tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75000872579747315352024-03-12T19:33:31.235-07:00Mom's Media ManualEmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-12766106918513005502015-04-07T20:31:00.002-07:002015-04-07T20:31:30.664-07:00Blogging and Audience Perception<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RH5OWQWCM6M/VSSfhM8nLrI/AAAAAAAAI6o/xo6uacdcsf0/s1600/LJIZlzHgQ7WPSh5KVTCB_Typewriter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RH5OWQWCM6M/VSSfhM8nLrI/AAAAAAAAI6o/xo6uacdcsf0/s1600/LJIZlzHgQ7WPSh5KVTCB_Typewriter.jpg" height="640" width="436" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.resplashed.com/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">image by Florian Klauer for resplashed.</span></a></div>
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Greetings!<br />
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You're right, I do owe the world another giveaway, and hopefully my grand finale prize will be announced within a week. I obviously need a secretary, and a revenue stream from which to pay a secretary.<br />
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BUT, I wanted to share an interesting model I've stumbled upon while doing my never-ending thesis research. Social media is such a hot topic in so many academic fields that I'm just drowning in relevant sources, I've cited almost 70 so far in the thesis chapter I'm working on, and had over 50 in my first chapter. AND I'VE READ MOST OF <i>MOST OF THEM</i>. Which means my head just spins and swims with theory thoughts when I try to think in a straight line about blogging, microblogging, and such. <br />
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But here's a concrete nugget of applicable clarity. This diagram is from a report by David Russell Brake<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7500087257974731535#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title="">[1]</a></span></span></span></span> in the <i>International Journal of Communication</i>. Pardon the subpar resolution, but this is his chart, not mine.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W1CInH4Qp6s/VSSalg6beAI/AAAAAAAAI6Y/KNBmA8Cfoo0/s1600/Screenshot%2B2015-04-07%2B20.57.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W1CInH4Qp6s/VSSalg6beAI/AAAAAAAAI6Y/KNBmA8Cfoo0/s1600/Screenshot%2B2015-04-07%2B20.57.22.jpg" height="243" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here's what Brake's study was wondering: Who do bloggers think is reading what they write, and how does it inform what they choose to write about and disclose? Because blogging can be simultaneously a very intimate and a very public medium, this is complicated. He found that most bloggers have an "ideal audience" in mind when they write, but very few have a concrete idea of who is reading their blog (based on analytics) and that even with analytics it's impossible to accurately conceptualize one's entire audience. </div>
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But Brake did find the above patterns in how bloggers' perception of their audience affected the way they blogged. Factors included whether the blogger anticipated a one-way interaction with their audience or whether they were hoping for or expecting meaningful interaction from their audience (via comments or invited action), or if alternately the blogger felt the audience was irrelevant to their motivation for blogging. With these (horizontal) factors considered, the vertical axis of the chart considers whether bloggers think of their audience as consisting primarily of friends or of strangers (which categories are inherently problematic in a blogosphere where people can consider their relationship one of friendship without having actually met in person. Bloggers with especially loyal readerships may perceive their audience to be both at the same time.) </div>
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Still, looking at Brake's diagram, it can be helpful for a blogger to determine which form of blogging they are actually engaging (or intending to engage) in, and to consider that in their branding and style guide. Hopefully I can revisit this and go into more depth on the details and implications of each"type" - you know, after I write another 50 pages or so of thesis. </div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7500087257974731535#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></span></span></span></a> <a href="http://www.easybib.com/cite/clipboard/id/1428463163_55249e3b945f42.41497322/style/mla7"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Brake, David R. "Who Do They Think They're Talking To? Framings of the Audience by Social Media Users. (Report)." <i>International Journal of Communication</i> 6 (2012): 1056-076. <i>DOAJ</i>. Web. 7 Apr. 2015. <http://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/issue/view/8>.</span></a></div>
<br />Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-29865024070028543992015-03-03T15:26:00.001-08:002015-03-03T15:26:50.563-08:002nd Round of Drawing Winners Announced<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_10ilgg5hCE/VPZCytFj1sI/AAAAAAAAI38/ckD0wg7Lal0/s1600/photo-1416339442236-8ceb164046f8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_10ilgg5hCE/VPZCytFj1sI/AAAAAAAAI38/ckD0wg7Lal0/s1600/photo-1416339442236-8ceb164046f8.jpeg" height="462" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">image by Jeff Sheldon for <a href="http://resplashed.com/">resplashed.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Last week’s drawing winner is Rachel Swartley who has a DIY/Project blog at </span><a href="http://www.rachelswartley.com/" style="color: #6dc6dd; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; word-wrap: break-word;">http://www.rachelswartley.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> she has won a $100 gift card to </span><a href="http://www.papersource.com/" style="color: #6dc6dd; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Paper Source</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">.</span><br style="color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> </span><br style="color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">This week our winners are Elizabeth Fein of </span><a href="http://www.iteratesocial.com/" style="color: #6dc6dd; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; word-wrap: break-word;">www.iteratesocial.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">, who has won a $100 </span><a href="http://photojojo.com/store/" style="color: #6dc6dd; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">photojojo</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> gift card, and Cylinda of </span><a href="http://www.arenofamily.com/" style="color: #6dc6dd; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Arenofamily.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> who has won a $50 amazon gift card to spend in the </span><a href="http://www.amightygirl.com/books" style="color: #6dc6dd; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">mightygirl.com book club</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">.</span><br style="color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> </span><br style="color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">One thing I’m neck-deep in this week is the role of linguistics in the way we portray ourselves online. Most verbal beings use language to construct our own identity even in our own heads. Many people with autism think in pictures, or visual representations, but most of us think in words. (Hence the “voice” inside our heads.) So even when we are creating and constructing our selves and the public versions of ourselves, we can only use words that existed before us and outside of us to do it. (Unless you are a neologist; a word creator).</span><br style="color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> </span><br style="color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">The structure then that language imposes on our identity can be similar to the way we often have to use commonly understood genres or stereotypes in order to communicate meaning. These tools help us to convey meaning, but they also restrict the scope of the meaning we can convey, as each word or convention brings with it a lot of baggage. Here’s an </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/02/magazine/on-language-mother-s-work.html" style="color: #6dc6dd; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">old NYT article</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> about the linguistic problem of naming women who are not working outside of the home, but certainly cannot be said to be “non-working.” One of the closing thoughts is, “I think we might just have to grin and bear the fact that our language can't always be succinct and meaningful at the same time.” Something to think about as you choose which words and aphorisms you’ll adopt in your writing.</span>Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-51905287941458630202015-02-09T08:00:00.000-08:002015-02-09T09:17:00.252-08:001st Survey Drawing Winners<br />
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This is the fun part of being vulnerable and asking people to please spend some time doing something for me and my research: saying 'thank you' with presents!<br />
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Each week through February and March I will be drawing 1 or 2 winners and then hand-picking prizes for them, based on their survey responses and spending a few minutes on their blog. I wish I could buy everyone a pony, or a week in Europe, but I do have a small gift for all of my participants who listed their email address in their surveys - so watch your inboxes for that.<br />
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Now, I'm delighted to tell you that I have two winners this week, and here they are:<br />
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Vanessa who blogs at <a href="http://2dorksinlove.com/">2dorksinlove.com</a> has won:<br />
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<li>A copy of Ian Bogost's "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/081667647X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=081667647X&linkCode=as2&tag=readyformyclo-20&linkId=LVDACZ32UA4Y2BVJ">How to Do Things with Videogames</a>" (Bogost is probably the foremost game and new-media theorist, and his writing is super accessible. His chapter in here on carpentry was a game changer for me.)</li>
<li>A $50 Etsy Gift Card (for something like <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/198739630/geek-dork-nerd-cool-popular-kid-hipster?ref=sr_gallery_1&ga_search_query=dork&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery">this</a>)</li>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PChnckGvqcY/VNFA69abqHI/AAAAAAAAI1Y/M_DOBvAM6Dw/s1600/geekshirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PChnckGvqcY/VNFA69abqHI/AAAAAAAAI1Y/M_DOBvAM6Dw/s1600/geekshirt.jpg" height="640" width="488" /></a></div>
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<li>and a $60 gift card to redbubble.com, where I highly recommend the products designed by <a href="http://www.redbubble.com/people/hydrogene?ref=breadcrumb">Hydrogene</a>, whose science and math hero designs I kind of love. </li>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gbNK60tYiew/VNFBjN-6k4I/AAAAAAAAI1g/xf8sPrN6Nc4/s1600/adalovelace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gbNK60tYiew/VNFBjN-6k4I/AAAAAAAAI1g/xf8sPrN6Nc4/s1600/adalovelace.jpg" height="640" width="448" /></a></div>
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Amy from<a href="http://www.thehappyscraps.com/"> thehappyscraps.com</a> has won:<br />
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<li>A copy of both <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1452107203/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1452107203&linkCode=as2&tag=readyformyclo-20&linkId=WFI6ICFW34NMTYZM">Blog, Inc.</a> by Joy Cho, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1452101418/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1452101418&linkCode=as2&tag=readyformyclo-20&linkId=VXW5VASZ2TRZOBGU">Craft, Inc.</a> by Meg Ilasco</li>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QAy9e_5Vi50/VNFCxjWSC5I/AAAAAAAAI1s/BH7tci7NduU/s1600/bloginccraftinc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QAy9e_5Vi50/VNFCxjWSC5I/AAAAAAAAI1s/BH7tci7NduU/s1600/bloginccraftinc.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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(photo from <a href="http://es.paperblog.com/biblioteca-craft-blog-inc-craft-inc-2702632/">es.paperblog.com</a>)</div>
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<li>And a $75 gift card for Atly classes. </li>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wzsGaVJBwmY/VNFDlHw5KNI/AAAAAAAAI10/c3IAmQSsK9g/s1600/atly.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wzsGaVJBwmY/VNFDlHw5KNI/AAAAAAAAI10/c3IAmQSsK9g/s1600/atly.png" height="476" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Keep an eye out for next week's winners, and <a href="http://www.momsmediamanual.com/p/take-survey.html">take the survey</a> if you haven't yet! </span></div>
<br />Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-82368916866680343192015-01-18T15:17:00.001-08:002015-01-18T15:17:35.766-08:00What is Media Literacy, Anyway?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/readyformycloseupmrdemille/15690561774" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_7635October 2014demillecapt and device by Em F, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7635October 2014demillecapt and device" height="427" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8679/15690561774_ce01085ecb_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Explaining my Masters Program has never been easy. Most people have never heard of Media Literacy Education, and very few can imagine what sort of a career I can make of it. I admit I am still sorting out the career aspect. Most of my cohort are school teachers who get an extra teaching credential and a pay raise for completing this program. There are not a lot of non-entrepreneurial options for me besides pursuing a PhD, and that is not an imminent possibility. I am perpetually exploring my options for part-time work, since raising 4 young children and running a household keeps me plenty busy. I know I'm in a position of tremendous privilege; to be able to pursue a degree that does not necessarily increase my employment options or job security, but rather to study things that I care deeply about and then work to find a way to implement them into my career track. <br />
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According to the National Association for Media Literacy Education (<a href="http://namle.net/about-namle/vision-mission/">NAMLE</a>), the vision of Media Literacy is to "help individuals of all ages develop the habits of inquiry and skills of expression that they need to be critical thinkers, effective communicators and active citizens in today’s world. They have broken that vision down into 6 key principles (with a number of sub-principles) in a document I've spent way too much time with: the<a href="http://namle.net/publications/core-principles/"> Core Principles of Media Literacy Education</a>. If I can summarize that with any efficacy (below), then I'll have explained what media literacy is. One hang-up that I've developed is that despite NAMLE's claim to be concerned with individuals of all ages, they spend nearly all of their resources targeting public K-12 education. I'm of the opinion that informed and engaged parents and teachers ought hopefully to be helping one another in an attempt to prepare children to engage with the world in constructive ways. I would like to see NAMLE engage with parents as a doubly-valuable target demographic. Media literate parents are more likely to raise media-literate children. This is part of my motivation for studying parents (mothers, in particular) in my masters' thesis.<br />
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<b>The first principle of media literacy</b> is that it requires an active inquiry and critical thinking about the messages we receive and create. Similar to how print literacy involves asking questions about authorship and intent, and arriving at thoughtful conclusions about how one chooses to engage with the text and its ideology. Critical thinking does not mean being cynical or unkind, but involves discernment, and asking lots of questions about where a piece of media is coming from and why it was created. Critical thinking is best taught by example, and is a difficult habit to teach to individuals who are more set in their ways and defensive about their media habits.<br />
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<b>The second principle of media literacy</b> is that it expands the concept of literacy to include all forms of media, rather than reading and writing (print) only. The easiest way I've found to explain what I study is to suggest that we want to take literacy principles usually applied to literature, and apply them to the entire spectrum of mediums and perspectives that individuals are exposed to. In our current culture, individuals are experiencing media texts at a rate that dwarfs their exposure to literature. Equipping people to deal with all that information responsibly and intelligently seems like a pretty prudent move. One of the most integral parts of literacy, is the ability to both analyze and create texts, so teaching the skills needed to experience media creation is a valuable part of media literacy.<br />
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<b>The third principle of media literacy</b> is that it should build and reinforce skills in learners, and that the process of doing so requires integrated, interactive, and repeated practice. This is primarily a pedagogical strategy, but if you dig into the full length document, it points out that neither protectionism (telling students to avoid "bad" media") nor a media-effects approach (protecting people from the effects of media exposure) constitute teaching literacy. Literacy involves developing skills that help an individual "make informed decisions about time spent using media."<br />
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<b>The fourth principle of media literacy</b> is that it develops informed, reflective, and engaged participants essential for a democratic society. Here, NAMLE expresses a concern about recognizing issues of representation and access that affect certain demographics' ability to fully participate in their societies. As we see an increasing percentage of political and civic engagement occurring online, it's important to teach individuals how to participate in meaningful, respectful, thoughtful ways.<br />
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<b>The fifth principle of media literacy</b> is that it recognizes media as a part of culture and as agents of socialization. Hence NAMLE does not take the position that "media are inconsequential, nor that they are (inherently) a problem." The problems that media literacy are likely to recognize are illiterate consumption of media, or illiterate or irresponsible production of media. They see no productivity in lamenting the existence of mediums already adapted by a culture. While NAMLE may not necessarily disagree with Marshall McLuhan's "The Medium is the message" (i.e. that texting as a medium has changed the way we communicate and relate with others with far greater scope than any single text has changed anything), NAMLE does not view mediums as having inherent morality.<br />
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<b>The sixth principle of media literacy</b> is that people use their individual skills, beliefs, and experiences to construct their own meanings from media messages. This is essentially an extension of the idea of viewer phenomenology, and acknowledges that each individual has a unique experience with a given media text. Thus we cannot make blanket claims about what a film "means" as though it will mean the same thing to every viewer. Nor can we make easy assumptions about what a text "meant" to its author translating directly into the viewer's interpretation of the text. <br />
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That's the gist of it, friends. Or at least the gist of the goals of it. Interspersed were loads of theory and pedagogy and production exercises. But if you want to have a healthier relationship with the media in your life (and especially in the life of your family), I'm a good person to have a conversation with. (Via any of those social media buttons at the top of the right column.) My personal goal is to help entire families have healthier relationships with the media in their lives.Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-19066643708897699092014-12-27T15:33:00.001-08:002014-12-27T15:33:10.729-08:00Onward and UpwardHey World!<br />
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I took my comprehensive exams just a few days before Christmas, and hopefully my days of needing to use this blog to post coursework are over. (Big sigh of relief). I am still hoping to use it as a tool for completing my thesis though, and so I will be posting information relative to my research, or to my media literacy interests generally. Aren't you lucky?<br />
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My thesis, broadly, is about how mothers construct and perform identities for their family members online, and how this informs the performance of their individual identities online. There's a lot of feminist theories about intersubjectivities unique to the female experience. Women's sense of self in relation to their audience and to the principle characters in their lives differs somewhat from the normative (male) autobiographical voice and sense of "self." I'd like to see how this is manifest in the way women address their families when they blog.<br />
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So: lots of autobiographical theory, feminist theory, digital theories, sociological identity theories, etc.<br />
But mostly, I just want to explore, respectfully and thoroughly, the digital landscape of modern motherhood. It's too easily dismissed for such a riotously complex phenomenon.Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-7439307988859894552014-08-12T09:00:00.000-07:002014-08-12T09:00:02.393-07:00TMA 680 - End of Course evaluation. <span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 24px;">Evaluation of progress on my goals for this class</span>:<br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">1. To complete a reasonable review of concepts, skills, and roles that I learned as an undergrad (in TMA 185, 285, and others) to help me refresh those items my brain may have misplaced for lack of use.</span><div>
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<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 24px;">I'm not fully equipped to judge how thorough my review was, but it was certainly effective. The things that I did revisit were all useful to me and I was very careful to try to integrate them into my skill-set as things I would be able to continue developing my working-knowledge of after this course has ended.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">2. To feel reasonably confident undertaking a moderate single-creator video project, from pre-production through post production. </span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 24px;">My confidence is still not where I'd like it to be, but my willingness, and even eagerness, to undertake such a project despite my failings is actually much improved.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">3. To increase my proficiency in using equipment and software I will continue to have access to after the course ends.</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 24px;">This has been a high priority for me in this class, and despite numerous set-backs, I have doggedly stuck to my attempts to shoot on a DSLR, because that is what I will have access to on my own. Though I am now more anxious than ever to upgrade to a camera with a larger sensor and a headphone jack. I'm also trying to evaluate my best options for sound equipment. I'd like to upgrade from the simple cold-shoe mount mic and wired-lavelier I have now, but I don't think I can afford the Sennheiser wireless kit I borrowed from my neighbor for my last two assignments, and I don't think I can, or should, keep borrowing it indefinitely.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">4. To increase my pedagogy arsenal for teaching the skills covered in class to others in the future.</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 24px;">This was the most uncomfortable part of this course for me, and the part for which I have consistently felt the least qualified. Because I have so little practical grasp of what might work in a given class environment (because of my lack of a concrete class parameter upon which to base my ideas), I feel less than confident that my lesson plans would pan out to create successful experiences for students. I expect, however, that they'd be a decent jumping-off point for designing a more focused experience for an actual group of students. So, where I to find myself in a teaching position, they'd still be useful.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">5. To create several things that provide me with the benefits of "carpentry" discussed by Ian Bogost.</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 24px;">The greatest benefit I found along this line, was how much easier it was to understand a concept than to actually enact it. I was consistently humbled by my inability to create scenes and footage that followed all of the guidelines I understood and could describe well. Something about rubber actually hitting the road, and things actually requiring practice to master was a refreshing challenge after having written so many papers describing and critiquing other people's work. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">6. To see a measurable increase in the production value of projects I create over time.</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 24px;">I did improve my ability to navigate the controls and options available to me on my camera, and I think this will ultimately lead to the increase in quality I'm hoping for. However, I rather feel like with every conceivable setting set to "manual" instead of "auto", I'm bound to have a growing-pain period where I screw things up and they turn out worse for a while before they can turn out better. At least this is the rhetoric I'm working in my head in order that I don't let the perfectionist in me take over and make me quit. </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">7. To engage in critical discussion about the decisions that go into the creation of media. </span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 24px;">This wasn't a super-high priority in this class, but because of our background in previous courses in our program, I felt like we were able to pretty seamlessly introduce thoughts along this vein during a number of class periods. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">8. To feel/be qualified to instruct an absolute beginner in acquiring basic video production skills. </span></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 24px;">This, encouragingly, is one goal I can feel was unequivocally met by this course. While my pedagogy may lack polish, I feel confident in my knowledge base and skill set that I'd be able to get the needed information from my own head to a students', through lecture, demonstration, exercise, and reflection.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Final Question is: "Where would I like to see myself in a few years in terms of using production skills for pedagogical purposes? How would I like to incorporate these skills into my classroom/practice?"</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 24px;">At the moment my long-term career goals are </span><a href="http://segullah.org/daily-special/leaning-out-leaning-in/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 24px;">especially ambiguous</a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 24px;">, but I do anticipate that they will ultimately utilize everything I have developed in the class. One possible emphasis would include teaching a class on the use of media in accumulating and organizing biographies and family histories. The skills and lesson plans developed here and in my previous documentary class would be especially helpful in creating a curriculum. Regardless of the direction my career ultimately takes, I will be better-equipped to remain engaged in the creation of media, and hope to remain comfortable in it and to not let my skill-set atrophy the way I felt it did the first time around (largely due to lack of access to equipment, software, and opportunities). </span></li>
</ul>
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Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-30118804444929036862014-08-11T23:59:00.000-07:002014-08-11T23:59:02.155-07:00Documentary Assignment: Documenting events and/or processes<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/6igqha2VCrs" width="640"></iframe><br />
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The process of composing lesson plans has been unilaterally
deflating for me, but, in creating a documentary assignment, I encountered particular difficulty in coming up with an
assignment for students that I could also complete an example of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(My life and the spaces, events, and people I
have access to are rather antithetical to the lived reality of most students
mature enough to maneuver a camera and editing software.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the parameters of my final lesson plan are
ultimately a bit more vague than I’d like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If I were spending more time in a teaching environment, it’d be more
feasible for me to complete a project along the more clearly defined parameters
of my first draft of the assignment, so I think they are both useful as
alternatives to one another even though they sort of reverse the process of
capturing footage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One exercise gathers
interviews about a past event, while the other gathers interviews about an
ongoing process, and then captures the field footage of that process afterward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They both create an opportunity for
recognizing the process of trying to match interview sound bites with the
footage of the event or process that allows for appropriate contextualization
and understanding.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I continue to be humbled by the process of working with
equipment I’m not entirely familiar or comfortable with, and the process of
filming an interview is still stressful for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Two of my interviews were severely compromised by my willingness to rush
through setting up the shot because it felt so awkward to ask my subject to
wait for me to get it just right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
first interview I conducted was with my Aunt Heidi, and it was my first time
using the Seinheisser wireless mic system with my camera.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hadn’t had time to be trained on it before
that, and I could tell on playback that the levels were too high, but I
couldn’t figure out how to adjust them on the transmitter/receiver units and
didn’t have a user-manual with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rather than make my subject wait for me to figure it out (she was in a
hurry), we just kept moving the mic further from her mouth, and she tried to
speak more softly than usual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the
microphone drama led me to forget to re-set my focus after moving the tripod,
and so not only was the sound bad, but the subject was out of focus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bad news, and no time to re-do the interview,
so I’m forced to use it despite how awful it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also had problems shooting my Aunt Holly,
as the light levels (coming from a window) dropped drastically almost
immediately after we started shooting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
did stop her and adjust them once, but the lighting in almost her entire
interview is problematic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t feel
comfortable stopping her to adjust the lighting as often as I’d have needed to
to save all the shots, so I’m still working through how I ought to have handled
that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m mostly concluding that it would
have been better to have dealt with mixed lighting, or less-attractive
lighting, and to have had the levels be more consistent than to have been at
the mercy of unpredictable cloud cover. (Also, I've conceded I am too stingy with ISO, I need to think rather differently about it in video than in still photography). <o:p></o:p></div>
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(I’m not altogether happy with the other two interviews, I
think they look really blown out, even though the meter in my camera was
telling me 0.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of these things point
to: Emily needs more practice. Preferably under less stressful, rushed
circumstances.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Ultimately, I think this could be a really fun unit or lesson
to teach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Especially in a time when more
and more youth are actively creating media for the web, I find it exciting to
think about equipping them with the skills to create more polished and engaged
pieces about their own lives and the lives of those around them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems like a pretty effective way for them
to engage in virtual communities and invite investment from their peers and viewers, and thus a really relevant skill set for them to have.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-45148460723323119802014-07-29T18:18:00.002-07:002014-07-30T15:59:43.631-07:00Narrative Assignment: (500) Days of Summer Scene(The components of my lesson plan can all be found <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/productionpedagogy/lesson-plans-and-activities/narrative-assignment/emily-flinders-narrative-assignment">here</a>)<br />
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In an attempt to illustrate the constructed nature of narrative dialogue, my plan is to begin by introducing students to<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BybGprMz1mW3TDNwRGdSYlp5cjA/edit?usp=sharing"> this clip</a>.</div>
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Following which, we <a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BybGprMz1mW3VVZTdVE0ZGRwY1k/edit">watch it again, with a shot-analysis</a> to pull us out of our suture, and to help us see how many different camera set-ups are contributing to this scene. </div>
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At which point, the students are each given a <a href="https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxwcm9kdWN0aW9ucGVkYWdvZ3l8Z3g6NWJiNjE2YjRiNDhkYzBlZA">copy of the script</a> for the scene, and are taught how to <a href="https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxwcm9kdWN0aW9ucGVkYWdvZ3l8Z3g6MjkwZTZiZmY0MjdkNDlhMA">bracket a script</a>. After bracketing to suit their own direction, and creating a shot-list, they are (equipment allowing) to shoot the scene in groups of 3-4. If they have access to and knowledge of editing software, they can edit their own scenes together. If not, the teacher could edit together a sequence using shots from each of the groups (showing a purposeful break in continuity). </div>
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As an advanced option, the students can intentionally break continuity by inserting something visible into each separate shot (different object for each shot). I would recommend using something larger and more visible than the heart stickers used in my example video. The initial plan was to use different colored ties on Tom, and different hats on Summer, but my intended bucket of props fell victim to a short person who felt that every bucket should be filled with a garden hose. This was our improvised backup. Ideally this process would both illustrate how narrative dialogue scenes are constructive, and help students deconstruct them while watching them, and also heighten their awareness of continuity issues in production, and the planning and attention required to maintain continuity in a completed scene.</div>
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It's kind of difficult to differentiate the importance of recognizing these concepts in a student's experience as a viewer/spectator and the importance of learning about these concepts by attempting to enact them. It feels like there is almost a chicken and egg cycle of primacy there. After having tried to do this, a student is far better equipped to recognize these processes in action in the media they consume, but it is conversely helpful to try to identify the processes in existing works before trying to recreate them. In that sense, it is kind of difficult to nail down the primary learning outcomes for an activity or even a curriculum like this. Whether the purpose is to increase media literacy, or to build skills for media production makes a difference in where focus will be spent, (and the two outcomes are not necessarily contradictory, but a focus on one over the other would change the way a unit was taught). </div>
Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-49454922122017740512014-07-29T18:01:00.001-07:002014-07-29T18:01:09.473-07:00Continuity Editing(Scene from <i>10 Things I Hate About You</i>)<br />
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This (^) Is the equivalent of a quick and sloppy exercise in shooting and maintaining continuity with a dialogue scene in narrative filmmaking. By going through the process of editing it, we were all able to recognize (loud and clear) how many precautions need to be taken prior to and during shooting in order to maintain a continuity between shots that allows for fluid cuts between them. We would have benefitted tremendously from a more concrete bracketing of the script, as well as more detailed and time-specific blocking. We ran into trouble with inconsistent hair-twirling, and for the second half of the scene we had only 1 shot/take of Mindy to work with. All of which could have been prevented with better pre-production, and more attentive continuity monitoring during shooting. However, there is no better way to learn the value of watching for continuity than to have to confront the way it can ruin a scene in post-production!Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-48096637310886018562014-07-25T20:49:00.003-07:002014-07-25T20:49:36.218-07:00Media Production Experience: Fictional Narrative Production<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d3uZp7jUJHM/U9Mj5n-9GAI/AAAAAAAAIvY/Gi6JCZtkEU0/s1600/film_set_flickr_garryknight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d3uZp7jUJHM/U9Mj5n-9GAI/AAAAAAAAIvY/Gi6JCZtkEU0/s1600/film_set_flickr_garryknight.jpg" height="354" width="640" /></a><br />
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Cramming an "introduction" to shooting a scripted narrative into even one term would feel crazy to me. Trying to cover it in just a couple of weeks, while necessary, has felt largely inadequate. There's just such a lot of elements that have to come together with reasonable proficiency in order for a finished product to begin to look even moderately polished. We briefly covered a few of these: scripting, shot-lists and shooting scripts, 3/4 point lighting, continuity, 180 degree rule, and dialogue editing. I felt that an overview of on-set and pre-production roles would have been beneficial, as well as possibly a more thorough introduction to on-set-protocols.<br />
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We've all had a difficult time trying to assess the best ways to choose the best concepts to teach in a youth classroom setting in order to provide the best value to students. The narrative unit could easily fill an entire course, though it's highly unlikely that a non-CTE teacher would have access to cameras, lighting, editing, and sound equipment needed to really illustrate these processes to a class. (Especially a large class, where hands-on-experiences with equipment and software become more problematic). <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qhrNhIXZ44o/U9Mj5sHztzI/AAAAAAAAIvc/v1NRG2R4sjg/s1600/film-ser-security.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qhrNhIXZ44o/U9Mj5sHztzI/AAAAAAAAIvc/v1NRG2R4sjg/s1600/film-ser-security.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a><br />
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Allowing for these limitations, I've found that most of the lesson-plan material I come up with is not best suited for a public secondary-school setting. I'm not familiar with those environments and I am a poor judge of what would work well in them. However, a lot of what I am able to devise would probably work well in a private or charter-school setting with a smaller class size and access to resources, or in a home-school/co-op environment. It would also be well-suited to extra-curricular environments where the rubric becomes less of a focus and it is easier to assume that students are motivated to engage with the material. Any of these conditions would allow for a more favorable teacher to student ratio, as well as better likelihood of being able to access the equipment and software needed to do this kind of material justice.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-74Bhp3nK59I/U9Mj5tgFPRI/AAAAAAAAIvg/-DS2m10XAS8/s1600/Griffith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-74Bhp3nK59I/U9Mj5tgFPRI/AAAAAAAAIvg/-DS2m10XAS8/s1600/Griffith.jpg" height="452" width="640" /></a></div>
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While I've tried to foster media-creation in my home, I'm finding that the processes involved in narrative production are too complex and require too much simultaneous enactment for me to teach with any brevity to the ages of children I have ready access to (1-8 years). I'm not yet confident judging at what point a child would be ready to recognize all of the elements of narrative production in action at the same time. But the impossibility of illustrating shooting for continuity without also going through the editing process is a good illustration of how complex it becomes to try to teach a single concept. Continuity shooting requires involvement in pre-production, shooting, and post-production in order to be quite clear. Trying to illustrate this in a hands-on-way requires some forecasting skills from a student that even many high-schoolers may find evasive.Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-90162242703050920242014-07-15T23:34:00.001-07:002014-07-15T23:53:42.920-07:00Composition assignment for 8-13 year-oldsOur most recent assignment has been to create a lesson plan for teaching elements of screen composition. Mine can be found <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-TFRnn7g6t9RcYT4wn4t8903dclZvffg-5RSU-8mcqY/edit?usp=sharing">here</a>, and it incorporates an activity, where students are asked to capture different shot types using a ball as a subject.<br />
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I will confess that I was only able to test this lesson plan in a one-on-one class with my eight-year-old, Oliver. Being at the younger end of the intended age spectrum for this assignment, and with tentative willingness to participate, I left out all optional portions from the description of activities, however, I think with an older or more invested group of kids, those optional portions might be a good enhancement to the lesson and activity.<br />
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Oliver was very quickly able to catch on to the rule of thirds in viewing examples, and was able to identify shot types when I paused them for him. I felt that encouraging this type of aesthetic awareness will lead to recognitions and skills that will improve his ability to create good images over time. However, this assignment is (necessarily) structured for the shots to be captured shortly after the discussion, so while I felt that the material learned made it possible for him to complete the assignment, I did not feel that it captured the full value of what was taught or it's potential for helping him create strong images over time. Thus the evaluation and rubric are tricky.<br />
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The shot list I created for Oliver included:<br />
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<li>Pan</li>
<li>Tilt</li>
<li>Dolly</li>
<li>Trucking</li>
<li>High Angle</li>
<li>Low Angle</li>
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We found it difficult to incorporate potentially more static concepts (closeup, rule-of-thirds) when we were shooting a moving object, and with the size and speed of that object, I had to give up the idea of being a stickler for lead room. After shooting this exercise with Oliver, I edited the lesson plan to change "bouncy ball" to "ball," thinking that a larger, less kinetic one might be easier to keep in the frame.</div>
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Despite these hiccups, I still felt that the entire experience was positive and valuable for Oliver, and would hopefully translate into a small group setting as well. </div>
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Oliver's shots (captured using my iPhone):<br />
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My own example/rendering of this assignment (Using Canon Rebel T2i and a Canon zoom lens: EF 24-105mm f/4L IS):<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7Itl4MGG9RE" width="640"></iframe>Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-56189667964700279302014-07-14T21:44:00.000-07:002014-07-14T21:44:22.290-07:00Editing and Composition Exercises<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ACzWJGVdATs" width="640"></iframe><br />
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In which, with a list of required shot types, we try to shoot and then edit a very short story.Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-46263956642923734682014-07-09T21:40:00.000-07:002014-07-09T21:40:23.619-07:00Media Production Experience: Composition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZXL6hhMbhzM/U74Xk-QhcCI/AAAAAAAAIuA/OFXgKZMPhKM/s1600/cedars07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZXL6hhMbhzM/U74Xk-QhcCI/AAAAAAAAIuA/OFXgKZMPhKM/s1600/cedars07.jpg" height="320" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Snow Falling on Cedars (1999)</span></div>
There are some aspects of film production knowledge that completely transform the learner's film viewing experience. At the top of my list (based on my experience) are composition (placement of objects and environments in the image, but also including lighting, exposure, and color balance), editing (juxtaposition), and sound editing (especially foley and dialogue editing). After learning about and trying one's hand at these stages of production, there is simply more to see, notice, and look for when viewing a film.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q-Jl00JIha8/U74XkyKQMJI/AAAAAAAAIuI/0b1saUkPIC8/s1600/dog-star-man-stan-brakhage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q-Jl00JIha8/U74XkyKQMJI/AAAAAAAAIuI/0b1saUkPIC8/s1600/dog-star-man-stan-brakhage.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Dog Star Man (1962-64)</span></div>
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I've become increasingly attuned to how much narrative exposition is performed in film via cinematography and framing choices. Almost everything I need to know narratively about how characters, locations, objects and relationships should or will fit into the narrative is explained by the way the camera portrays them.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1Py2FJj7_vg/U74XlZiiWJI/AAAAAAAAIuQ/l6V7DGjUeKk/s1600/thepiano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1Py2FJj7_vg/U74XlZiiWJI/AAAAAAAAIuQ/l6V7DGjUeKk/s1600/thepiano.jpg" height="348" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Piano (1993)</span></div>
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Having a rudimentary understanding of the psychology of framing and of color, the intention behind a lot of composition decisions becomes easier to read (and easier to critique). Understanding, for instance, the state of rest promoted by adherence to the rule of thirds and the unease generated by more perfect symmetry, or the way that Western Audiences read lateral action in one direction (left to right) differently than in another (right to left), or the eyeline assumptions made by a shot-reverse-shot sequence, or the way filters and color balance are used to evoke very specific color-associated emotions intended to be applied to the diegetic world of the film. All of these understandings combine to make it more enjoyable to watch impeccable work, and easier to distinguish the distinct differences between amateur and professional level camera work. In that sense, it's a fair equivalent to basic studies of composition in art and art history, and shares some of the same value.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j0TmAgF0r3c/U74Xk7cp2EI/AAAAAAAAIuE/SPIK2Lt9p7I/s1600/The-Tree-of-Life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j0TmAgF0r3c/U74Xk7cp2EI/AAAAAAAAIuE/SPIK2Lt9p7I/s1600/The-Tree-of-Life.jpg" height="326" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Tree Of Life (2011)</span></div>
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Because I feel that it is safe to assume that there is value in teaching these concepts and skills to students who are not necessarily bound for a career centered around them, I can feel called upon to defend the value of that knowledge, that developing a critical eye is valuable for both producers and consumers of visual mediums. But in the digital era of the present, it is not only professionals who are producing media as a part of their day-to-day lives. In an age where every business and most individuals are maintaining an online presence, the need for the creation of engaging, reasonably polished original content is indefatigable. The democratization of media-creating-technologies has turned every citizen into a potential content producer. Having the tools to communicate a visual idea efficiently becomes then a literacy akin to being able to write and communicate clearly verbally. And having that literacy promotes a similarly heightened standard of taste as it's verbal counterpart.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-go5B5RHmeXk/U74Xly7IUTI/AAAAAAAAIug/LYBGAZ80CWE/s1600/harddaysnight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-go5B5RHmeXk/U74Xly7IUTI/AAAAAAAAIug/LYBGAZ80CWE/s1600/harddaysnight.jpg" height="578" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">A Hard Day's Night (1964)</span></div>
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So, reviewing some basic elements of composition and camera operation, I've been impressed at how a little knowledge (introduced early on) can go a long way in reframing a students' relationship with film and video from that point on. It seems to me a potent element of media literacy, and I'm tucking it into my arsenal as such.Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-19070619997515558442014-07-02T18:11:00.000-07:002014-07-02T18:11:23.379-07:00Media Production Experience: Storytelling and ScreenwritingMy relationship with story has evolved significantly over the last ten years. I used to feel like stories were things you had to find, and now I view them more as a facet of reality that you have to see. Everything and everyone has a story (or many), and the trick is to draw it out, and to craft it into something emotionally compelling. The drama in fictional stories is always informed by the stakes of lived experience.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/readyformycloseupmrdemille/11073553444" title="Fun date night with this boy last night to see Shrek the musical at Lehi High. Mindy, they are lucky to have you there! #sir_o #lehipioneers by Em F, on Flickr"><img alt="Fun date night with this boy last night to see Shrek the musical at Lehi High. Mindy, they are lucky to have you there! #sir_o #lehipioneers" height="640" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2875/11073553444_0488c36eb2_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>
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Certainly one useful method of drawing out and crafting a story is to follow a traditional plot arc, and if you allow for a variety of stakes to be still worth telling a story about, then most stories with an "end" can easily land here. But a story arc and its components are not enough to explain what makes a story "work." <br />
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While I think I'm reasonably proficient at enjoying well told stories in a variety of mediums, I don't consider myself a proficient storyteller. I blame my tendency to rush things, which can in turn be blamed on my very demanding life. I tell a lot of stories - largely to my kids or on my languishing personal blog, but not with the sort of captivation that I recognize in stories that I love to consume.<br />
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I recognize that in my typical rushes, a large part of what I'm missing is appropriate pacing and illustrative detail. If I can draw out suspense, increase the stakes, and reveal character and do more foreshadowing through specific, sensory details, it'd go a long way. <br />
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I actually find screenwriting to be a relieved way of telling a story for me, largely because the pressure of executing visual details and of pacing would both fall to someone else in telling the actual story. But, conversely, there is a difficulty in screenwriting, in that the creator of a screenplay is not at liberty to realize their vision, and what a director perceives, followed by what is actually produced are both bound to differ by degrees from a writer's original thought. The decrease in ownership of the story is potentially complicated. <br />
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However, for the purposes of this class, nobody but myself is likely to have a desire to execute anything I write, so I can write as though I am creating an outline for myself, in an effort to organize a conceptual story into an executable project. There is certainly a danger of including too little information in the screenplay under these conditions, but it seems that that would be a lesser evil than including too much.Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-42717263740997228802014-06-25T15:29:00.000-07:002014-06-25T15:29:02.162-07:00Media Production Experience: Goals for ClassMy goals and initial objectives for a "Media Production Experience" course are:<br />
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<li>To complete a reasonable review of concepts, skills, and roles that I learned as an undergrad (in TMA 185, 285, and others) to help me refresh those items my brain may have misplaced for lack of use.</li>
<li>To feel reasonably confident undertaking a moderate single-creator video project, from pre-production through post production. </li>
<li>To increase my proficiency in using equipment and software I will continue to have access to after the course ends.</li>
<li>To increase my pedagogy arsenal for teaching the skills covered in class to others in the future.</li>
<li>To create several things that provide me with the benefits of "carpentry" discussed by Ian Bogost.</li>
<li>To see a measurable increase in the production value of projects I create over time.</li>
<li>To engage in critical discussion about the decisions that go into the creation of media. </li>
<li>To feel/be qualified to instruct an absolute beginner in acquiring basic video production skills. </li>
</ol>
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Video Examples of short/compelling stories</div>
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<a href="http://oliveus.tv/saying-goodbye/">Olive Us: Saying Goodbye</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXmDD6PdDDA">Picnic: Student Project</a></div>
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<br />Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-26599070529067609522014-06-17T23:44:00.002-07:002014-06-17T23:44:31.403-07:00Documentary Final: Helix<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/nXyehsGHVoQ" width="640"></iframe><br />
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One of the potential strengths of any documentary, is that
the process of making it forces the maker to reflect more deeply on the concept
they are illustrating than they may have had cause to using other mediums. In
the process of constructing an intentional metaphor, the many creative
decisions that fall to the filmmaker are also positioned to ask the filmmaker
many difficult questions about what they are trying to communicate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bill Nichols<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7500087257974731535#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> noted,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“One… generalization about recurring topics
in documentaries is that they involve those concepts and issues we need
metaphors to describe.” This common use of the medium, to use images, subjects,
juxtapositions, and audience expectations to initiate a discussion about
otherwise abstract ideas, is inherent in the nature of storytelling, and doubly
inherent in the nature of telling “true” stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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As was discussed by Nichols and by Broderick Fox<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7500087257974731535#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>,
there are a number of fluidly categorized ways – modes – that filmmakers
regularly use to present these stories or ideas to their audiences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For this project, <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">given the logistic constraints (mainly of time) involved in the
undertaking, it seemed to be in my best interest to make as many decisions
before shooting as possible. This pre-meditated approach lent itself to an
essayistic mode, combining elements of the poetic, reflexive, performative, and
autobiographical modes. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">The poetic mode is
perhaps an unavoidable component of essayistic documentary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nichols said that in poetic mode, “The
filmmaker engage[s] with the film form as much as or more than with social
actors.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This prevalence of form over
subject was also a component of the essayistic mode insofar as it was explored
in class. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The subject, in this case
myself, becomes less important than the idea, or affect being emphasized by the
filmmaker’s creative decisions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
There are reflexive moments in this project where the
presence of the camera and its operator are acknowledged, as well as a certain
thematic reflexivity, wherein “Reflexive documentary sets out to readjust the
assumptions and expectations of its audience, more than to add new knowledge to
existing categories.” (Nichols) <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Large portions of this project became performative, largely
out of necessity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In order to capture
the appropriate tasks and actions for this essay, many of them had to be
staged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were all things that happen
regularly without the camera present, but because it was my own life, there was
no way to enter the space and capture those tasks in an observational
style.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In some cases I was able to turn
a camera on to capture something that was happening anyway (making my bed) but
in other cases I had to stage actions, because capturing them otherwise proved
prohibitive. (The laundry basket being filled was clearly staged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leaving my camera set up in the hall to
capture an actual time lapse would almost certainly lead to the death of said
camera.) <o:p></o:p></div>
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But the performative mode isn’t employed merely because of
staged tasks, it’s also relevant because the staged tasks are illustrating a
hypothetical idea that would be difficult to convey without some kind of
embodied subject.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But given the nature
of that idea and the way it is communicated, the fidelity of the featured
actions has little weight to the validity of the complete piece. In this case,
performative documentary “demonstrate[s] how embodied knowledge provides entry
into an understanding of the more general processes at work in society.”
(Nichols) <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
The Autobiographical elements of this film are pretty
overt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The voiceover is my voice, my
words, speaking in the 1<sup>st</sup> person about my own experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Though through the process of recording it
multiple times and never liking how it turned out, I’m finding out how
subjective and constructed that can be.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am the subject of many of my shots, and nearly all of the content
comes from the context of my day-to-day life. I think this piece imperfectly
fits Fox’s parameters for Autobiographical documentary, that ”baring one’s self
to the public is at the heart of the autobiographical mode. The emotional and
personal life experiences of the producer become the documented reality.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t feel that I was able to be as raw or
vulnerable as the “best” autobiographical documentaries defined by Fox, wherein
“the autobiographical mode not only closes the gap between photographer and
subject, but also the space between filmmaker and audience – brought together
through a subjective familiarity and an invitation to know the “I “ behind the
camera.“<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Because of that, I feel comfortable describing this piece as
primarily essayistic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fox said that
essayistic mode is “an active one, in which a proposed idea or question is
tested by a range of means and intersecting lines of argument.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This film does not entirely fit the template
of “an experiment” as outlined by Fox, but it does explore an idea
thematically, rather than a story chronologically.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If the “written or documentary essay hinges upon integrating
personal experience, history, and social critique with taut, kinetic
progression toward a synthesizing claim.” (Fox) then I think that is where this
piece ultimately fits best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
synthesizing claim made here is a pretty abstract idea, and a lot of the nuance
of it is communicated non-verbally. But ultimately, the entire film progresses
to support a reflection on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(At least
that was my intent.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My intent, if it is relevant for a viewer, was to compose a
media essay about how and whether there is value in repeated, prosaic
tasks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such endeavors make up a majority
of my days and this created for me a meaningful way to reflect on content I had
suitable access to for filming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
project allowed me to further a democratizing idea that acts don’t have to be
extraordinary to be worth telling a story about.</div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<br />
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7500087257974731535#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><span style="color: #323232; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nichols, Bill. <i>Introduction to
Documentary</i>. 2nd ed. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2010. Print.</span><span style="color: #535353; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7500087257974731535#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><span style="color: #535353; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Fox, Broderick. "Movements and
Modes." <i>Documentary Media: History, Theory, Practice</i>. Boston:
Allyn & Bacon, 2010. 40-44. Print</span><span style="color: #535353; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 9.0pt;">.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-8330964400266303742014-06-10T22:01:00.001-07:002014-06-10T22:01:31.906-07:00Documentary: Mode Activity 3<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/SoccZaSnBGU" width="640"></iframe><br />
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
This doc mode assignment consists of the exposition for my
final project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The modes I was trying
most to embody were autobiographical, performative, and essayistic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are also moments of observational mode,
and a few reflexive moments, so if the ultimate result succeeds in being
essayistic, then I’ve successfully embraced the marriage of modes that Fox
attributed to essayistic documentaries. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The autobiographical elements are obvious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The content for these shots come from my
real-life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About half of them are
reenactments of things I actually do on a normal basis, and the other half are
me turning the camera on things that were going to happen anyway, although they
inevitably happened differently with a camera rolling, if only because we had
to pause to set it up and press record.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Also, I feel that because the images here become subservient
to the voice-over, that the shots take on a performative mode within the
context of the whole piece (this may become more apparent in the final film,
where there are more whole-heartedly performative elements).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The shots of daily tasks become more about an
essayistic idea being conveyed than about my particular unique experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least I hope I ultimately manage
that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m trying to emphasize the
universality of my experience, rather than the singularity of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The voiceover feels like the element that
ultimately renders the essayistic mode dominant for this piece, though that may
be a stronger thread running through the finished piece than it is through this
exposition. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I did find the autobiographical mode, turning the camera on
myself, to be an intensely tricky endeavor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When I’m the one authoring the piece, and I’m also the one providing
almost all of the social acting, figuring out both what I want to capture and
how I’m going to provide it for myself, there is an internal conflict of
interest in everything I do. With limited control over my environment anyway,
to be torn between my embedded social acting -trying to manage how I am
perceived - and my need to portray myself as a character - having less concern
about how I am perceived than about how best to tell the story – was an
exercise in extreme discomfort and awkwardness. <o:p></o:p></div>
Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-7026857854220654512014-06-06T22:55:00.000-07:002014-06-06T23:11:26.182-07:00Documentary Online Response #8: Essayistic ModeToday (June 6th) being the anniversary of D-Day, I had a very dear friend, whose grandfather was present at and medalled for June 6th on the beaches of Normandy, proclaim to the world we ought to be more reflective about the forgotten details of WWII, and <a href="http://dandelionmama.com/2014/06/06/sword-juno-gold-omaha-utah/">she suggested that</a> the best point of entry was Ken Burn's documentary <i>The War</i>. Burns, being generally perceived as the conservative king of expository documentary, covers his material very carefully, but his use of voice-of-God voiceover always masks the subjectivity of his filmmaking voice. I suggested a few other WWII films I knew of that ventured into other modes, but wasn't aware of much that wrestled specifically with D-Day.<br />
<br />
Fast forward 12 hours, and a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-karras/filmmaker-explores-her-le_b_5457321.html?utm_hp_ref=arts&ir=Arts">link</a> lands in my inbox that points me toward <i>A Fuller Life</i>, a documentary about Samuel Fuller, made by his daughter Samantha Fuller. From the articles, clips, and trailers I was able to dig up, it seemed to me like a perfectly postmodern approach to a very personal account of how WWII (and Normandy in particular) came to define the identity of a single human being, and how he wrestled with his war experience as a terrible muse. Samantha Fuller uses multiple modes here - performative readings of her father's autobiography by other filmmakers (a reflexive move), mixed with archival WWII footage shot by Samuel Fuller, with several shots that remind me of the techniques described by Barnouw(1) as being used in the film <i>The Titan</i> about Michaelangelo. Human-less shots of intimate spaces made meaningful by their connection to the context of the film and its subject.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/68647700" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="620"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/68647700">A Fuller Life teaser</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user17790279">Samantha Fuller</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<br />
While it may not ultimately prove to be a perfect model of the Essayistic Mode; when comparing Samantha Fuller's approach to Ken Burn's, it was easy to sense that she had explored an unconventional mix of modes in telling this personal story. It's an approach that fits several of Fox's (2) descriptions of essayistic mode. "(The essayistic) mode is an active one, in which a proposed idea or question
is tested by a range of means and intersecting lines of argument." And Tim Roth's face and voice as he reads Samuel Fuller's words about Normandy ("I saw a man's mouth. Just a mouth for Christ's sake, floating in the water.") is far more nuanced and open to multiple interpretations than the authoritative voiceovers typical of Burns.<br />
<br />
Fox proposes that the"art of great written or documentary essay hinges upon
integrating personal experience, history, and social critique with taut,
kinetic progression toward a synthesizing claim," yet he also allows that "quite often an essay does not arrive at a finite conclusion,
yet the ideas discovered during the process may reshape and reinform the
initial query in unforeseen ways." Certainly this was true of Ross McElwee's<i> 6 O'clock News</i>. McElwee weaved his way between personal experience, social critique, and historical events in a manner that felt cohesive, but never conclusive. He remained firmly reflexive about his role as the person asking the question, but never became more than momentarily autobiographical, the film wasn't about his personal quandary. It was about the larger idea of his quandary, as a tension universally experienced by parents, but coped with in a spectrum of ways, none of which he went so far as to endorse with his film. As opposed to an expository voice, prone to saying "This is what happened and why," McElwee's films seems to say, "Let's look together at what is happening, perhaps you can make sense of this... I certainly can't." It is a much more transparent, reflexive combination of moments.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ztlvbcmiNU8" width="640"></iframe>
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Ultimately 6 O'clock News nails Fox's criteria for what Essayistic mode does "at its best." It fits a complement that Fox paid to Varda's <i>The Gleaners and I</i>, "Initial curiosity about a painting (or in this case about television news) weaves outward in an
ever-widening investigation to form a surprising humanistic tapestry, the
documentary whole far greater than the sum of its parts."<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(1) <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0980392); font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 24px; text-indent: -40px;">Barnouw, Erik. "4. Clouded Lens; Chronicler." </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 24px; text-indent: -40px;">Documentary: A History of the Non-fiction Film</i><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0980392); font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 24px; text-indent: -40px;">. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford UP, 1993. 202-05. Print.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(2) <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0980392); font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 24px; text-indent: -40px;">Fox, Broderick. "Movements and Modes." </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 24px; text-indent: -40px;">Documentary Media: History, Theory, Practice</i><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0980392); font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 24px; text-indent: -40px;">. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2010. 40-44. Print.</span></span><br />
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-41270913388273750612014-06-05T23:15:00.000-07:002014-06-06T23:06:17.306-07:00Documentary: The Case of the Grinning Cat (2004)Chris Marker - Essayistic exploration of symbols/images/art and where they intersect with public voices and fads in activism.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/5aIE3O-3RKg" width="640"></iframe>Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-20954556894847760402014-06-05T23:03:00.000-07:002014-06-06T23:03:53.807-07:00Documentary: The Gleaner's and I (2000)Agnes Varda - Essayistic Mode - Asking questions, making inconclusive connections<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/-7YhVzd_vl4" width="640"></iframe>
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-14133022790653416202014-06-04T23:00:00.000-07:002014-06-06T23:01:19.666-07:00Documentary: Six O'Clock News (1996)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.notcoming.com/images/reviews/l/6oclocknews.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.notcoming.com/images/reviews/l/6oclocknews.jpg" height="256" width="640" /></a></div>
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Ross McElwee - essayistic quandary about tragedy on global and personal scales. </div>
<br />Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-68214673090388420762014-06-02T23:33:00.000-07:002014-06-03T10:36:22.416-07:00Documentary Online Response #7: Autobiographical Mode<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0pGZo2HZoIk/U41quWqEoJI/AAAAAAAAIqY/MUDo_tcbrSo/s1600/One-thousand-Gifts-Brene-Brown-Quote-Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0pGZo2HZoIk/U41quWqEoJI/AAAAAAAAIqY/MUDo_tcbrSo/s1600/One-thousand-Gifts-Brene-Brown-Quote-Collage.jpg" height="236" width="640" /></a></div>
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Our in-class conversations about the Autobiographical Mode
had my mind regularly revisiting the writing of Dr. Brene Brown, who
specializes on the mechanics of vulnerability and shame, which are hot spots
that an autobiographical film seems destined to have to deal with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In her book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Daring Greatly </i>Dr. Brown wrote “If we can share our story with someone who responds
with empathy and understanding, shame can't survive.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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When
crafted with care, it seems that an Autobiographical documentary is ideally
constructed to foster the kind of empathy and understanding that would counter
or destroy the threat of shame that might make such a vulnerable enterprise
become too vulnerable to undertake. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Describing Vanalyne Green’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saddle Sores: A Blue Western</i> (1998), Fox(41) says that “Putting her own face (and body) onto the taboo subject of sexually
transmitted disease, Green disarms us, makes us laugh, and ultimately prompts
us to think… exploring public taboos about venereal disease and perception of
the diseased…”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2XfaHlGBAo4/U41quUZOxbI/AAAAAAAAIqk/Uy_FIrukns0/s1600/vanalyne+green.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2XfaHlGBAo4/U41quUZOxbI/AAAAAAAAIqk/Uy_FIrukns0/s1600/vanalyne+green.jpg" height="483" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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This process described by Fox seems like a template for
effectively approaching a topic typically judged harshly or dismissed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, the filmmaker disarms their audience
through the transparent subjectivity of their story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By completely foregoing any “voice of
authority,” the filmmaker disarms the audience from their prejudices of what is
and is not “knowledge,” rendering friction between opinions moot, because the
filmmaker is not sharing their “opinion” per se, but rather their “lived
experience,” which is not so easily argued against.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This disarmament was also prevalent in 51
Birch Street, where Doug Block’s premise of telling about his own family of
origin set the stage for exploring more universal frictions. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ehCMdjAQV8Y/U41rFISz__I/AAAAAAAAIqs/AyG63UxPxNE/s1600/birch-street2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ehCMdjAQV8Y/U41rFISz__I/AAAAAAAAIqs/AyG63UxPxNE/s1600/birch-street2.jpg" height="320" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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Secondly, Fox credited Green with making her audience laugh,
which has been a key to constructing a sympathetic character throughout most of
the history of narrative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once an
audience is primed not to resist the filmmaker because of the filmmaker’s claim
of subjectivity, they are then helped to invest in the filmmaker’s subjectivity
as the character of the filmmaker in their own film becomes a sympathetic
one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The usefulness of this tactic was
well illustrated in McElwee’s Sherman’s March, as McElwee several times dwelt
on the humor of his situation through visual irony, timing of sound, and a
general sense of the character and thought processes behind the person to whom
all commentary to the camera was addressed. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Once arguments against the film’s perspective are disarmed,
and the filmmaker’s voice is rendered sympathetic, the autobiographical film
becomes uniquely poised to “prompt us to think” about situations and
perspectives that a viewer might otherwise have been prone to dismiss.
Certainly this seemed to be the goal of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rea Tajiri’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">History and Memory</i>:
to re-orient the viewer’s sense of history to include an often omitted chapter,
one to which many people might have had a defensive answer in place, had Tajiri’s
film had any pretense of objectivity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thus her film becomes an effective vehicle for provoking thoughtful
reflection on an oppressed and choleric perspective, allowing a vulnerable
story to be told in a way that shields it from shameful repercussions <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0980392); font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 24px; text-indent: -40px;">Fox, Broderick. "Movements and Modes." </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 24px; text-indent: -40px;">Documentary Media: History, Theory, Practice</i><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0980392); font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 24px; text-indent: -40px;">. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2010. 40-44. Print.</span></span></div>
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 42px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 1169px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 42px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 1169px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-7794399522724302392014-06-02T20:30:00.000-07:002014-06-02T23:51:38.604-07:00Documentary: History and Memory: For Akiko and Takashige (1992)Clip available <a href="http://www.vdb.org/titles/history-and-memory">here</a>. Somewhere between Performative, Poetic, and Autobiographical.Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-84630662274120912722014-06-02T20:00:00.000-07:002014-06-02T23:46:06.843-07:00Documentary: Scott ChristophersonIn class we watched his film "Convert", but also discussed this project in the context of autobiographical documentary.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="410" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/15175603" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="620"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/15175603">Only the Pizza Man Knows</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3169815">Scott Christopherson</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7500087257974731535.post-69957959852906561542014-05-29T23:38:00.000-07:002014-06-02T23:39:28.564-07:00Documentary: 51 Birch Street (2005)Doug Block: Autobiographical Mode<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/CvhONs4fdmY" width="640"></iframe>Emhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174424401721373062noreply@blogger.com0