to run for the second week in a row.
Next Steps:
Our next step involves making an important decision. While I was working at The Tiger office last night, I learned that the Delta Zeta sorority sisters are doing a children’s book drive in honor and remembrance of their fallen sorority sister, Emily Yelton, who passed away in the beach house fire at Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. on Sunday. I think this might interfere with our project. If I had to guess, I’d say that most of the book donations are going to be made to Emily Yelton’s sorority; it makes more sense to do that, I agree. I am worried that we will not have a successful collection, so I’m now wondering what we should do. Should we change what we’re collecting, who we’re collecting it for, etc? This is something we need to talk to Professor H. about, and perhaps even our classmates.
Conclusion:
We have a lot of work ahead of us, but our main task is to decide what to do about the other book drive that has now come about. Even if we have to come up with another public relations event, I think it’s still possible to conduct and carry out a project with almost a full month left of classes. I will continue to worry, but hope that Professor H. has some suggestions.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Class Notes, October 30; TeLeViSiOn: What's the big deal?
What is so interesting about this medium of communication?
- Advertisements
- The way that we view things
- Becoming more interactive through things like reality television (American Idol), the news (polls), educational shows for children (Sesame Street), educational shows for adults (History Channel)
- Digital television helps to keep up with changing times (versus internet)
- Have ability to be flexible with On Demand, Recording, Ti-Vo (multi-model)
- Literacy (different types?)
1. Media
- Can use television for classrooms and teachers
Advertisements:
-Driving force behind television
-People want viewers to watch their show, so they pull in as much advertisement as they think is necessary to appeal to their viewers
-Seek to pull viewers into what is being advertised and get them to go out and obtain/use that product
-Has had a lot of years to develop
-Attention span of children
- How often do ad's premier? (Often become more frequent towards the end of a show)
-Cliffhanger's: commerical comes right before the pivotal part of the show and then when the show returns from the commerical break, all that's left is essentially the show credits
- Object: Don't lose viewers during the commercial breaks (unique characters?)
- Doesn't impose restrictions on shows; doesn't require the scale of time that a movie wants
-Lends itself to more casual entertainment, casual= viewer doesn't have to invest a whole lot of time
-Idea of rising action>conflict>downfall
-Sitcom: made for those situations where you just come home, sit down, and just veg out with something to laugh about
- Advertisements
- The way that we view things
- Becoming more interactive through things like reality television (American Idol), the news (polls), educational shows for children (Sesame Street), educational shows for adults (History Channel)
- Digital television helps to keep up with changing times (versus internet)
- Have ability to be flexible with On Demand, Recording, Ti-Vo (multi-model)
- Literacy (different types?)
1. Media
- Can use television for classrooms and teachers
Advertisements:
-Driving force behind television
-People want viewers to watch their show, so they pull in as much advertisement as they think is necessary to appeal to their viewers
-Seek to pull viewers into what is being advertised and get them to go out and obtain/use that product
-Has had a lot of years to develop
-Attention span of children
- How often do ad's premier? (Often become more frequent towards the end of a show)
-Cliffhanger's: commerical comes right before the pivotal part of the show and then when the show returns from the commerical break, all that's left is essentially the show credits
- Object: Don't lose viewers during the commercial breaks (unique characters?)
- Doesn't impose restrictions on shows; doesn't require the scale of time that a movie wants
-Lends itself to more casual entertainment, casual= viewer doesn't have to invest a whole lot of time
-Idea of rising action>conflict>downfall
-Sitcom: made for those situations where you just come home, sit down, and just veg out with something to laugh about
Pursuit : "Founding brothers: Kane, Corleone, and the American Dream"
As I was reading through Steve Erickson's article, I kept imagining several different actors who have played similar roles to those of Kane and Corleone, and even Welles and Coppola. I have not seen the Godfather movies in their entirety, but I know just enough about them to comprehend what Erickson's article is saying. The theme of this article, the pursuit of the American Dream ending in tragedy reminds me two films in particular. The first is a 1990 film called American Dream starring Jesse Jackson as himself and Ray Rogers as himself. Although the film was only 98 minutes long, the impact that it has on its viewers, particularly those who were alive during the Strike, was phenomenal. The Strike had a huge effect on the population, especially those that worked in the farming industry, and the outcome of the suffering that people went through was unimaginable. The film was able to put aside all "Hollywoodish" fluff and really, accurately portray the struggles that people endured- man vs. man, man vs. nature, and man vs society- in what was almost like live footage of the time of strife, itself.
In another film, the 2002 production of American Dreams is a more modern, "Hollywoodish" version directed by Daniel Attias and Bill D'Elia. The subject of the film is a family who deals with the American Dream during a time when this Dream was at its peak. The Pryor's deal with the push towards a cultural upheaval, and the film outlines their joys and pains in American throughout the 1960's and 1970's. Each family member is fighting their own battle: the parents, played by Gail O'Grady and Tom Verica, are learning to improve their relationship and jobs as parents, the two youngest children are dealing with normal more simple things that children pursue, the oldest brother JJ, played by Will Estes, is learning how to be different from his father, and the "middle child", Meg Pryor, played by actress Brittany Snow, dreams of being a dancer on "American Bandstand." The film suddenly becomes about her, amongst all of the other family members' problems. She deals with a boyfriend, a friend of a different race, and personal issues internally. The Pryor family copes with racism, feminism, adolescence, rock and roll, amongst their general family issues in an time when the Vietnam War is erupting.
Erickson's article made me think of each of these films and how a movie can personify social change, nostalgia, generation gaps, racial discriminations, physical struggle, strength of a family, and even peace. I had to watch American Dream in a class a few years ago, and although I have only seen parts of American Dreams, I know enough about it to recognize Meg Pryor as being a character like Al Pacino's was. I have always appreciated movies and short films for what they are and not what they are presented to be. I know that the talent of the actors should go without being overlooked, but the real reason that I watch most of the films that I do is not because of who is in them, necessarily, but rather to learn about what the film is based on. Sure, Al Pacino is a fascinating, highly renowned actor, but the Godfather movies are highly recognized for the content and basis of the films, not just the man who got the lead part. It is through short films and movies like the ones mentioned above that the general public, that did not live during the Strike, the Great Depression, or any other war era, learns what it was really like for the people who endured some of the greatest struggles in America's history. I think putting such great value on these movies places an even greater value on America's history, as a whole. Sure, books are available for people to read and learn about history mile markers throughout American history, but the fact of the matter is that some people aren't going to take the time to read these books, so why not put the words of the book into motion pictures. In doing so, these motion pictures can reflect the most positive and negative aspects of a particular culture through picture, sound, action, and drama.
In another film, the 2002 production of American Dreams is a more modern, "Hollywoodish" version directed by Daniel Attias and Bill D'Elia. The subject of the film is a family who deals with the American Dream during a time when this Dream was at its peak. The Pryor's deal with the push towards a cultural upheaval, and the film outlines their joys and pains in American throughout the 1960's and 1970's. Each family member is fighting their own battle: the parents, played by Gail O'Grady and Tom Verica, are learning to improve their relationship and jobs as parents, the two youngest children are dealing with normal more simple things that children pursue, the oldest brother JJ, played by Will Estes, is learning how to be different from his father, and the "middle child", Meg Pryor, played by actress Brittany Snow, dreams of being a dancer on "American Bandstand." The film suddenly becomes about her, amongst all of the other family members' problems. She deals with a boyfriend, a friend of a different race, and personal issues internally. The Pryor family copes with racism, feminism, adolescence, rock and roll, amongst their general family issues in an time when the Vietnam War is erupting.
Erickson's article made me think of each of these films and how a movie can personify social change, nostalgia, generation gaps, racial discriminations, physical struggle, strength of a family, and even peace. I had to watch American Dream in a class a few years ago, and although I have only seen parts of American Dreams, I know enough about it to recognize Meg Pryor as being a character like Al Pacino's was. I have always appreciated movies and short films for what they are and not what they are presented to be. I know that the talent of the actors should go without being overlooked, but the real reason that I watch most of the films that I do is not because of who is in them, necessarily, but rather to learn about what the film is based on. Sure, Al Pacino is a fascinating, highly renowned actor, but the Godfather movies are highly recognized for the content and basis of the films, not just the man who got the lead part. It is through short films and movies like the ones mentioned above that the general public, that did not live during the Strike, the Great Depression, or any other war era, learns what it was really like for the people who endured some of the greatest struggles in America's history. I think putting such great value on these movies places an even greater value on America's history, as a whole. Sure, books are available for people to read and learn about history mile markers throughout American history, but the fact of the matter is that some people aren't going to take the time to read these books, so why not put the words of the book into motion pictures. In doing so, these motion pictures can reflect the most positive and negative aspects of a particular culture through picture, sound, action, and drama.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
"Downfall" Notes/Reaction
NOTES:
How does the film visually help tell the story?
How does it help deliver the message and transfer the viewer into the film?
First Scene Viewed:
Very realistic wardrobes
Language remains what it is, only translated in text at bottom of screen
Character names seem to be real, believeable
Origins real, justifiable
Use of typewriter
Woman obtaining job...not usual?
Based on historical reference, solidity (i.e. Hitler's 56th birthday)
Reality of family members dealing with war-time conflict, have families at home to consider
Mass burning, rebellion by civilians
Use versus no use of politics
Working, middle, lower classes all seen evacuating
Children, women as troops; know no better than to fight, know nothing else
"In times like these, there are no civilians."
Uncontrollable shaking of hand
Next Scene Viewed:
War going on- seems quite realistic; sounds, picture, setting, events
Telephone call? (Monkhe to internist)
Underground/basement area with german script on walls
Officers who disobey are shot immediately
Women (mostly elderly) all contained in one room
Younger women trying to step in, give advice?
Honor, betrayal, loyalty, humanity
Next Scene Viewed:
Leader and his wife kill themselves
Disposal of bodies (salute)
Silent invasion by Russians- surrender?
Female and child- characters continue to get stronger
Suicide
Re-cap of character's individual outcomes
REACTION:
What a moving film, honestly. Downfall did an excellent job of portraying the real-life struggles that the world endured during a time when people had to make quick decisions that would affect the rest of their lives, live or die. Perhaps this is the reason that I watch so much of the history channel; i'm a sucker for accurately depicted documentary-type films. Everything from the costumes that the actors wore to the realistic sense of a young boy standing up for his country in a time of crisis exemplified the severity of such a crucial time in history. The movie did a great job of showing the power that Hitler had, as the people in the film- men, women, children, and elderly- just stopped what they were doing and watched him, listened to him, and responded to what he said. He said go and they jumped. The appearance on each character's face really brought to life exactly how that person was feeling, whether it was sad, freightened, brave, or strong. The viewer always knows what emotions the character is experiencing, down to a T, as if the viewer were walking in the actor's shoes. The film is not so much about aesthetics and appearance, but rather, about the history of a world somewhat known. A lot of times people only know to appreciate the visual appearance of a film rather than what the film is really about, or what it's based on. It's important to obtain an appreciation for and understanding of the validity, depth, and tragedy behind a film like Downfall.
Small details that the director used in the film, such as Hitler's hand that continously, uncontrollably shook throughout his time in the film. I don't know if his hand actually did this but I can imagine that he had some sort of problem relative compulsive shaking. The camera angles that the director used were intense and almost necessary. The scenes that took place in the underground shelter-type area were really shot in a sheltered area which is evident when the camera follows characters through hallways rather than just moving the camera left to right in front of a stage. It's as if the camera is chasing the actors to obtain remarkable, realistic shots. Even when the actual bombs and guns are going off, outside and inside of the shelter, the camera shakes and the sounds intensify and rumble; so lively and imaginable.
I cannot seem to steer away from the young boy in the film who is determined to fight this war for his country; was this a historical character? I can't help but wonder why this character was thought of. In a sense, we see the boy as the first one to step up and fight the battle, willingly, and then we see him experience his first trench-war, and then we see him leading a woman away from danger and into the future- ironic? Aren't children supposed to be the followers? Perhaps he is demonstrating hope for the future, that the war will come to an end and life will go on. Certainly an interesting addition to the underlying message of the film.
Progress Report: October 25
Public Relations Event: Book Fundraiser for library at Providence Christian Academy
Overview:
Sharon and I met on Tuesday, October 23 at 9 a.m. to go over what we want to achieve this week with our public relations event. For the most part, we’ve got some creative thinking to do. Things are moving along progressively, though, and with the tweaking of some scheduling plans and artistic designs, our project will be in full swing by Monday, October 29. Book collection has begun.
Work Completed:
We have each completed sketches for our t-shirt design and we are sharing them with each other today to decide on which one will be the best to submit to the t-shirt company. We wanted to ask our class for suggestions for an event name, but we didn’t get a chance to on Tuesday, so we will do that today in class and see what we get. I thought of “Pals for Providence” and “Providence Reads” for event names, but I think Sharon and I want to come up with something more generic that can be used year after year if this event continues. We are thinking about a seasonal, Thanksgiving/give thanks-type of theme. The flyer is laid out, we just have to insert our event name and picture. An advertisement has been placed in the classified section of The Tiger newspaper. In the advertisement, readers are asked to donate book s for a good cause; our readers include students, faculty, and community members. The advertisement will continue to run throughout the end of the event. We are continuing to work on a Facebook group to solicit our campaign to our friends.
Next Steps:
Once we complete the flyer we will have it approved and begin distribution. We still have to decide on a pizza company to use for the party, but we’re thinking about Colombo’s pizza because they offer a pizza that is 30 inches in diameter for a reasonable price. We have to make sure that the date of our event suits Professor Holmevik since we want to present/have the party during class time. Sharon and I decided in our meeting on Tuesday that instead of doing a portfolio of paperwork to turn in to Professor Holmevik, we want to make a digital portfolio, including the same things in this as we would have in the binder-type proposal. We are going to compose a picture slideshow to convey during our pizza party, so we’ve got to start collecting photos and music for that. We thought it would be neat to interview someone from Providence, such as a librarian, to include in our portfolio to show the real need for books in the school’s library. Sharon had a great idea to have her son and his classmates, who attend Providence, to each write their own story and we will make a compilation of their work bound together in a book to use for display at the pizza party; we will have two copies, one for submission and one to return to the class.
Conclusion:
We have a lot of work ahead of us, but our brainstorming so far has shed fairly sufficient light on our grip on tasks ahead. We try to maintain organization and communication to effectively carry out this collection and party. We hope to receive feedback over the next week. The first week that we tried to run our advertisement in The Tiger the advertisement actually did not run, by fault of no one in particular, so now that it’s being published in the Friday, October 26, the ball for collection will start rolling.
Sorry about the length, it's a little long! :)
Overview:
Sharon and I met on Tuesday, October 23 at 9 a.m. to go over what we want to achieve this week with our public relations event. For the most part, we’ve got some creative thinking to do. Things are moving along progressively, though, and with the tweaking of some scheduling plans and artistic designs, our project will be in full swing by Monday, October 29. Book collection has begun.
Work Completed:
We have each completed sketches for our t-shirt design and we are sharing them with each other today to decide on which one will be the best to submit to the t-shirt company. We wanted to ask our class for suggestions for an event name, but we didn’t get a chance to on Tuesday, so we will do that today in class and see what we get. I thought of “Pals for Providence” and “Providence Reads” for event names, but I think Sharon and I want to come up with something more generic that can be used year after year if this event continues. We are thinking about a seasonal, Thanksgiving/give thanks-type of theme. The flyer is laid out, we just have to insert our event name and picture. An advertisement has been placed in the classified section of The Tiger newspaper. In the advertisement, readers are asked to donate book s for a good cause; our readers include students, faculty, and community members. The advertisement will continue to run throughout the end of the event. We are continuing to work on a Facebook group to solicit our campaign to our friends.
Next Steps:
Once we complete the flyer we will have it approved and begin distribution. We still have to decide on a pizza company to use for the party, but we’re thinking about Colombo’s pizza because they offer a pizza that is 30 inches in diameter for a reasonable price. We have to make sure that the date of our event suits Professor Holmevik since we want to present/have the party during class time. Sharon and I decided in our meeting on Tuesday that instead of doing a portfolio of paperwork to turn in to Professor Holmevik, we want to make a digital portfolio, including the same things in this as we would have in the binder-type proposal. We are going to compose a picture slideshow to convey during our pizza party, so we’ve got to start collecting photos and music for that. We thought it would be neat to interview someone from Providence, such as a librarian, to include in our portfolio to show the real need for books in the school’s library. Sharon had a great idea to have her son and his classmates, who attend Providence, to each write their own story and we will make a compilation of their work bound together in a book to use for display at the pizza party; we will have two copies, one for submission and one to return to the class.
Conclusion:
We have a lot of work ahead of us, but our brainstorming so far has shed fairly sufficient light on our grip on tasks ahead. We try to maintain organization and communication to effectively carry out this collection and party. We hope to receive feedback over the next week. The first week that we tried to run our advertisement in The Tiger the advertisement actually did not run, by fault of no one in particular, so now that it’s being published in the Friday, October 26, the ball for collection will start rolling.
Sorry about the length, it's a little long! :)
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Class Notes: October 23
Film
What distinguishes film from other visual media?
- Transports us from our comfortable lives to something greater than life
- Allows us to dream and do things we don't normally do
- There is no such thing as a "motion book"
- Films are artistic expressions in-and-of themselves
- What makes a person really want to go see a movie?
- Desire to understand creator's expression of imagination (ex. The Fifth Element vs.
30 Days and 30 Nights)
- Theater a great place to go to see a recreation of actors portraying characters live on stage
-Search for iconic hero vs. bringing imagination to life (i.e. Die Hard, all four!)
- Film encompasses all forms of art, essentially
- Combines everything into one art form
- Movement
- Creative artistic expression
- Music
What distinguishes film from other visual media?
- Transports us from our comfortable lives to something greater than life
- Allows us to dream and do things we don't normally do
- There is no such thing as a "motion book"
- Films are artistic expressions in-and-of themselves
- What makes a person really want to go see a movie?
- Desire to understand creator's expression of imagination (ex. The Fifth Element vs.
30 Days and 30 Nights)
- Theater a great place to go to see a recreation of actors portraying characters live on stage
-Search for iconic hero vs. bringing imagination to life (i.e. Die Hard, all four!)
- Film encompasses all forms of art, essentially
- Combines everything into one art form
- Movement
- Creative artistic expression
- Music
Monday, October 22, 2007
Digital Remixes!
In class on Thursday, I joined a new group of classmates to create digital remixes. Our first task was to brainstorm and come up with ideas for the "subjects" of our digital remixes. We immediately started thinking of things that are controversial in the news, such as illegal immigration, George W. Bush's presidency, and Stephen Colbert from The Colbert Report. I liked the subjects we chose because it wasn't just one person coming up with all three ideas; each person in the group contributed to the thought-process and ultimate vote for which ideas would be transformed digitally into new images.It is neat to see how a serious subject, or even a funny subject, can so quickly be intertwined with a serious issue or a funny issue, completely changing the meaning behind the newly constructed image. I think our digitally remixed images faithfully fulfilled the criteria that Professor H presented to our class on Thursday: the creation of just-for-fun hoaxes that express solidarity, support and in some cases, political views.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
That's What I Love About Sunday's...
In the second photograph, I was lucky enough to be hiking around noon this past Sunday, enabling me to get some scenic photographs. I tried to use what we have learned in class- about having anything centered in the picture- and capture the "edges" of the frame of my photo. This picture was taken on Whiteside Mountain, located about an hour and a half from Clemson. At the time that I was taking the picture, I was standing on the edge of a cliff, overlooking another side of the same mountain that I was standing on (right side of the photo). I didn't want to have a very obvious focus. Naturally, the background is coated with mountainous image, but there are several different focuses to my photo. I really wanted the photo to be about the beautiful green side of the mountain that I am overlooking, while still capturing the delicate background. It worked our perfectly that the side of the mountain pictured in the right side of the photo was slopping downward, so it gave the photo that effect that we talked about in class where one object or action in the picture is falling down or climbing up the side of the photo, taking away from anything being centered. Without that mountainside on the right, I think the photo would be centered on the mountain range in the background. This photograph was actually taken first.
The photograph pictured at the top was actually taken several moments after the first one. I quickly hiked down a short trail in the direction of the mountainside pictured in the previous photograph, so I am now standing closer to the background in the first picture. I tried out the same technique from before with capturing a "slope" from one side of the picture. It wasn't until I got back to my computer and looked at the photographs on the computer screen that I realized that I actually captured that top of a tree in the lower left-hand corner of the photograph. I thought that treetop was an interesting addition to photograph not only because it added color, as did the closer side of the mountain (pictured on the right), but also because it obtained that "lower, bottom-half of the picture" frame that we also learned about. The same mountain range background is in this picture, but the entire bottom half of the photo has shape instead of just the right side of the photograph. When I realized that I did this, I thought it would be neat to see the two photographs, one on top of the other. I wish that I could have gotten more sky color at the top of each photograph, but either it was very clear up in the mountains or I just don't have the best of cameras.
I hope that I was able to correctly do what we talked about in class. After seeing Professor H's examples, I tried to mimick what he did with offsetting a center image and focusing on what the frame of the photograph could bring out in the overall picture.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Progress Report
Jennifer Salane
Progress Report
English 332, Holmevik
Overview:
My partner Sharon and I are doing a public relations-type campaign to collect books for a local elementary school, Providence Christian Academy, whom is trying to increase the functionality of their library. In doing so, we will successfully carry out different means of communication in order to reach the students, faculty, and local community members of the Clemson area in hopes of obtaining as many children’s books as possible. We brainstormed different means of publicity, such as The Tiger newspaper, flyers, www.facebook.com, email, and word of mouth. Our ultimate goal is to have a pizza party where donators can enter the party and have a slice of pizza by presenting a book or two at the door. The party will be held in the studio on the first floor of Daniel. We are hoping to have the party sometime after Thanksgiving Break.
Work Completed:
Brainstorming: Sharon and I have done a great deal of brainstorming, so we are at the point in our project where we need to start putting our ideas in action. We would like to have the party on November 27 from 2:00 to 3:15ish. We have to call and see if the studio is available to be used. We want to design t-shirts for the day of the party, even if they are just for a few people to wear. I have asked my friend Keri Deily, a graphic communications major, to give us advice for designing the logo for our t-shirts. We are currently coming up with slogan ideas on our own for Keri to reference in advising, as well. Sharon is handling putting an advertisement on www.facebook.com through the creation of a group that Facebook members can join. I am in the process of designing a flyer, which once it is done, will be hung anywhere around campus that Sharon and I get approval for. I put the first ad for our fundraiser in the Tiger Newspaper set to run this Friday, October 19. It looks like a filler ad, instead of just a plain old classified. I think the simplicity of the ad will attract reader’s attention. I directed readers to email me if they have any donations to make or just any questions for Sharon and me.
Interviews: I would like to do an interview with a representative from Providence Christian Academy to get their input on the severity of what the library needs and the extent of our project. Either Sharon or I can do this. I also think it would be neat to interview a student our age that is heavily involved with fundraising and perhaps even nonprofit work. That person might have valuable input and beneficial ideas for our project that we have not even thought of.
Writing/Production: We are trying to figure out what sort of document we want to create. I was thinking that we could put together a portfolio of our work, perhaps in a binder-format. I am not sure what the best thing is to do, so I want to ask Professor H. about this. We will each write our own paper, of course.
Next Steps:
Our next steps are very straight forward: design logo, come up with slogan, put in order for t-shirts, reserve studio for a party date, contact a pizza company for best deal on party pizza, and get the flyers hung around campus.
Conclusion:
The work that Sharon and I have done so far has been steady and consistent towards moving us in the direction of our goals we just need to figure out a time to meet with each other each week, outside of class. I told Sharon that I thought since each week changed, depending on our personal schedules, we should communicate on Sundays and decide on a time to meet during each week. The way that we assigned certain task for each of us has really helped in the production of our publicity because the workload is not too heavy for one partner over the other and not too light so that nothing is getting done. Sharon and I both realize that with a project like this, persistence and enthusiasm are important to maintain the constant flow of achievement with public fundraising.
Suggestions:
We have not met with Professor H. in a while, so we need to do that today, if possible, to get some feedback on our ideas so far.
Progress Report
English 332, Holmevik
Overview:
My partner Sharon and I are doing a public relations-type campaign to collect books for a local elementary school, Providence Christian Academy, whom is trying to increase the functionality of their library. In doing so, we will successfully carry out different means of communication in order to reach the students, faculty, and local community members of the Clemson area in hopes of obtaining as many children’s books as possible. We brainstormed different means of publicity, such as The Tiger newspaper, flyers, www.facebook.com, email, and word of mouth. Our ultimate goal is to have a pizza party where donators can enter the party and have a slice of pizza by presenting a book or two at the door. The party will be held in the studio on the first floor of Daniel. We are hoping to have the party sometime after Thanksgiving Break.
Work Completed:
Brainstorming: Sharon and I have done a great deal of brainstorming, so we are at the point in our project where we need to start putting our ideas in action. We would like to have the party on November 27 from 2:00 to 3:15ish. We have to call and see if the studio is available to be used. We want to design t-shirts for the day of the party, even if they are just for a few people to wear. I have asked my friend Keri Deily, a graphic communications major, to give us advice for designing the logo for our t-shirts. We are currently coming up with slogan ideas on our own for Keri to reference in advising, as well. Sharon is handling putting an advertisement on www.facebook.com through the creation of a group that Facebook members can join. I am in the process of designing a flyer, which once it is done, will be hung anywhere around campus that Sharon and I get approval for. I put the first ad for our fundraiser in the Tiger Newspaper set to run this Friday, October 19. It looks like a filler ad, instead of just a plain old classified. I think the simplicity of the ad will attract reader’s attention. I directed readers to email me if they have any donations to make or just any questions for Sharon and me.
Interviews: I would like to do an interview with a representative from Providence Christian Academy to get their input on the severity of what the library needs and the extent of our project. Either Sharon or I can do this. I also think it would be neat to interview a student our age that is heavily involved with fundraising and perhaps even nonprofit work. That person might have valuable input and beneficial ideas for our project that we have not even thought of.
Writing/Production: We are trying to figure out what sort of document we want to create. I was thinking that we could put together a portfolio of our work, perhaps in a binder-format. I am not sure what the best thing is to do, so I want to ask Professor H. about this. We will each write our own paper, of course.
Next Steps:
Our next steps are very straight forward: design logo, come up with slogan, put in order for t-shirts, reserve studio for a party date, contact a pizza company for best deal on party pizza, and get the flyers hung around campus.
Conclusion:
The work that Sharon and I have done so far has been steady and consistent towards moving us in the direction of our goals we just need to figure out a time to meet with each other each week, outside of class. I told Sharon that I thought since each week changed, depending on our personal schedules, we should communicate on Sundays and decide on a time to meet during each week. The way that we assigned certain task for each of us has really helped in the production of our publicity because the workload is not too heavy for one partner over the other and not too light so that nothing is getting done. Sharon and I both realize that with a project like this, persistence and enthusiasm are important to maintain the constant flow of achievement with public fundraising.
Suggestions:
We have not met with Professor H. in a while, so we need to do that today, if possible, to get some feedback on our ideas so far.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
The Movie Title that I Dislike
I dislike...
The movie title for Titanic for several reasons, too. I feel like when I saw this movie title for the first time, I knew almost too much about what was going to happen in the movie. I felt like this movie title could have been more "secretive" about what would happen in the movie. It's obvious that anyone that knows anything about the history of the Titanic knows that it's going to sink at the end of the movie, but some of the scenes in the movie were fabricated by the director, and could have been left a little more mysterious. I think that spotlight on Rose and Jack is a little less powerful in this movie title, which I wish had been different, since there is a love story behind the making of the film. Rose and Jack should have been highlighted a litle more in the movie title. The movie does have action in it, especially when the ship is going down, but I feel like too much of the ship sinking was shown in the movie title. I would have liked to save the ship-sinking sequence of events entirely for the movie itself.
Update on Progress Report
Just an update from earlier...
Ok, so I found out that Sharon overslept this morning and that is why she missed our planned meeting. I totally understand and have no problem rearranging another time to work on things.
I am not too nervous because we talked and we seem to still be on the same page. We are going to get together in the next few days, before Fall Break, to solidify some of our plans and choose a new date for our PR event. The one that we originally chose, November 2, is going to be too early. We want to make sure that everything is ok and ready to go. :)
Ok, so I found out that Sharon overslept this morning and that is why she missed our planned meeting. I totally understand and have no problem rearranging another time to work on things.
I am not too nervous because we talked and we seem to still be on the same page. We are going to get together in the next few days, before Fall Break, to solidify some of our plans and choose a new date for our PR event. The one that we originally chose, November 2, is going to be too early. We want to make sure that everything is ok and ready to go. :)
Progress Report
I was supposed to have a one-on-one meeting with my partner, Sharon, in the library for a couple of hours so that we could gather our current and progressive thoughts and goals for our project up to this point, but Sharon did not show up. I am assuming that something happened that prevented her from coming, perhaps with her son Cameron.
Before I try to produce a progress report on my own, I will try to contact Sharon and schedule another time to meet with her, perhaps today after class around 5:00.
For my personal input, the following are my goals for the next week and a half:
1. Contact the school we are collecting books for. Talk to a librarian.
2. Contact the pizza company of our choice. I am thinking about using Colombo's Pizza because they are always interested in doing volunteer activities and perhaps they will donate an Atlas-size pizza for us to use. This is a 28 inch pizza that feeds almost 20 people.
3. I want to try and see if any local bookstores have any books that they can donate. Perhaps any of the Salvation Army locations, or even the Robert M. Cooper library will have books that they want to get off of their hands, but don't want to throw away.
4. I want to begin designing invitations for our classmates.
5. I want to continue work on the design of flyers, a facebook group, and the email we are sending out to the student body.
6. One thing that I am working for is getting a small advertisement put in The Tiger. I want the advertisement to look inviting, so that students realize that students are conducting the collection, and that it is for a good cause.
7. I was trying to come up with a theme for our artistic design on our flyers, facebook group, and other publicity items; I think that some sort of general holiday theme would be cool. I don't want to do the stereotypical clip art pictures of books on our communication items, so I think Sharon and I have the potential to come up with something appealing. Two of my good friends are graphic design majors and are always looking small projects to give input on. I asked Rob if he would be willing to help us with t-shirts and he said he would love to. I also asked Keri if she could provide us with advice for our logo and she said she would be more than happy to. She is very talented with the tools that are used to create logos and is more than happy to teach Sharon and I to use them. Logos are one of Keri's strong points.
These are the things running through my mind right now, but I hope to hear from Sharon to get her feedback and suggestions.
Before I try to produce a progress report on my own, I will try to contact Sharon and schedule another time to meet with her, perhaps today after class around 5:00.
For my personal input, the following are my goals for the next week and a half:
1. Contact the school we are collecting books for. Talk to a librarian.
2. Contact the pizza company of our choice. I am thinking about using Colombo's Pizza because they are always interested in doing volunteer activities and perhaps they will donate an Atlas-size pizza for us to use. This is a 28 inch pizza that feeds almost 20 people.
3. I want to try and see if any local bookstores have any books that they can donate. Perhaps any of the Salvation Army locations, or even the Robert M. Cooper library will have books that they want to get off of their hands, but don't want to throw away.
4. I want to begin designing invitations for our classmates.
5. I want to continue work on the design of flyers, a facebook group, and the email we are sending out to the student body.
6. One thing that I am working for is getting a small advertisement put in The Tiger. I want the advertisement to look inviting, so that students realize that students are conducting the collection, and that it is for a good cause.
7. I was trying to come up with a theme for our artistic design on our flyers, facebook group, and other publicity items; I think that some sort of general holiday theme would be cool. I don't want to do the stereotypical clip art pictures of books on our communication items, so I think Sharon and I have the potential to come up with something appealing. Two of my good friends are graphic design majors and are always looking small projects to give input on. I asked Rob if he would be willing to help us with t-shirts and he said he would love to. I also asked Keri if she could provide us with advice for our logo and she said she would be more than happy to. She is very talented with the tools that are used to create logos and is more than happy to teach Sharon and I to use them. Logos are one of Keri's strong points.
These are the things running through my mind right now, but I hope to hear from Sharon to get her feedback and suggestions.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Title Study: Steel Magnolias
One of my all-time favorites movies, the infamous "chick flick" Steel Magnolias, has a very sophisticated, yet light-hearted physique about the way the title is displayed. I like the choice of red for the font color because it's a primary color, yet it is bright enough to accent the backgrouond picture-the women and the Southern, outdoorish nature scene- by being almost apple-like. I think of an apple tree when I see the cover of Steel Magnolia's, which is slightly appropriate since the setting is in the South. That is one of the first connections that came to mind between the color red and the cover. Also, since the movie is driven towards the strength of a few badass Southern women of various ages, the color red stands out as a very strong, independent, sophisticated color, accurately depicting the lives of these women. Anything from red lipstick to red high heels could be imagined here. The font used to convey the title reminds me one known as Comic Sans. The letters are not too large, but not too small, and the bubbly, round, shape of the title letters resembles the attitudes and personalities of the women in the film. It almost seems like the font style that most women right in. In a general sense, women are typically associated with a bubbly, neat, happy-looking style of handwriting.
Progress Report
I was out last Thursday when we met with our partners and groups and discussed our proposals. I figured I would post something about the progress of Sharon and my project. We did a rough proposal to begin with, and just recently, we tried to put some sort of time frame on what we are doing. We chose tentative dates to have things completed by, with intentions of setting goals for ourselves.
Because I was sick and not able to come to class last Thursday, I was not able to hear what Professor Holmevik specified about the project proposals. From what Sharon was able to tell me, we must be a lot more specific with our dates on the proposal. We also have to do weekly progress reports, if i'm not mistaking, which I think is going to be very beneficial for the two of us to keep up with what we are doing, what we should be doing that we are not, what things need to achieve at a certain point in order to get them done, and things of that sort.
At this point, Sharon and I have got to get together again to rewrite and add more detail and specifications to our proposal. Since we are doing a PR plan for a local elementary school, we need to solidify our contact and communication with at least one official, perhaps a librarian, at the school.
Because I was sick and not able to come to class last Thursday, I was not able to hear what Professor Holmevik specified about the project proposals. From what Sharon was able to tell me, we must be a lot more specific with our dates on the proposal. We also have to do weekly progress reports, if i'm not mistaking, which I think is going to be very beneficial for the two of us to keep up with what we are doing, what we should be doing that we are not, what things need to achieve at a certain point in order to get them done, and things of that sort.
At this point, Sharon and I have got to get together again to rewrite and add more detail and specifications to our proposal. Since we are doing a PR plan for a local elementary school, we need to solidify our contact and communication with at least one official, perhaps a librarian, at the school.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Changing the Face of Poverty: Response
Since I posted remarks about the wrong article last Tuesday, I am going to post about Changing the Face of Poverty, and what I think our class could discuss, for this week’s assignment.
After reading over the article, I think it’s important that our class talk about the second part of the story, concerning the problems with representation of poverty. As a journalist, I see it vitally essential for readers, artists, poets, writers, musicians, photographers, and anyone else for that matter to represent and visualize poverty in whatever way they feel it is necessary.
Some people will go as far as to witness something first-hand, or walk in the shoes of the poor, and recount the information that they learn from their experience for the public to read and see. There is obvious controversy in this piece about whether or not representation of such things is really appropriate or necessary.
It states on the second page that “…we must see them before we can care about them” and “we must care about them before we are moved to end the intolerable conditions that mark their lives”. Does the class feel that this is true, or should we not “represent the poor” in different ways, some even artistically?
Perhaps turning something that is an on-going battle into something that is a work of art will provide an outlet for people who are not poor to understand and feel the pains of those that are poor, thus allowing them to directly relate to the suffers that the poor people are going through by using visual images of all sorts.
This especially affects the people that are our age, our generation, the age of the people in this class, because we see these things in our classes, we study these types of photographs, we sing along to the lyrics of the songs about poor people, whether we realize that or not.
We must realize that it’s not a subject to be taken lightly, and in order to fully convey the seriousness of the issue of poverty, we must use every form of communication that is available to us to educate the public.
After reading over the article, I think it’s important that our class talk about the second part of the story, concerning the problems with representation of poverty. As a journalist, I see it vitally essential for readers, artists, poets, writers, musicians, photographers, and anyone else for that matter to represent and visualize poverty in whatever way they feel it is necessary.
Some people will go as far as to witness something first-hand, or walk in the shoes of the poor, and recount the information that they learn from their experience for the public to read and see. There is obvious controversy in this piece about whether or not representation of such things is really appropriate or necessary.
It states on the second page that “…we must see them before we can care about them” and “we must care about them before we are moved to end the intolerable conditions that mark their lives”. Does the class feel that this is true, or should we not “represent the poor” in different ways, some even artistically?
Perhaps turning something that is an on-going battle into something that is a work of art will provide an outlet for people who are not poor to understand and feel the pains of those that are poor, thus allowing them to directly relate to the suffers that the poor people are going through by using visual images of all sorts.
This especially affects the people that are our age, our generation, the age of the people in this class, because we see these things in our classes, we study these types of photographs, we sing along to the lyrics of the songs about poor people, whether we realize that or not.
We must realize that it’s not a subject to be taken lightly, and in order to fully convey the seriousness of the issue of poverty, we must use every form of communication that is available to us to educate the public.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
What, Why, How & When: Semester Project Proposal
Over the past few days, Sharon and I have taken our original proposal and expanded on it. In doing so, we added tentative dates for each goal that we have. These dates are tentative because we know when we would like to have things done, but since we are working with such a broad group of people, and since our project relies heavily on the response of people to what we are doing, we thought it would be most appropriate to keep our dates tentative, and not too, too specific. We know what we want to do and we have a reasonable way of getting things done. Here is our plan:
GROUP
Jennifer Salane and Sharon Reese
WHAT
Public Relations Event/Fundraiser/Campaign: Will take place throughout the month of October
· Mission Statement (Why?): To collect books for a local school’s library, Providence Christian Academy, by hosting a fundraiser-type drop-in.
HOW:
Pizza Party/Small gathering to raise money and/or collect books: Tentatively, Nov.2 at 1:30 p.m. in the Daniel Auditorium
· T-shirts (Sharon)
· Advertisements (Jennifer)
- Flyers
Hung around campus
- A common-cause group creation (link to Providence Christian Academy)
www.Facebook.com
www.myspace.com (?)
· Publications (Jennifer)
- The Tiger
· Word of mouth (Sharon and Jennifer)
- At the beginning of our classes
- At meetings for organizations and clubs on campus
- Informing and then encouraging our friends to spread the word to their friends, classmates, and organizations
· E-mail (Sharon)
- Clemson University listserv
Notes:
-Everything will be designed by both Jennifer and Sharon, but each partner will handle their designated entities in order to divide responsibility and task fairly.
- We plan to further discuss these ways of reaching our target audience with Professor Holmevik over the next week to get his feedback.
- Each of these means of communication things are currently going into effect and will continue to be publicized until the end of October.
WHERE:
Collection will be held throughout the Clemson community
- Throughout October and on November 2
The party will be held in the Daniel Auditorium
- November 2 at 1:30 p.m.
PRODUCTION:
Portfolio: Compiled throughout our project in October and in the weeks following the fundraiser event during November
- Two, one for each partner
Paper: Compiled throughout duration of semester, produced in the weeks following the fundraiser event in November
- Two, one produced by each partner
GROUP
Jennifer Salane and Sharon Reese
WHAT
Public Relations Event/Fundraiser/Campaign: Will take place throughout the month of October
· Mission Statement (Why?): To collect books for a local school’s library, Providence Christian Academy, by hosting a fundraiser-type drop-in.
HOW:
Pizza Party/Small gathering to raise money and/or collect books: Tentatively, Nov.2 at 1:30 p.m. in the Daniel Auditorium
· T-shirts (Sharon)
· Advertisements (Jennifer)
- Flyers
Hung around campus
- A common-cause group creation (link to Providence Christian Academy)
www.Facebook.com
www.myspace.com (?)
· Publications (Jennifer)
- The Tiger
· Word of mouth (Sharon and Jennifer)
- At the beginning of our classes
- At meetings for organizations and clubs on campus
- Informing and then encouraging our friends to spread the word to their friends, classmates, and organizations
· E-mail (Sharon)
- Clemson University listserv
Notes:
-Everything will be designed by both Jennifer and Sharon, but each partner will handle their designated entities in order to divide responsibility and task fairly.
- We plan to further discuss these ways of reaching our target audience with Professor Holmevik over the next week to get his feedback.
- Each of these means of communication things are currently going into effect and will continue to be publicized until the end of October.
WHERE:
Collection will be held throughout the Clemson community
- Throughout October and on November 2
The party will be held in the Daniel Auditorium
- November 2 at 1:30 p.m.
PRODUCTION:
Portfolio: Compiled throughout our project in October and in the weeks following the fundraiser event during November
- Two, one for each partner
Paper: Compiled throughout duration of semester, produced in the weeks following the fundraiser event in November
- Two, one produced by each partner
My Signature Font
How do I choose?
I think the best font to describe myself is actually a combination of many. If I am writing a carefree, loosely - formatted document, such as something personal to keep on my laptop and not submit to a teacher, I like to use Calibri (Body). Calibri (Body) is a very simple text. It sort of resembles Arial, but it’s a little bit smaller and more compressed look in height. I like the way it is presented when laid out on a Microsoft document because it looks neat and clean, much like my handwriting. I recently used it on a power point presentation, too, and it looked very good from a distance and up close. I discovered Calibri (Body) when I got Microsoft Windows Vista on my computer a few months ago. It is the default font for Microsoft Word on Vista, so once I realized that I was stuck with it for each document I typed, at least until I changed it, it quickly grew on me. Now I actually choose to use it on certain pieces.
For more formal documents, such as a resume or an essay for a class, I like to use either Times New Roman or Arial. These represent me well because they sophisticated looking, clean cut, organized well, and easily legible, which is how I like my work to be, whether handwritten or typed. Both of these fonts are very standard, which is most suitable to my taste because like my avatar in Second Life is designed, the fonts use parallel with the way I live my life- simplistically- so naturally the things I design are going to reflect that trait. I do like change, though, so even though I keep things simple, I still alternate between fonts from to time, most often within the range of the ones i've mentioned in this piece.
In general, the font that I use in every document I produce on the computer reflects either a.) The type of document that I am producing, or b.) The mood I’m in as a result of what it is that I’m producing. If I’m doing something fun, like a power point presentation for a set of younger children, I might choose to use Comic Sans because it’s appropriate for the audience.
I hate to choose just one font that describes me best. I would say that my font depends most heavily on the type of audience that I’m addressing with my document. But, overall, when I can use Calibri (Body), I will use Calibri (Body) over any other font in the selection. My feelings and emotions when producing a document are usually reflected in the type of font I use. Although I might not be able to post, print, or hand in a document using that original reflection of my feelings, I always start out typing a document in what font I like and then I will change it to Times New Roman, or something else more appropriate.
I think the best font to describe myself is actually a combination of many. If I am writing a carefree, loosely - formatted document, such as something personal to keep on my laptop and not submit to a teacher, I like to use Calibri (Body). Calibri (Body) is a very simple text. It sort of resembles Arial, but it’s a little bit smaller and more compressed look in height. I like the way it is presented when laid out on a Microsoft document because it looks neat and clean, much like my handwriting. I recently used it on a power point presentation, too, and it looked very good from a distance and up close. I discovered Calibri (Body) when I got Microsoft Windows Vista on my computer a few months ago. It is the default font for Microsoft Word on Vista, so once I realized that I was stuck with it for each document I typed, at least until I changed it, it quickly grew on me. Now I actually choose to use it on certain pieces.
For more formal documents, such as a resume or an essay for a class, I like to use either Times New Roman or Arial. These represent me well because they sophisticated looking, clean cut, organized well, and easily legible, which is how I like my work to be, whether handwritten or typed. Both of these fonts are very standard, which is most suitable to my taste because like my avatar in Second Life is designed, the fonts use parallel with the way I live my life- simplistically- so naturally the things I design are going to reflect that trait. I do like change, though, so even though I keep things simple, I still alternate between fonts from to time, most often within the range of the ones i've mentioned in this piece.
In general, the font that I use in every document I produce on the computer reflects either a.) The type of document that I am producing, or b.) The mood I’m in as a result of what it is that I’m producing. If I’m doing something fun, like a power point presentation for a set of younger children, I might choose to use Comic Sans because it’s appropriate for the audience.
I hate to choose just one font that describes me best. I would say that my font depends most heavily on the type of audience that I’m addressing with my document. But, overall, when I can use Calibri (Body), I will use Calibri (Body) over any other font in the selection. My feelings and emotions when producing a document are usually reflected in the type of font I use. Although I might not be able to post, print, or hand in a document using that original reflection of my feelings, I always start out typing a document in what font I like and then I will change it to Times New Roman, or something else more appropriate.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
That First George Reading...
I read the wrong George reading for today, so I will leave my post for what is actually the second George reading up today and post the other George reading response for Thursday...
Sorry :)
Sorry :)
First George Reading...
I thought the first reading by Dianna George and Diane Shoos was very interesting, particularly because the death penalty has been an interest of mine for a long time. I enjoy reading and learning about it. This reading was particularly insightful because much of what I’m interested in doing after college has to do with visual communications, specifically what they sight in the article; the media. I understand much of what the author’s say throughout the text, and I found it interesting how they divided visual representations into two different types, but there is one question that is stated early on in the article that I think would make an interesting topic for discussion in class.
This question, which according to the authors is, “A question at the heart of visual communication,” presents the reader with the contemplation of the relationship between certain images. The authors use execution images and the larger debate at hand, in a political sense. Furthermore, the authors state that, “that same images that work as witness for some will serve the purposes of outright voyeurism for others.” My question for discussion is, “How to we differentiate between these different images?” and “Is there ever going to be a way reach a general consensus about what an image represents, visually, to a person?” Different images are always going to mean different things to different people. Very generally, a picture of someone being executed is going to be accepted and unaccepted by the public, much like no matter what a journalist puts in a newspaper, there will always be someone who disagrees with what is written.
This question, which according to the authors is, “A question at the heart of visual communication,” presents the reader with the contemplation of the relationship between certain images. The authors use execution images and the larger debate at hand, in a political sense. Furthermore, the authors state that, “that same images that work as witness for some will serve the purposes of outright voyeurism for others.” My question for discussion is, “How to we differentiate between these different images?” and “Is there ever going to be a way reach a general consensus about what an image represents, visually, to a person?” Different images are always going to mean different things to different people. Very generally, a picture of someone being executed is going to be accepted and unaccepted by the public, much like no matter what a journalist puts in a newspaper, there will always be someone who disagrees with what is written.
Reaction to First "Official" Second Life Experience
This past Thursday, when our class visited Second Life as a group, I was really impressed with the way things went. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the experience, as I’ve not really gotten the hang of Second Life yet. It took me a while to get my avatar situated. I went through getting kicked out of Second Life a few times, losing my avatar a million times, and then battling getting her wardrobe situated. Now that my avatar is ready to interact, and I think I’ve completed the Orientation Island requirements, I feel a little more adjusted to the program.
I think once we interacted with the Dean on Thursday, it really hit me out real Second Life is. As funny as it is to imagine that the Dean is sitting in his office, playing on Second Life, it’s surreal to know that something done through a computer can be computed into something so “real life”. The way in which we were able to talk to the Dean and with each other was neat because we were essentially talking instantaneously to each other, as if we were sending an instant message to one another. The progressions that Clemson has made on its construction in the Second Life world are amazing because it is merely an exact replica of how certain locations on campus actually look.
I feel more connected with my avatar simply through the control that I have over here. It’s obvious that I feel connected with her because I made her look like me- very girl next door, plain and simple- but I like the way that every move that I make on the keyboard controls what she does. I can make her do anything from run, fly, or even dance, and the dance moves that she does are based on what I choose for her to do. It was hard to “develop a relationship” with my avatar for the first few days of Second Life trial because I was having so many problems understanding how to create and update her. Once I got settled last Wednesday and Thursday, and our class interacted as a group, I felt a little better about my understanding of my avatar. It’s as if I’m walking in her shoes in another world.
I think once we interacted with the Dean on Thursday, it really hit me out real Second Life is. As funny as it is to imagine that the Dean is sitting in his office, playing on Second Life, it’s surreal to know that something done through a computer can be computed into something so “real life”. The way in which we were able to talk to the Dean and with each other was neat because we were essentially talking instantaneously to each other, as if we were sending an instant message to one another. The progressions that Clemson has made on its construction in the Second Life world are amazing because it is merely an exact replica of how certain locations on campus actually look.
I feel more connected with my avatar simply through the control that I have over here. It’s obvious that I feel connected with her because I made her look like me- very girl next door, plain and simple- but I like the way that every move that I make on the keyboard controls what she does. I can make her do anything from run, fly, or even dance, and the dance moves that she does are based on what I choose for her to do. It was hard to “develop a relationship” with my avatar for the first few days of Second Life trial because I was having so many problems understanding how to create and update her. Once I got settled last Wednesday and Thursday, and our class interacted as a group, I felt a little better about my understanding of my avatar. It’s as if I’m walking in her shoes in another world.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Jenn Vendetta
This is my avatar, Jenn Vendetta. I was unable to load her photo for the previous class period on Tuesday, so now the picture viewable. I decided to give Jenn Vendetta a distinct outfit so that she would not look like every other "girl next door" figure on Second Life. I kept her outfit really simple, much like something I would wear. My favorite color is green so I made Jenn's shirt a green color, which might have been cliche to do. I wanted her to wear ballet-type flat shoes because that is my personal style. Creating a character that resembled what I look like made the process easy and fun. I could incorporate my own style through my character's appearance and see a sort of reflection of myself. Her body looks a lot better than my actual body, but that's the other fun part about Second Life: you don't have to be totally honest!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
My Second Life Avatar, Jenn Vendetta
My Second Life Avatar
When I first set out to create my avatar for Second Life, I ran into a few problems. I didn’t have much time at all to get to the MATRF lab over the weekend, as my parents were here to visit, so I attempted to download the program on another desktop, and then my personal laptop-bad idea. The download was successful, and I was able to complete the beginning steps of the avatar-creation phase. I filled in all of my personal information, invented a name for my avatar, and picked out the type of “person” I wanted to be. My avatar’s name is Jenn Vendetta and I am characterized as “the girl next door”, which was suitable since that is basically they type of person that I am.
Unlike some people might have done, I did not want to create my avatar from the ground up. I wanted to be based on myself, which is why I kept my first name and why I made the avatar look like me. When it was time to adjust the specific appearance of the avatar, I ran into my first problem. The computer I was using would not allow me to select the appearance option under the edit menu. I would have to get to the MATRF lab to create the details of my avatar’s appearance. So at that point, my avatar was running around Orientation Island naked.
Once I FINALLY got into the Second Life program, and was able to create my avatar, I got down to the nitty-gritty and tried to personalize Jenn Vendetta bit more and had fun with it. I started with my body, which I tried to make look as close to my actual one as I could. My body is not tiny, but it’s somewhat slim. My head is not huge, but face looks more oval shaped and long. My eyes are a greenish/brownish color. I made my ears kind of small, since they aren’t really that big. My mouth has smaller, thinner lips that are a slight pink color. My legs are not really skinny; they are sort of in between skinny and meaty-like. I have regular-looking eyebrows; not too big and not too small. My hair is a dirty blonde color and is longer, just like mine. I do not have bangs, but Jen Vendetta looks like she has them.
When I first set out to create my avatar for Second Life, I ran into a few problems. I didn’t have much time at all to get to the MATRF lab over the weekend, as my parents were here to visit, so I attempted to download the program on another desktop, and then my personal laptop-bad idea. The download was successful, and I was able to complete the beginning steps of the avatar-creation phase. I filled in all of my personal information, invented a name for my avatar, and picked out the type of “person” I wanted to be. My avatar’s name is Jenn Vendetta and I am characterized as “the girl next door”, which was suitable since that is basically they type of person that I am.
Unlike some people might have done, I did not want to create my avatar from the ground up. I wanted to be based on myself, which is why I kept my first name and why I made the avatar look like me. When it was time to adjust the specific appearance of the avatar, I ran into my first problem. The computer I was using would not allow me to select the appearance option under the edit menu. I would have to get to the MATRF lab to create the details of my avatar’s appearance. So at that point, my avatar was running around Orientation Island naked.
Once I FINALLY got into the Second Life program, and was able to create my avatar, I got down to the nitty-gritty and tried to personalize Jenn Vendetta bit more and had fun with it. I started with my body, which I tried to make look as close to my actual one as I could. My body is not tiny, but it’s somewhat slim. My head is not huge, but face looks more oval shaped and long. My eyes are a greenish/brownish color. I made my ears kind of small, since they aren’t really that big. My mouth has smaller, thinner lips that are a slight pink color. My legs are not really skinny; they are sort of in between skinny and meaty-like. I have regular-looking eyebrows; not too big and not too small. My hair is a dirty blonde color and is longer, just like mine. I do not have bangs, but Jen Vendetta looks like she has them.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Plans for Semester Project
For our semester project, Sharon and I have come up with an idea that will incorporate both of our major-specific interests, as well as employee our desire to help the Clemson community. In doing so, we have organized an outline of our plans for the duration of the project. Since we are going to host an event where we plan to raise books for a local school, there is a lot of fine tuning and careful communication that will need to take place.
So far, our proposal seems to cover every aspect of our project, from start to finish. Here is what we have come up with:
Visual Communications, English 332
Semester Project Idea
Semester Project Idea
Outline
WHAT:
Public Relations Event/Campaign
· Mission: To collect books for a local school, Providence Christian Academy
HOW:
Pizza Party/Small collection gathering
· T-shirts (possibly)
· Advertisements/Publications
-The Tiger
· Flyers
- hung around campus
- www.Facebook.com
· Word of mouth
· Flyers
- hung around campus
- www.Facebook.com
· Word of mouth
-friends
-family
-co-workers
· E-mail
-to entire Clemson University community
WHERE:
Collection will be held throughout the Clemson community
The party will be held in the Daniel Auditorium on the first floor of Daniel
PRODUCTION:
Portfolio
Two, one for each partner specifiying their specific involvement, goals, strengths
Paper
Two, one produced by each partner specifying what each did, accomplished, etc.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
What makes certain images powerful?/MySpace Profile: Paige Salane
What makes certain images powerful?
In our world today, images mean everything to the naked eye. Images are the way in which people communicate with one another. Whether these images are visual or audible, each type aids human interactions in some way, shape, or form.
Some messages, depending on how they are conveyed, are more powerful than others. For instance, if the eye sees a big red cross, that person is going to recognize that there is some medical connotation being made. More specifically, if a person sees the numbers 9-1-1 they should automatically recognize that help is near and readily available, in a universal sense.
Universal messages are probably the most power images conveyed because they mean the same things to such a large group of people. Creating universal messages, such as 911, the golden arches of McDonald’s, or the apple symbol for Mac computers, help assist us in making it easier to transmit messages in more effective ways. When everyone understands that one visual means a certain thing, or conveys a certain message, there is no confusion present.
On the other hand, there are universal visuals, such as MySpace or Facebook pages, that are uniform in layout but convey different things about the subjects they are representing. Unlike the holy cross or the cigarette butt with a slash through it, each which transmit a message clearly, the MySpace and Facebook profile pages convey the same messages about people in different ways, depending on how the creator chooses to design their page.
MySpace Profile for Paige Salane
I am going to create a MySpace profile for my sister, Paige. She currently has a Facebook profile but she just cancelled her MySpace profile for various reasons.
My sister is a lot like me in that she likes to keep things plain and simple. Her MySpace profile that she used to have was similar to something that I would create if I had a MySpace profile for myself, so I feel as though it will be simple and fun for me to create a new one for her.
To start with, I would put a maroon colored background on her page. I like this color for Paige because a.) It’s her school color, b.) She looks best in clothes that are this color, and c.) She looks good in all shades of red. I would use a shade of light pink for the font to offset the maroon.
For her font, I would use comic sans. Although comic sans is a very traditional, commonly-used font, I think that it best represents Paige because she wants to be a school teacher. To me, comic sans looks like a font that a child would create with a crayon, which makes me think of a teacher, or a person who possesses teacher-like skills.
Paige likes music a lot, so I would want to include as many of her favorite bands as I could. Perhaps there is an application that would allow me to put her top three bands, and a sample of their music, on her profile page. These bands would be Incubus, the Dave Matthews Band, and Dashboard Confessional.
Paige also takes several photos, many of which are of the children that she babysits, her family, and her friends. I would definitely have to include all of her photos on her profile.
Her horoscope is something that Paige makes sure to read as often as she can. I think it would be neat to put her daily or weekly horoscope on her profile page.
For her actual information on her profile, Paige usually keeps things simple, yet complex. Her personal preferences will be t he only thing that will not be too limited. Paige likes to express how she is feeling, what colors she likes, and how she feels about people. Some people prefer to spend time on this while others do not.
For her profile picture, Paige usually only posts a headshot. If she doesn’t use a headshot, she will use some sort of funny action shot that someone took of her. She’s a funny person so it’s easy for her to express that quality through her photos.
Another thing that I noticed about Paige is that she likes quizzes of all sorts. A lot of people post links to quizzes about romance and personality on their profiles and I think that is something that Paige would put on hers.
Her favorite sport is soccer, so I feel as though something soccer-related should be posted on her profile, as well. Perhaps a photograph of her favorite player, or just a separate link that connects the viewer to a website about the soccer team that she played for in high school would be appropriate.
In our world today, images mean everything to the naked eye. Images are the way in which people communicate with one another. Whether these images are visual or audible, each type aids human interactions in some way, shape, or form.
Some messages, depending on how they are conveyed, are more powerful than others. For instance, if the eye sees a big red cross, that person is going to recognize that there is some medical connotation being made. More specifically, if a person sees the numbers 9-1-1 they should automatically recognize that help is near and readily available, in a universal sense.
Universal messages are probably the most power images conveyed because they mean the same things to such a large group of people. Creating universal messages, such as 911, the golden arches of McDonald’s, or the apple symbol for Mac computers, help assist us in making it easier to transmit messages in more effective ways. When everyone understands that one visual means a certain thing, or conveys a certain message, there is no confusion present.
On the other hand, there are universal visuals, such as MySpace or Facebook pages, that are uniform in layout but convey different things about the subjects they are representing. Unlike the holy cross or the cigarette butt with a slash through it, each which transmit a message clearly, the MySpace and Facebook profile pages convey the same messages about people in different ways, depending on how the creator chooses to design their page.
MySpace Profile for Paige Salane
I am going to create a MySpace profile for my sister, Paige. She currently has a Facebook profile but she just cancelled her MySpace profile for various reasons.
My sister is a lot like me in that she likes to keep things plain and simple. Her MySpace profile that she used to have was similar to something that I would create if I had a MySpace profile for myself, so I feel as though it will be simple and fun for me to create a new one for her.
To start with, I would put a maroon colored background on her page. I like this color for Paige because a.) It’s her school color, b.) She looks best in clothes that are this color, and c.) She looks good in all shades of red. I would use a shade of light pink for the font to offset the maroon.
For her font, I would use comic sans. Although comic sans is a very traditional, commonly-used font, I think that it best represents Paige because she wants to be a school teacher. To me, comic sans looks like a font that a child would create with a crayon, which makes me think of a teacher, or a person who possesses teacher-like skills.
Paige likes music a lot, so I would want to include as many of her favorite bands as I could. Perhaps there is an application that would allow me to put her top three bands, and a sample of their music, on her profile page. These bands would be Incubus, the Dave Matthews Band, and Dashboard Confessional.
Paige also takes several photos, many of which are of the children that she babysits, her family, and her friends. I would definitely have to include all of her photos on her profile.
Her horoscope is something that Paige makes sure to read as often as she can. I think it would be neat to put her daily or weekly horoscope on her profile page.
For her actual information on her profile, Paige usually keeps things simple, yet complex. Her personal preferences will be t he only thing that will not be too limited. Paige likes to express how she is feeling, what colors she likes, and how she feels about people. Some people prefer to spend time on this while others do not.
For her profile picture, Paige usually only posts a headshot. If she doesn’t use a headshot, she will use some sort of funny action shot that someone took of her. She’s a funny person so it’s easy for her to express that quality through her photos.
Another thing that I noticed about Paige is that she likes quizzes of all sorts. A lot of people post links to quizzes about romance and personality on their profiles and I think that is something that Paige would put on hers.
Her favorite sport is soccer, so I feel as though something soccer-related should be posted on her profile, as well. Perhaps a photograph of her favorite player, or just a separate link that connects the viewer to a website about the soccer team that she played for in high school would be appropriate.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
What is Visual Communications?
Visual Communications is something that my generation, in particular, deals a great deal with on a daily basis. With continual changes in technology and the expansion of exploration with the ways in which technology can be used to convey messages visually, visual communications has essentially become a necessary tool for media and presentation. Although those that use means of communicating visually might not realize the capacity of what they are utilizing and creating, I hope to learn how to effectively communicate visually.
I am currently limited in how I communicate visually for various reasons. First, and most important, I do not know all of the ways in which one can actually communicate in a visual manner. As soon as the second day of class was over, and Professor Holmevik presented the class with all of the tools available for us to you in the MATRF lab, I felt like there was a world of technological toys for me to adjust to. I think that the expansion of my knowledge with these things, such as the cameras, both digital and video, the filming area, and even the programs on the computers, will allow me to communicate in more than one way- with words. Second, because I have been learning to communicate with words ever since I came to college, I am even more curious as to how I can communicate visually with fewer words (essays) and more illustrations.
I think that the most important thing about visually communicating is understanding that there are no limits to what you can do. I am particularly interested in the way in which you do not have to restrict yourself solely to words, like I have been practicing for so long, as I mentioned above. You are not only able to use media and technological resources to create your visualization. You can also use a stage, a poster, or something similar and simplistically equal. So far, I think I have learned that the most important thing about visual communication is making sure that you get your point across to your audience, whether you have a distinct point or just want to convey a message to an audience.
I am currently limited in how I communicate visually for various reasons. First, and most important, I do not know all of the ways in which one can actually communicate in a visual manner. As soon as the second day of class was over, and Professor Holmevik presented the class with all of the tools available for us to you in the MATRF lab, I felt like there was a world of technological toys for me to adjust to. I think that the expansion of my knowledge with these things, such as the cameras, both digital and video, the filming area, and even the programs on the computers, will allow me to communicate in more than one way- with words. Second, because I have been learning to communicate with words ever since I came to college, I am even more curious as to how I can communicate visually with fewer words (essays) and more illustrations.
I think that the most important thing about visually communicating is understanding that there are no limits to what you can do. I am particularly interested in the way in which you do not have to restrict yourself solely to words, like I have been practicing for so long, as I mentioned above. You are not only able to use media and technological resources to create your visualization. You can also use a stage, a poster, or something similar and simplistically equal. So far, I think I have learned that the most important thing about visual communication is making sure that you get your point across to your audience, whether you have a distinct point or just want to convey a message to an audience.
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