9/8/16

In Nicholson and Sideman's article on Social Postmodernism, they introduce their readers to the concept of the "social sphere." The social sphere as a discursive space to create relationships, that they then break down into three parts:

Equality

One sphere

Public/Private

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9/12/16 

-In a media such as sound (radio) there is constant editing that doesn't seem to end until the very moment it airs.

-Something as simple as making an structure/plan can be helpful before interviewing.

-It is important to really be thinking about what medium is being used in order to understand how it needs to be represented in order to accurately represent whatever it is you are trying to convey. 

-In a creative field that requires much editing or constant thinking and re-thinking, it is important to keep an open mind and take in constructive criticism as opposed to rejecting it.

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9/15/16

My biggest challenge was trying to figure out which memories would reveal the most about myself. There were so many that I could think of, but I wasn't sure if they would reveal much about myself. It was also very challenging to "show" these memories with descriptive language, without giving away a place or location- each memory is so specific, and it is hard to convey a personal memory with descriptive language.   

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9/19/16

What has been the most difficult question for you to answer? Why?

What can I as an interviewer do if I ask a question that triggers the interviewee to cry or become emotional? Do I move on to another question? 

Can you give me an example of a question that you wouldn't feel comfortable answering?

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9/26/16

One of the most helpful pieces of information that I was able to take away from our discussion with Sana, was that it is very important to be conscious of the questions that an interviewer asks and how he or she goes about asking certain questions. Sana also mentioned that it is important for an interviewer to be prepared for an interview by doing research on the topic of interest- it is polite, courteous, and the least that you can do when asking someone to tell you their story.

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Audio bio feedback

The biggest challenge moving forward with the audio biography essay, will be figuring out how to alter the structure of the "I am from" poem to accommodate a narrative that will inform my listener of something about myself.

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10/13/16

Chapter four of the course text alludes to the importance of perspective in a story. The meaning of a story changes as the perspective changes, so it is important to think critically about the perspectives portrayed, as well as the meaning that the perspectives being portrayed offer while telling a story. This is useful information when thinking about how an interview should be portrayed- it is necessary for my group and I to think critically about the perspective that is being portrayed to us in the interview, but also how we, as the "authors," want to portray our account of someone else's story. That being said, different mediums can also vary the meaning and effect that a perspective can suggest, so we must be cautious when choosing a medium to portray "our" story.

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10/24/16

Just like the dark depths of the ocean, sound can't always be "seen." Although they are not always seen, they play a vital role in the success of their environments- the creatures, organisms...etc, of the deep sea, make it possible for the ocean to continue thriving and existing, while the complex layers of vibrations of sound form together to create meaning and understanding. The many variations and uses of sound can have different effects and create different meanings for an audience- they can target emotion, paint a mental image, define a space..etc. When thinking about a radio show, sound is like the depths of the ocean because it is an unseen complexity that is the cause for its being- and pertains to the desired meaning/feeling that the author wants to evoke in his or her audience.

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11/3/16

An edit is when someone reads or plays a draft of their work to a person or group to be interpreted and understood. Once the person or group makes sense of the work, they form and express their opinion (critique) so that the author can use the feedback to push their work further. The process of editing on the other hand is the literal revising or cutting of tape (work) to shorten and shape quotes and sound for a story. The  In architecture we call them "crits." guest crits- offer different perspective to understand work. 

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Framing is a technique used in storytelling to pinpoint the reactions that deliver an idea from those that deliver a feeling. Signposting is used to suggest to your audience where the important parts of the story are

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11/10/16

Most of the feedback received was consistent, which is a good sign that there are elements to the story that we have done well, as well as elements that need improvement. The following are suggestions that will be investigated in greater depth to improve the composition of the story:

-Implementing smoother and more appropriate transitions to solidify the pace of the piece

-Offering more camera angles and adding background music to enhance drama as well as emphasize important details 

-Use subtitles to give a clear, visual understanding of the story as an audio piece

-Adding blank slides with text to engage the viewer in a deeper historical context

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Most of the feedback pertained to the framing/compositional elements while the arc of the story seemed clear.

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The feedback from the outside viewer was very similar- she gave her understanding of the theme and "arc" of the story as opposed to meticulous compositional feedback. This was helpful because it showed that as an outside source, she was able to understand the story.

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11/14/16

I think "oral history" is the history of memory and experiences. mapping coherence refers to the theme/question/reason/message for or of the story told- In terms of the relevance to our Community Storytelling Project, the oral history being conveyed or understood are the moments of their memory that remain with them that they want to share with us- moments that remain in their "history" due to a certain significance that allows them to hold on to a particular memory. (memory from certain experience).

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The Olive Project allows for multimodal composition to be thought of in a more creative way- "multimodal" may not be making a video solely to tell the story of someones life, but rather a more creative and meaningful/ specific way to tell each story- each story has its own "concept." This concept should be the tie that keeps the story together. The way in which the story is conveyed helps to think about public audiences in the sense that in order to understand the story, the "process" must be understood- there is a process to navigation and understanding that must be explored- through this exploration comes understanding.  

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11/17/16

The purpose of the article is to have a better understanding of what it means to use and understand multimodal techniques. The article stresses the importance of multiple perspectives and audiences as they relate to purpose- how can a mix use of media strengthen an understanding for a specific audience?

A concept that I found most compelling as a student who is studying architecture or in a design oriented program, was Laurer's idea about precision- terms need to be defined using precise language (or graphics). This resinated with my current knowledge of presentation- as a student involved in a design process, it is important to be able to convey our own thoughts and ideas using graphics that should speak for themselves. I felt the authors frustration with her lack of "digital literacy" and therefore her need to rely on others to convey her perspective- this thought is already flawed because how can you be expected to be precise if you are not the one conveying your own ideas?  I myself, struggle with "digital literacy" skills and am trying to figure out a way to become more literate- something that takes lots and lots of time!

 

11/21/16

I was really happy with the way that my group was able to work together- I think that we all contributed an even amount and put in a lot of effort to meet multiple times a week outside of our class and do what we needed to do, from editing the video, to adding subtitles, choosing appropriate music, and creating graphics- we did all the work and decision-making together. We were able to rely on each other and we all did our part.

 

What I was most pleased about with the video and the project as a whole, was our ability to turn such raw, informative data into something that shined, to aid in telling someone's story. The thing that displeased me, was our inability to do everything we wanted, in the way that we imagined/thought of doing it in our minds, because we were at the mercy of the editing program. In addition, although the subtitles were a project requirement, I think that they took away from a stronger emotion that could be understood by observing Clement, his expressions, and his gestures- not only was this something that provided difficulty with the editing program, but it also took away from our 

 

If I were to do this project again, I think it would be nice to allot more in-class time to working with our groups- this would also allow for a more collaborative environment among classmates to solve similar problems- "studio culture."

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12/5/16

After reviewing the reflections today, I was a bit confused as to which direction I would head with my own reflection- weather is it to be a reflection of the process undergone in a specific project, or a piece reflecting on the course as a whole, and how my knowledge was gained through an understanding that was then explored in each specific process. For me, I think that the discussions were most critical to the success of our projects, because without this initial understanding/awareness, it would have been difficult to achieve the course outcomes. My plan moving forward, is to integrate my initial thinking with other modes to strengthen the piece as well as strengthen my knowledge in the outcomes.