Reflection
For this assignment, we had to make our own video mashup. This involves practicing argumentative strategies within audio and visual communication. Video mashups include visual, audio, still images, and text that creates an argument. This argument that you are trying to make should be something that you feel strongly about in which you can argue and/or disagree. This puts into practice semiotics, remixing, and creating mashups. It allowed me to learn more about the difference between digital media and traditional writing.
Here are the following links that take you each portion that is a part of this assignment:
Proposal
Storyboard
Annotated Bibliography
& last but not least, my video mashup
When we were first assigned this project, I was freaking out a little bit inside. First, I didn't understand it because there were a couple of parts that go along with the video mashup which I listed above. So the many steps in order to get to the mashup took awhile. Also, when we were told to create our own video and that we should use a Mac for this project, I didn't know what to do. I don't have a Mac, I own a PC. I was thinking of ways to complete this project because of this constraint. I first thought that I could try to just use my computer and download Windows Movie Maker to do it, but after downloading that, my computer was filled with viruses. I then tried to take it to the Rowan Tech Center to fix it, but they couldn't fix the problem; therefore, I went to the computer lab with the Macs to do this project. Of course, it didn't work out well because YouTube videos wouldn't work on it. My final step I took was to go to my roommate and ask to borrow her Mac when she wasn't using it and that is exactly what I did for this video mashup. I had trouble because I HAVE NO IDEA how to use Macs. Not only did I have to learn how to use iMovie, I had to learn how to navigate around her computer. After I played around and my roommate helped me, I was able to figure out how to use iMovie, somewhat. After finishing the video, I realized that creating videos is the same as writing a paper. You are using your opinion and providing resources in a movie just like you do in a paper. Videos are showing different mediums in which you can visually show your feelings. They provide you information in which you can view and listen instead of reading. Videos and papers provide different feelings and evoke different ways to communicate information. After I was done, I was relieved and actually proud of myself with the product and the work that I accomplished. I went from not knowing and actually never using a Mac before in my life, to becoming a pro (maybe) at creating video mashups.
In order to create a successful video mashup, you need a variety of editing skills that will bring you to a wonderful product that people will want to watch. You will have to edit and cut different parts of videos in order to make it the way you want it to be in your mashup. You need to cut parts of clips to make it fit your topic. Different pieces of videos will be more necessary to add than others. Because of this, you will need to know how to cut those individual pieces out. At first, I didn't know how to do this until I played around and started pressing buttons. My first mashup was a bunch of videos thrown together because I didn't know how to edit it; the music was off, the volume was different throughout the whole piece, some clips shouldn't have been used. I only created two drafts because the second one, which was my final draft, I thought was exactly how I wanted it to be. I worked for a long time on that second (final draft), in order to make it what I exactly wanted and that is what I did; therefore, I only created two drafts. The beginning of my first draft was too long without music. I edited it to be shorter and to start right away. I also had a definition of a child beauty pageant as a text without music on top of it. Having that ruined my mashup. It was too boring and I decided to remove it and add audio and visual images to show what the definition is without simply showing the definition in words. I thought that that would have a more prominent effect on my viewers. I also had archival video footage that was extremely too long in my first draft. For my final draft, I cut the video in half and put the first part in the beginning of the mashup and the second half in the middle. I also split up other videos and put them throughout the mashup to provide a better point. Another piece I added was more information about parental views on beauty pageants. I provided one view of a parent that does not care what other people think of her by having her child in a beauty pageant at such a young age. I also added views of critics that say that it is absurd that parents WANT to put their children in these pageants that show sexualization. I thought that having different points of views of the people that matter (parents of the children and of critics) will stimulate different arguments from my viewers. It shows points of views that people want to have their children in them while arguing that they shouldn't do this.
Creating this video mashup helped me to understand more about the evolution of technology. I have always owned a computer and not a Mac and that is where the world is turning to. Macs and Apple products are taking over computers and this was a way for me to learn more about how to use them. Also, it helped me to play with different communications such as video, audio, and still images. It helped me learn about the different ways you can use technology in order to apply these different mediums. Videos are a lot different than written texts. They both provide different concepts. One shows you visual imagery and videos while the other allows viewers to read the words. Rhetorical adaptability allows you to take different ideas and transform them into new forms of mediums. Creating a video mashup makes you take different mediums such as videos and still images and creating them into one form such as a video.
Here are the following links that take you each portion that is a part of this assignment:
Proposal
Storyboard
Annotated Bibliography
& last but not least, my video mashup
When we were first assigned this project, I was freaking out a little bit inside. First, I didn't understand it because there were a couple of parts that go along with the video mashup which I listed above. So the many steps in order to get to the mashup took awhile. Also, when we were told to create our own video and that we should use a Mac for this project, I didn't know what to do. I don't have a Mac, I own a PC. I was thinking of ways to complete this project because of this constraint. I first thought that I could try to just use my computer and download Windows Movie Maker to do it, but after downloading that, my computer was filled with viruses. I then tried to take it to the Rowan Tech Center to fix it, but they couldn't fix the problem; therefore, I went to the computer lab with the Macs to do this project. Of course, it didn't work out well because YouTube videos wouldn't work on it. My final step I took was to go to my roommate and ask to borrow her Mac when she wasn't using it and that is exactly what I did for this video mashup. I had trouble because I HAVE NO IDEA how to use Macs. Not only did I have to learn how to use iMovie, I had to learn how to navigate around her computer. After I played around and my roommate helped me, I was able to figure out how to use iMovie, somewhat. After finishing the video, I realized that creating videos is the same as writing a paper. You are using your opinion and providing resources in a movie just like you do in a paper. Videos are showing different mediums in which you can visually show your feelings. They provide you information in which you can view and listen instead of reading. Videos and papers provide different feelings and evoke different ways to communicate information. After I was done, I was relieved and actually proud of myself with the product and the work that I accomplished. I went from not knowing and actually never using a Mac before in my life, to becoming a pro (maybe) at creating video mashups.
In order to create a successful video mashup, you need a variety of editing skills that will bring you to a wonderful product that people will want to watch. You will have to edit and cut different parts of videos in order to make it the way you want it to be in your mashup. You need to cut parts of clips to make it fit your topic. Different pieces of videos will be more necessary to add than others. Because of this, you will need to know how to cut those individual pieces out. At first, I didn't know how to do this until I played around and started pressing buttons. My first mashup was a bunch of videos thrown together because I didn't know how to edit it; the music was off, the volume was different throughout the whole piece, some clips shouldn't have been used. I only created two drafts because the second one, which was my final draft, I thought was exactly how I wanted it to be. I worked for a long time on that second (final draft), in order to make it what I exactly wanted and that is what I did; therefore, I only created two drafts. The beginning of my first draft was too long without music. I edited it to be shorter and to start right away. I also had a definition of a child beauty pageant as a text without music on top of it. Having that ruined my mashup. It was too boring and I decided to remove it and add audio and visual images to show what the definition is without simply showing the definition in words. I thought that that would have a more prominent effect on my viewers. I also had archival video footage that was extremely too long in my first draft. For my final draft, I cut the video in half and put the first part in the beginning of the mashup and the second half in the middle. I also split up other videos and put them throughout the mashup to provide a better point. Another piece I added was more information about parental views on beauty pageants. I provided one view of a parent that does not care what other people think of her by having her child in a beauty pageant at such a young age. I also added views of critics that say that it is absurd that parents WANT to put their children in these pageants that show sexualization. I thought that having different points of views of the people that matter (parents of the children and of critics) will stimulate different arguments from my viewers. It shows points of views that people want to have their children in them while arguing that they shouldn't do this.
Creating this video mashup helped me to understand more about the evolution of technology. I have always owned a computer and not a Mac and that is where the world is turning to. Macs and Apple products are taking over computers and this was a way for me to learn more about how to use them. Also, it helped me to play with different communications such as video, audio, and still images. It helped me learn about the different ways you can use technology in order to apply these different mediums. Videos are a lot different than written texts. They both provide different concepts. One shows you visual imagery and videos while the other allows viewers to read the words. Rhetorical adaptability allows you to take different ideas and transform them into new forms of mediums. Creating a video mashup makes you take different mediums such as videos and still images and creating them into one form such as a video.