Top 10 Electronic Media Writing Revelations of the Spring 2010 Semester

1. Simplistic Writing

A piece of information that I found particularly helpful came on page 60 of Hilliard's Writing for Television, Radio, and New Media. Hilliard states that in writing, it is important to choose words that are familiar to everyone.

This pertains to my interest in advertising and public relations, because of target audiences. When I am writing a press release or creating an advertisement, I want to make sure that I am using simple, straight to the point wording that everyone in my target audience will understand. Hilliard also says to try to find different ways of saying the same thing. Advertising and public relations about about innovation, and finding creative new ways of expressing an idea. Hilliard's statements definitely resinated with me and I could find the connection to my professional field.

2. Cut Through The Clutter

News stations must distinguish their companies. Most news programs have the same information, so how they portray information is a large determining factor of who listens to them. They need to distinguish themselves in order to gain viewers, and even take viewers away from competitors. On page 154 of the text, Hilliard states that the competition to gain the most viewers is a rating race. This race forces stations to relay information in interesting ways to differentiate their company from the competition. This market competition can be seen in more industries than simply news stations. Competition in the market fuels the economy, and companies are forced to find unique ways to sell their products.
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3. Listen To The Public Service Announcemnt

Page 73 of the Hilliard text reveals that public service announcements are only aired when all of the commercial spots are not bought. Public service announcements contain important information that people need to hear. Many companies are required to create public service announcements for their business. For example, when tobacco advertising was allowed on television, for every three tobacco advertisements, the tobacco company had to have one anti-smoking public service announcement. Public service announcements often contain more valuable information than regular, propaganda-like messages. Often times, public service announcements are more important than trying to get consumers to buy a miscellaneous product. Here is an example about a public service announcement that has information content that will educate the public on Autism.



4. Documentary v. Feature

An important lesson that I learned from Hilliard was the difference between a documentary and a feature. On page 194 he states that documentaries take a point of view toward the subject matter, while features try to stay unbiased. Features like to give straight forward information that doesn't sway a person's opinion in anyway, instead, it simply educates them on the subject matter. Another difference Hillard points out is that features tend to avoid controversial issues. Documentaries in no way try to avoid controversial issues. Most documentaries are shedding light on an issue that they want to educate the public on. An example of a documentary is Bowling For Columbine, a film created by Michael Moore. This documentary explores what Michael Moore believes are the causes for violence with guns and specifically, the Columbine High School shootings.




5. Bye Bye Passive Voice

Hilliard taught a lesson about writing in a passive voice. He stated on page 355 to use an active voice instead of a passive voice. I never noticed, but I tend to use the passive voice.
An example of this would be, there are 10 posts contained on this blog, rather than saying, this blog contains 10 posts. The first statement is wordy, lengthly, and in the passive voice. The second statement is more direct. This relates back to using simple language. The phrase is more straight forward, and is understood better. Avoiding the passive voice makes sentences more direct.

6. Writing Skills For All Mediums

On page 447, Hilliard brings up the need to be able to write in a variety of forms. He says that it is necessary to be well rounded and to write in a number of media forms. This is something that electronic media writing is all about and Champlain College as well. Nearly every class that I have been enrolled in at Champlain has stressed the importance of being a well rounded individual. Part of being a well rounded individual is being a strong writer for traditional media, like print journalism, but to also be tech savvy and know how to blog and utilize tools such as Twitter. I definitely understand the importance. It is necessary for a person to be able to articulate themselves well for a variety of documents. Hilliard's statements connected to my professional field when on page 453 he brought up the need for broad-based skills that will transfer into having the ability to write everything from a bumper sticker, to a news release, to a billboard.
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7. Judgment Time

Hilliard talks about censorship and writing with non-offensive content. Page 13 of the text describes how writers must be able to have a talent for writing quality material while using their judgment in the material that they use. It's hard to censor writing for all audiences, especially because of the variety of people that have access to the different mediums. There are things like parental control on television, but that doesn't necessarily mean that a young child can't turn on MTV's Spring Break while flicking through the channels. Writing has to be censored to an extent, and it has regulations that the writing needs to follow. However, I think that writers also have to censor themselves for the benefit of their company. It is easier to write a family sitcom and satisfy the general public than to write for Family Guy, who has a more narrowly define audience and can easily offend people. Even with defined guidelines, some outrageous things can be aired by FCC regulations, but writers may censor themselves further as an act of PR. It's hard to satisfy everyone, but Hilliard states that there has to be some sort of attempt at self censorship in writing.



8. Narrowcasting

Narrowcasting came up on page 3 in the Hilliard text. There has been an increase in television programs with very specific, specialize audiences. However, like I spoke about with revelation 7, a primary aim of video producers is to present material that will not offend anyone. I think that narrowcasting is a way to reach target audiences by avoiding having to use complete censorship. If the audience is completely aware about the material, they can choose not to watch it. There are many controversial television programs that get criticized. One example is Jersey Shore. MTV received a lot of backlash for having this television program, but it was a huge success, and they are creating a second season. Another example is Gossip Girl. Gossip Girl was originally a book series. The series have risky material in them as well, so parents who let their children read the books, shouldn't have a problem with the TV show; however, they can research the program and see if it is appropriate for their children. From learning about narrowcasting, I think that it is important to write for a specific audience, but make smart decisions knowing that people outside of the niche may be exposed to the writing as well.
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9. Children's Programming

Page 381 of the text quotes producer Lucinda Whitely. She is stating that all programming cannot be lollipops and rainbows for children. There has to be a balance of the sweet programming we often see and including challenging issues. Programming is supposed to be educational for children. Yes, it is supposed to be entertaining as well, but the most important aspect is the education. Issue have to be pertinent to children in modern society. Programs often include divorced parents and widowed parents. These types of issues are applicable to nearly 50% of households. Within the programs there are messages about how to deal with these types of problems. Within children's programs there are also messages included for children to pass on to their parents. Recently, a Nickelodeon animated TV show, "Dora The Explorer," promoted the United States Census. It was to promote the importance of including infants and young children on the 2010 United States Census, because recent studies have shown that parents have been excluding children under the age of 5. Television is very influential to young minds, and they absorb the information like a sponge. It is important for writers to use helpful, educational information in the programs. The "Dora The Explorer" example shows the cross over of advertising and television programs.



10. Creativity

Creativity ties into advertising in a major way. I liked how Hilliard stated that creativity cannot be taught. I think that books and education can provide writers with the tools to be successful, but they cannot teach what ideas are going to come out of the writer's head. The tools, such as persuasion techniques, are extremely helpful and stimulate the brain. Education is a process that helps writers gain necessary tools. With education, writers gain experience with provided "free" criticism. I can see how taking creative classes that engage the brain in different ways can spark a creativity gene that someone wasn't aware of. It's important to continue to go to school and learn about different approaches, because it makes students more versatile. However, the versatility does not guarantee that someone is going to be good at being creative. People cannot be taught how to be creative. Creativity is something that comes naturally to people as a basic instinct. I know it sounds a little pessimistic to think that people cannot be taught creativity, but I really don't think it's possible. It is a natural born talent that some people possess and should take advantage of. That being said, I do believe there are a variety of ways to be creative.

Sustain Champlain

This is the YouTube video my group made for the Sustain Champlain assignment. Our concept was simple. Champlain College students are green, and it isn't hard. Some students may not be aware of how green they are. We showed a few simple things that students at Champlain do everyday.





Now, here are my reflections:

1. What was the most difficult moment in making this video?
I think the most difficult moment had to do with the weather. We didn't want to shoot when it was rainy and gross out, so our production was pushed back. It was a little stressful, because we thought that we were going to be cutting it close, deadline wise; however, the class received extended time, and it all worked out.


2. Other than finishing it, what was the most rewarding moment in making this video?
The most rewarding moment was when we were actually filming. My group wrote out our final script in the morning, and got together in the afternoon to film. We all worked very well together, collaborating ideas, and giving Steph directions. We shot most things only once. It was rewarding to see how easy filming is with proper planning.


3. Discuss 3 specific lessons you learned about film production and/or "group process" in making this video.
[1] I learned that it is hard working on a film project as a group. Many people have different viewpoints as to what looks best. Also, I felt very helpless when it came to the editing section. One of my group members took control and did the editing while the other people were not present. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and have a hard time trusting group members complete a project when I'm not there. So, with this project, I learned to take the back seat, and let someone else be the leader.

[2] I realized that the two column method is helpful. We used it to map out the scenes, extra sounds, and dialog. It made the filming much easier.

[3] I learned that tripods are a useful tool. I was worried about our video looking shaky and overly amateur, but by using a tripod, the shots are smooth. By using the tripod we were able to get both moving shots, and still shots, from good angles. A good example of when the tripod was very helpful was the bike scene. The tripod makes the movement looks fluent while Steph rides her bike by the camera.


4. Discuss 3 specific things you learned about Champlain College and/or the "Sustain Champlain" project that you did not know before completing this project.
[1] While researching for our group production, I watched several YouTube videos on the Champlain YouTube channel. I learned that Champlain purchases some of its food from local farmers. This is both beneficial for the local economy, but it is also helping the environment because the transportation of the food is shorter and therefore, uses less fuel for a vehicle.

[2] I learned that all dorms are equipped with low flow shower heads. When I lived in a dorm last year, I didn't even notice the difference. I think this is a nice addition that the school has provided. It saves 30% of water per shower. There are a lot of students on campus, and hopefully they all shower at least once a day. It seems like investing in the shower heads is extremely beneficial.

[3] Overall, I learned how "green" Champlain is trying to be. I knew that we had an environmental club and Sustain Champlain, but I wasn't aware of how active these groups were. It seems like the school is putting a lot of effort into reducing our carbon foot print, and promoting a more environmentally friendly life style for the Champlain community.

Information That Comes To You [Part 2 Media Meditation #3]

For the final media meditation blog post, we were asked to describe our experience with RSS and Google Alerts.

RSS is an interesting tool, that I always noticed the icon (or symbol) for on websites, but I never knew much about. In Electronic Media Writing, we learned about the power of RSS, by first beginning to watch a YouTube video, that explained it in "Plain English."



After watching this video, I signed onto my Google account and began setting up my Google Reader. The Google Reader allows for me to click the RSS button on any page, which will subscribe me to the website, and then the information that I am looking for will come to me by appearing on my Google Reader. This type of technology is excellent for active audiences and information seekers. I see RSS and Google Readers as being a personal shift because this mass information is available to anyone; however, I am actively participating with the new technology by allowing the information to be sent to me directly.



When I set up my Google Reader, I subscribed to two different news sources that I am interested in. To do this, on my Google Reader, all I had to do was hit the "Add a subscription" button. Clicking that button will make a box appear, where I can type in any website I want to subscribe to. First, subscribed to my hometown newspaper, the Brattleboro Reformer. I also subscribed to CNN. To add a more personal touch, I also decided to subscribe to Advertising Age.

Now, what do I mean by "subscribe?" Well, now, when I log onto my Google Reader, I will see a list of my subscriptions. From the list, I can click on individual websites that I have subscribe to. Then, it will show me a list of new information streaming from that website that I may be interested in.

For the Brattleboro Reformer, it gives me a list of headlines along with a few sentences of the beginning of the articles. This acts as a preview, so I can browse the new articles added to the Reformer's website. Then, if I find one that interests me, I can click on the link and it will bring me to the article on the website.



The RSS and readers use timing as a persuasive technique. The information is coming to the user directly, freeing the user from having to spend time looking for the information.

In class we also began to looked at Google Alerts. Here is a video that I found useful to understanding the concept. This YouTube video explains what a Google Alert is, and how to set it up.



Like RSS, Google Alerts bring the information directly to the user. It's a definite technological shift. Users don't have to go to multiple websites to look for information on a certain topic.

It is also an extremely helpful tool for PR. People can set up their alerts for certain people or businesses that they want to know about, and then they will receive an email, as many times a day as they choose, about the topic.

In class we had a student from Champlain come in to discuss a YouTube video that she had created. It became extremely popular, and even Lady Gaga herself had seen the parody, because of having an alert set up about herself.

For my Google Alerts, I decided to set up one for Jean Kilbourne and another for Jodi Picoult.

For the Jean Kilbourne alert, I found a lot of the information to be websites mentioning her, and her research. One article I found was from Business News and it was simply mentioning her Killing Us Softly series. I also found out about different appearances and speeches she would be making.



When I created my alerts I included my favorite author, Jodi Picoult, because I knew that she was releasing a new book in March called House Rules. I knew that she would be making appearances to spread the word about the book, and I wanted to be kept informed. From this, I found out that she was going to be at the Norwich Bookstore on the day of the release in Vermont. Unfortunately, it was on a Tuesday, and I was unable to attend, but it was still helpful information.

RSS and Google Alerts are new technology that are revolutionizing the way Internet users seek information. It is making our lives easier, and these tools allow for information to come directly to our email inboxes.

Other tools, such as Twitter, are beginning to incorporate this type of information style. I have recently noticed that the Burlington Free Press has a Twitter account that acts as a similar thing to an RSS. They have popular articles as "tweets" and provide a link to view the rest of the article.

These technologies are fascinating tools that people are beginning to utilize. With information advancement like this, it makes me wonder what the research process will be like five years from now.

Hyperbole Can Be Funny [Part 2 Media Meditation #2]

I have recently seen a series of television commercials for UbyKotex, a new line of feminine care products. The commercials are based on humor, and definitely caught my attention. Here's one of them:



Below you can find my analysis of the commercial relating to the 21st Century Media Education Tool Sets.

The Triune Brain:

The limbic brain was definitely engaged during this commercial. The music was light, angelic, almost fairy tale-like. The limbic brain continued to be engaged by the images that came across the screen.

The reptilian brain activated when the hissing cat shot came up. It was funny, but at first I was caught off guard.

Then, as always, my neocortex had it's own role while watching this video. I was analyzing the commercial as well as thinking about other commercials for the same type of product.



Eight Shifts:

This commercial is a personal shift. This type of topic wasn't always talked about, and now television is bombarded by feminine hygiene products. They can also be found online, which is a different aspect to commercials in general. This new media allows for people to share the commercials and products with people, especially through social media, like blogging, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

UbyKotex used an epistemological shift for this commercial as well. Like I talked about with personal shift, the brand went from talking about product to making a commercial about it and showing it using images. Images are definitely more interesting than someone simply explaining it.


Seven Basic Principles:

"Reality" Construction/ Trade-offs were utilized well for this commercial. The company used humor to criticize their competitor's commercials. They were basically stating that all the other commercials fabricate what it's like for women to have their period, making it seem like the feminine hygiene products were the solution to all of their problems. They made their product seem more relatable, because the commercial portrayed an average looking female who seemed to feel the same way as other people her age about the typical pad/tampon commercial.

Pacing were also used well for this commercial. It used different clips of what other commercials portray women doing while using their products. The pace was quick enough to keep my attention, and was consistent throughout the commercial. The pattern would be that the female representing UbyKotex would make a sarcastic remark, and a clip would follow what she said.





Persuasive Techniques:

This entire commercial is based on humor. It uses a lot of sarcastic comments that women can relate to. An example I particularly liked was when the woman stated, "I want to hold really soft things, like my cat" and then a hissing cat appears (0:06).

Simple solutions was also used. The commercial was basically saying that the UbyKotex understands women, so you should use their product.

Straw man was a strong factor in this commercial as well. It was solely based on making fun of competing companies to make their own company look good.

As with most feminine hygiene products, this commercial uses plain folks. This technique is used to make the girls in the commercial seem identifiable, and properly represent the company.

Lady Gaga Backlash

Fox News isn't as fond of the new Lady Gaga video as I was. Here is what they had to say about it.

Calling Gaga [Part 2 Media Meditation #1]

Recently Lady Gaga released her most recent music video featuring Beyonce. It is a short film/music video written by Lady Gaga and Jonas Akerlund,who also directed the film. The always eccentric Lady Gaga went all out for this. Watch and learn.

Warning: it's not censored.



After watching this video once on Vevo, I knew it would be a perfect media meditation. It makes a good media meditation because it probably covers every single definition in the four tool sets. I'm going to jump right into the educational aspect of analyzing this video, because I find it so fascinating.



The Brain:

As with all music videos, the limbic brain has a frenzy. There is music playing, people talking, and images moving across the screen.

The neocortex is also highly involved because there are words appearing on the screen at different points in the music video that people must read.




Eight Shifts:

The first shift that I notice is the epistemological shift because the song is going from words and lyrics to an image of Lady Gaga's depiction of the song.

Watching the music video on the Internet is also a technological shift. There was a point in time where music videos did not exist, then they were exculsively on television, now they can be found on multiple websites like YouTube and Vevo.

I am also making this music video part of the discursive shift by talking about it on my personal blog. I am posting my own personal views about the video after watching it multiple times to dissect it.




Seven Principles:

Production techniques were used throughout the video. One that I really liked was showing the view from the surveillance camera's perspective.

Pacing was also used very well. The movements of the camera were extremely quick, and kept me engaged the entire time.



Persuasive Techniques:

The real reason I wanted to use this music video as one of my media mediations was because of the symbols shown throughout the entire film. I watched the video multiple times in a row, and continued to find more symbols. While watching the video I saw: Virgin Mobile, Diet Coke, HP, Quentin Tarantino's Pussy Wagon, Honey Buns, tattoos, Wonder Bread, Miracle Whip, USA flags, Polaroid, Plenty of Fish, Mickey Mouse glasses, and multiple Illumiani symbols. The most prominent Illuminati symbol was the All-Seeing-Eye, where Lady Gaga, and even Beyonce continuously cover one of their eyes with hair, costumes, or by simply flashing "OK" symbol (seen by Gaga a lot over one eye).



Humor was used in the beginning of the video. There have been rumors that Lady Gaga is a hermaphrodite, so to take down those rumors, Lady Gaga makes a joke out of it in her music video. When she is brought into the jail, her clothes are ripped off, and she jumps on the jail bars, revealing herself (well, it was censored). However, when that happens one of the security guards say, "I told ya she didn't have a dick." Then to continue the joke, the other security guard replies, "too bad."

Bandwagon is used because it seems like Lady Gaga is the one to convince Beyonce to be a part of the mass homicide at the diner. Beyonce agrees because Lady Gaga is doing it too.


Testimonial is an obvious one for this video. It uses Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Jonas Akerlund, and even Tyrese Gibson.

Beautiful people is used as well in this video, because of the people listed above. Lady Gaga and Beyonce dance around in scandalous attire, which includes a scene where Lady Gaga is simply wearing a bra, a thong, torn fishnet stockings, and high heels. I'm sure that's attracts a certain crowd.




Scientific Evidence is used in a way. There is a scene where the recipe for poison is listed on the screen. I watched this video on cable television yesterday, and they blurred out the recipe, so I think it's a fair assumption that the poison recipe is accurate.





Lady Gaga outdid herself for this video, and probably used everything from the tool set. These are the most prominent ones that I noticed. Hope you found it as fascinating as I did!

Mystery Revealed

As a part of the Electronic Media Writing midterm, there was a mystery assignment. This is the mystery assignment.

1. After studying media for eight weeks in this class, what have you learned? Be specific?
I have learned how to script video news stories along with TV commercials, using the "Web 2.0 Mash Method." This has been interesting, because sometimes when I am watching a news story, or watching a commercial, I am consumed by what is going on, that I don't fully understand the full effect of the entire clip. I have learned to listen carefully to what the people are saying, what the background noise is, and to read everything that is on the screen. I have also realized how many different scenes there are in a short video clip. I have also learned that blogging isn't terrible, and it may be beneficial to me in the future. Another thing that I may regret saying is, Twitter is not the devil.

2. What is the most important thing you have learned about yourself as a 1. a critical reader; 2. a writer, and 3. a critical thinker in this class so far?
1. I've learned that I look for specific observations while I read the text book, and other types of writing. I also start thinking of possible questions. This has made me a more involved reader, and has helped me retain more information.

2.I have learned that it is hard to write while keeping all the tool sets in mind.

3. As a critical thinker, I am more inquisitive. I have begun to question things a lot more. I have also started to look at movies and TV differently.

3. What's one thing YOU would do differently this first half of the semester if you were to take this class again?
I think that I would have been more open minded to our social networking tools. When I started the class, I did not want to have a blog or Twitter, because it's just another distraction that I don't have time to keep up with. Blogging also seemed very repetitive, because I am constantly told by teachers to contribute to a class blog. I think that if I was more open to learning about these new types of social networking tools, homework wouldn't have been perceived as such a task.

4. What's one thing you would like ME to do differently this first half of the semester if you were to take this class again?
I would like to do more writing. To be honest, without writing my own things, the class seems like a repeat of Mass Media. I think it would be beneficial to write my own script, instead of re-writing scripts that already exist. It would definitely be harder to do, but it would help me in my professional field. I don't really know what I want to do in my future, but I have considered advertising, and knowing how to script a commercial, and even try to do it, would have been helpful. But perhaps we'll do this later in the class!

5. Please comment on the usefulness of the course blog, your personal blog, our films, and our book(s) as learning tools.
The course blog is helpful when I need to refresh my memory. I hardly ever write down my assignments for this class, because I know that we always have something due Sunday night, and I can always find the exact directions on the course blog. The course blog is also helpful for studying, or completing other assignments. When I was looking for three facts that went along with my news script, I went back to the course blog to see what people wrote about for that chapter. It refreshed my memory, and I was able to find the information I needed in the book, with the guidance of my classmates, and what they wrote.

My personal blog has been helpful to getting a more clear understanding about the blogging world. I think it's been fascinating learning about how to customize the blog, and make it aesthetically pleasing. I also have learned about how to save drafts, so that I don't have to copy what I write on Word and save it for another time when I can finish. I have also mastered the art of going back and fixing my mistakes on the blog. It's easy to do!

The books and tool sets have taught me to analyze the media critically. Sometimes, I curse the day that I learned some of the tool sets, because they are always in my mind, and distract me from the mindless viewing pleasure. However, I think that they are are important, and have allowed me to understand how the media works.

Teachers Fired In Rhode Island

The following is the script for the first minute of a CNN news story.


ESTABLISHING SHOT- CENTRAL FALLS HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING. TAG TOP RIGHT,”CENTRAL FALLS TEACHERS UNION.” TAG BOTTOM RIGHT, “CNN.”
Female newscaster: This is Central Falls High School in Rhode Island…

FIVE STUDENT’S LEGS AND FEET ON A SIDEWALK. TAG TOP RIGHT,“WLNE.” TAG BOTTOM RIGHT, “CNN.”
Female newscaster: …Where the poorest students in the state go to school.

WIDE SHOT OF SCHOOL FROM ACROSS THE STREET, STUDENTS ON THE SIDEWALK, CARS DRIVING BY. TAG TOP RIGHT,“WLNE.” TAG BOTTOM RIGHT, “CNN.”
Female newscaster: 75% of the district lives in poverty.

STUDENT WITH BLACK JACKET AND BLACK BACKPACK. TAG TOP RIGHT,“WLNE.” TAG BOTTOM RIGHT, “CNN.”
Female newscaster: A good education may be their only shot…

FRONT OF SCHOOL, STUDENTS WALKING. TAG TOP RIGHT,“WLNE.” TAG BOTTOM RIGHT, “CNN.”
Female newscaster: …at a brighter future.

CLOSE UP OF STUDENT’S BACKPACK, ZOOM OUT, A LOT OF STUDENTS. TAG TOP RIGHT,“WLNE.” TAG BOTTOM RIGHT, “CNN.”
Female newscaster: So to give these students a better chance…

SUPERINTENDENT AT SCHOOL BOARD MEETING SURROUNDED BY OTHER PEOPLE. TAG TOP RIGHT,“WJAR.” TAG BOTTOM RIGHT, “CNN.”
Female newscaster: Central Falls Superintendent this week…

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING SHOWING OTHER ATTENDEES. TAG TOP RIGHT,“WJAR.” TAG BOTTOM RIGHT, “CNN.”
Female newscaster: …did something so radical, so unheard of…

FEMALE IN BASKETBALL UNIFORM WITH ARM AROUND BALDING MAN. TAG TOP RIGHT,“WJAR.” TAG BOTTOM RIGHT, “CNN.”
Female newscaster: …it’s captured the nation’s attention.

PROTEST, PEOPLE WEARING RED, HOLDING SIGNS. TAG TOP RIGHT,“WJAR.” TAG BOTTOM RIGHT, “CNN.”
Female newscaster: She cleaned house. Fired dozens of teachers…

CLOSE UP OF PROTESTERS. TAG TOP RIGHT,“WJAR.” TAG BOTTOM RIGHT, “CNN.”
Female newscaster: …Because the district says…

SHOT OF PROTESTERS’ BACKS FROM THE BOARDERS. TAG BOTTOM RIGHT, “CNN.”
Female newscaster: …they refuse to spend more times with students to improve test scores.

CLOSE UP SHOT OF DR. FRAN GALLO. TAG TOP RIGHT,“WLNE.” TAG BOTTOM RIGHT, “CNN.” CENTER TAG, “DR. FRAN GALLO. SUPERINTENDENT, CENTRAL FALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT”
Dr. Fran Gallo: We have a serious problem. When you have a 48% graduation rate, uh, we lose more children than we graduate.

SIDE SHOT OF SCHOOL, BUILDING TO THE LEFT, STUDENTS ON SIDEWALK TO THE RIGHT. TAG TOP RIGHT,“WLNE.” TAG BOTTOM RIGHT, “CNN.”
Female newscaster: Central Falls is one of the…

CENTRAL FALLS HIGH SCHOOL STAND UP SIGN ON SCHOOL LAWN. SIGN SAYS, “CENTRAL FALLS HIGH SCHOOL. HOME GAMES THIS WEEK. THU-BOYS BBALL 5:30/7PM. FRI- GIRLS BBALL 5:30/7PM.” TAG TOP RIGHT,“WLNE.” TAG BOTTOM RIGHT, “CNN.”
Female newscaster: …lowest performing schools in the state.

ANGLE SHOT OF HIGH SCHOOL, STUDENTS OUTSIDE. TAG TOP RIGHT,“WLNE.” TAG BOTTOM RIGHT, “CNN.”
Female newscaster: Of the 800 students…

SHOT TO STUDENT’S LEGS WALKING. TAG TOP RIGHT,“WLNE.” TAG BOTTOM RIGHT, “CNN.”
Female newscaster: …65% are Hispanic.

SHOT OF HIGH SCHOOL GIFT FROM CLASS OF 2004 SIGN. IT SAYS, “CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CFHS CLASS OF 2011 NECAP READING SCORES UP TO 55% PROFICIENCY.” TAG BOTTOM RIGHT, “CNN.”
Female newscaster: For most, English is a second language.

SCHOOL DOOR OPENING. TAG BOTTOM RIGHT, “CNN.”
Female newscaster: Half are failing every subject.

ANGLE SHOT, SCHOOL SIGN AND BUILDING. TAG BOTTOM RIGHT, “CNN.”
Female newscaster: Just 55% are skilled in reading, only 7% proficient in math.

ONE MINUTE CUT OFF


Three observations using the Hilliard book:


My first observation comes from page 136, when Hilliard states, “use direct statements rather then questions.” This news story did a good job of directly relaying the information. They used short sentences and simple language.

Another observation is also from page 136. Hilliard states, "Probably the most difficult job for the television or radio news writer is to select out of the myriad details the most salient points and to present them in a very short time.” I think that the writer did a good job of this when it came to this story. In the first minute alone, a lot of information was revealed, and there was even time for an interview.

My last observation is when the news chapter discusses visuals. Hilliard writes, “…show what is happening; don’t tell about it” (162). This news clip changes the scene at a fast pace. The newscaster could hardly finish a sentence before the scene was changed. It showed what the school looks like, the students, the superintendent, and the teacher’s protest.

Sundays Are For Secrets [Media Meditation #3]

Every Sunday I get on the Internet and view the PostSecret Sunday Secret blog. The creator, Frank Warren, states, "PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard."

Through out this post I will show pictures of some of my favorite secrets over the years. I also highly recommend you look at the blog to see this week's secrets and visit the PostSecret Community website.

When Frank Warren started this project in 2003, he created an art exhibit in Washington, D.C. with the first 100 postcards he received. Warren fully expected the project to end the day of his exhibit, but he continued to receive creatively decorated postcards on a daily basis. People from all over the world were sending him their personal secrets. He was so moved that he decided he needed to continue sharing them. That’s when he created the blog. He now shares about 20 secrets every Sunday.


To participate in PostSecret, it is unnecessary to share a secret. I wrote an article about PostSecret for my journalism class, and I conducted interviews with students on the Champlain College campus. A devoted PostSecret fan said, “I have never shared a secret, I don’t feel as if I have to because it is so universal. Each person’s secret somehow relates to some person out there, whether they wrote it or not.”

PostSecret is completely anonymous, but it brings an entire community and generation together. It gives the viewers reassurance that they are not alone. Everyone has a secret, and when you go to PostSecret it is a reminder of just how similar we all are. We all have similar wants, needs, and feelings. We all get sad, lonely, and depressed. We all experience love, heartbreak, disappointment, and joy. I think that it is the pure beauty of other people’s courage to share something so personal that makes PostSecret so moving and unique.



In modern society, the media controls many aspects of our lives. It forces people to feel badly about themselves. The media sets trends, such as appearance and it also magnifies societies pressures. The pressure to go to college, get married, have children, and to overall be successful in fulfilling the American dream that society created. PostSecret is a gateway for people to honestly express how they feel. It is a non-judgmental medium that people can turn to when there is no one to talk to.

PostSecret showcases that the media can be used to do something positive for our generation. It is one of the only outlets in the media that truly displays people as true figures, and not the cookie cutouts that society wants us to be. The media has taught our generation to be strong, and that it is unacceptable to show weaknesses. PostSecret is a platform for being able to finally show raw, inner emotions that most people are forced to bottle up.



An equally admirable quality to PostSecret is that Warren has gained an enormous amount of empathy for humans, and specifically our generation. At many of his college tours he uses the event to promote campus health services and the general well being of his viewers. Warren views many postcards that come from depressed artists. His PostSecret community is one vehicle to express emotions, but he has also joined forces with the National Hopeline Network (1.800.SUICIDE) to further help his followers. He widely promotes his wellness resources, because of his gained empathy by creating this art project. Warren pairs up with many wellness resources, but is the largest advertisement free blog in the entire world.

NOW, to connect this media meditation to Electronic Media Writing, I’ll discuss some of the tool sets and how they apply to PostSecret.



Eight Shifts:

Technological Shift- People mail Frank Warren their secrets on postcards, and he scans them onto his computer in order to share them either on Sunday Secrets, or to use them for one of his published books.

Cultural Shift- I think that in a way this is a cultural shift because people are exposing their own secrets. They are taking advantage of the fact that the 21st century media culture has an outlet where they can freely express themselves and others can view this.



Seven Principles:

“Reality” Construction/Trade-offs- Artists are showing exactly what the realities of their lives are. A lot of the time, artists are criticizing societies norms.

Individual Meaning- Like I said before, people can participate in PostSecret without ever mailing in one of their own secrets. It’s moving to just read what other people write, and take it as an individual meaning. Reading all of them, there are definitely ones that others can connect to.

Persuasive Techniques:

Humor- Not all of the postcards are depressing, some of them are very funny.


Plain Folks- People can connect to the postcards because they are from ordinary people who deal with the same types of things as everyone else.

Strength- People can be persuaded to read PostSecret because of the strength of others



Triune Brain:

Limbic- The postcards are image based.

Neocortex- Reading the postcards makes me think about the type of person who might have written the postcard, and where they are now.

Guys Never Change

I recently saw a Jim Beam commercial on television. It stuck out so well that when I went to pick a 30 second YouTube commercial to script, this one immediately came to mind.



Here is my "Web 2.0 Mash Method."

SCENE #1 TWO GIRLS SITTING IN THE GRASS WITH PICNIC BASKET WHEN PUPPY APPROACHES THEM
Puppy bark and hip keyboard music

SCENE #2 MAN 1 APPROACHING ON THE RIGHT, CLOSE UP OF THE GIRLS ON THE LEFT WITH THE PUPPY IN THEIR ARMS
Hip keyboard music continues
Man 1: I’m so, so sorry. Is he bothering you?
Girl 1: Oh, no, no….

SCENE #3 GIRLS SITTING ON THE LEFT HOLDING PUPPY, BACK OF THE MAN 1’S HEAD CLOSE UP ON THE RIGHT
Hip keyboard music continues
Girls: oooo.

SCENE #4 MAN 1 KNEELS DOWN, GIRLS ON THE RIGHT
Hip keyboard music continues
Girls: Ohh, awww!

SCENE #5 CLOSE UP OF GIRLS FACES AND PUPPY
Hip keyboard music continues
Girls: Ohh, awww!

SCENE #6 MAN 2 SITTING DOWN ON THE LEFT, GIRL 3 SITS DOWN ON THE RIGHT
Hip keyboard music continues
Girl 3: Is he yours?
Man 2: Yeah, he’s my first mate.

SCENE #6 PUG PUPPY SITTING IN A SAILBOAT IN A POOL
Cute puppy whine and hip keyboard music continues

SCENE #7 BACK TO MAN 2 AND GIRL 3, MAN 2 SALUTES
Hip keyboard music continues

SCENE #8 MAN ON LEFT SITTING OUTSIDE A SHOP, GIRLS 4/5 BENDING DOWN TO TWO PUPPIES, 6 BACKGROUND GIRLS IN THE STORE WINDOW
Hip keyboard music continues
Girl 4: Where did you get them?


SCENE #9 CLOSE UP OF MAN 3, GIRLS 4/5 HEADS BLURRY IN FOREGROUND
Hip keyboard music continues
Man 3: I rescued them from a shelter.

SCENE #10 CLOSE UP OF GIRLS 4/5 EACH HOLDING A PUPPY
Hip keyboard music continues
Girl 4: Aw. You did that?

SCENE #11 MAN 3 SITTING IN CHAIR HOLDING GLASS IN RIGHT HAND, LEASH IN LEFT
Hip keyboard music continues

SCENE #12 RENT-A-PUPPY BOOTH, TWO MEN BEHIND BOOTH, THREE MEN CARRYING PUPPIES AWAY, SIX MEN IN LINE
Hip keyboard music continues
Man: Get the lab.

SCENE #13 WHITE BACKGROUND, WITH WOOD TABLE ON BOTTOM
Hip keyboard music continues
Voiceover: Guys never change.

SCENE #14 HAND DROPPING A BOTTLE OF JIM BEAM ON THE TABLE
Hip keyboard music continues
Voiceover: Neither do we.

SCENE #15 WORDS FADE OUT, JIM BEAM LOGO APPEARS
Hip keyboard music continues
Voiceover: The Bourbon since 1795. DRINK RESPONSIBLY.



Enjoy!

Valentine's Day Denial [Media Meditation #2]

Monday night I was reading Perez Hilton's blog, when I was exposed to a post with an embeded YouTube video of a marriage proposal at a hockey game.



A man named Nick was trying to propose to his girlfriend, Melissa, on Valentine's day, but she stormed out soon after reading the scoreboard message.

Now, I personally believed the video. I thought that maybe she reacted in a bizarre way, or she just really wasn't that into Nick. However, at 1:15pm today, Perez reported that the video was a fake! Not only was it a fake, but according to the North Jersey website, the Rangers set this up. Melissa and Nick were apparently hired actors used to provide "in-game entertainment."

Sounds a little whack to me, but makes for a good media meditation on so many levels.

My first observation comes from the eight shifts in our media culture. This video is a good example of an epistemological shift. The definition of this shift is "from word to image" and this makes me think about before technology, people would only find out about this type of scam through word of mouth. Viewers may have been able to catch the video on the news, but it probably wouldn't have made it to the news until the information about it being a fake was released.

I also noticed that it is definitely a personal shift because it is on YouTube and a variety of blogs. People have the technology to tweet, blog, and comment about this video. I'm a part of this personal shift myself because I'm blogging about it! Also, on the news article, at the end of the story the email to the journalist was written. People have the opportunity to directly contact people who write about things on the Internet.

Next, looking at the seven basic principlesseveral of them were used in the short video clip.

This scam connects to "reality" construction/trade-offs. The people connected to setting up entertainment for the game went a little far when they decided to create a fictional marriage proposal. To me, and probably most people, this seemed like a reality until we were told other wise. This principle made me really think about if the production was taken a little too far, or if it was just really good entertainment. I was definitely entertained by the entire situation, but after I found out it was a hoax, it made me think. I thought about whether this form of entertainment was the best thing they could think about, or if it was perfect for the occasion because it was Valentine's Day. I still can't decide. I was entertained, but deceived.


A large part of the video was about production techniques. As you can see in just the screen shot alone, there were a lot of production techniques going on. The camera angle showed the wedding message on the right side of the scoreboard, and then the actual scores for the game on the left. In the actual video, the sound is sportscasters talking about what is going on. They walk the audience through the situation, even reading the message on the board. Another production technique I noticed happens in the very beginning of the video, and in between the repetitions, is the fade in. The fade in says Tampa Bay with a lightning bolt. This is ironic, because the Lightning was the other team, and the Rangers set up the hoax.

Ownership was also tied into this video. The entire production was set up by the Rangers, who must have paid for the entire thing.

Moving on to persuasive techniques...

Big lie was definitely used. The video grabbed people's attention through dishonesty. It was entertaining because people thought it was a real situation. I don't think it would have had the same effect if the audience was pre-warned about the marriage proposal being fake.

Humor was also used. The video was intended to be funny. The sportscaster also made a joke when Melissa walked out saying, "let's talk about a prenup!"

Plain folks were also used. These people seemed like normal sports fans who were enjoying the game, when Nick decided to be romantic. It was not obvious to the audience that this was fake, or that the people were paid actors.

Repetition was used on the YouTube video created by HockeyBash.com. The clip was shown three times in one minute on the video.

Nostalgia was also used for this Valentine's Day proposal. It was intended to set the viewer up to think about how romantic this gesture was.

Another persuasive technique is symbols. There are a lot of symbols seen in the video. The clip first starts showing the HockeyBash.com symbol. Then the video starts rolling, and the name of the hockey arena, Madison Square Garden, is showing. The names of the teams are also being shown while the video is playing. The people of the audience next to Melissa and Nick are all wearing Ranger's jerseys. Melissa is even wearing the assistant captain's jersey. The last symbol I noticed was the fade in of Tamba Bay's lightning bolt symbol.

The triune brain, as always, was involved.

The reptilian brain was demonstrated by Melissa when she decided to leave (flight) after being proposed to in front of a large audience.

The limbic brain was involved by the background sounds and images seen on the screen. There were whistles in the background noise along with sports music. There were also sportscasters talking the entire time. The images are watching Melissa and Nick, and even the scoreboard.

Neocortex was used by the viewers. The video got me thinking about Melissa and Nick's relationship. I was trying to figure out why she would shut him down in such a harsh way. I was also thinking about how much he would have had to pay to put the message on the scoreboard. When I found out that the entire thing was fake, I thought a lot about the way this made the Rangers look. I wonder if they will get any negative attention because of it, or if people will think it was humorous.

What do you think about this video?

Dear John, Your Movie Is #1 [Media Meditation #1]

Over the weekend, I went to see the movie that kicked Avatar out of the number one spot. I saw Dear John.



This movie is based on a Nicholas Sparks novel. It is about a young Special Forces Amy Sergeant who is home on a two-week leave, when he unexpectedly falls in love with a girl who is visiting his town on spring break. The solider named John Tyree is played by heart throb Channing Tatum, and his love interest, Savannah Curtis, is Amanda Seyfried (who most of you probably recognize from Mean Girls).

After only two weeks together, John needs to return to the army, and Savannah has to go back to college. They decide that to keep in contact for the next 12 months, they will send letters to each other. Their love is put to the test when John is pressured to reenlist after the September 11th attacks.

Now, before I gush about this movie longer, and accidently spoil it, I want to talk about the connections I made between the movie and things I have been learning in college. I know, it's shocking that I'm consciously aware that school has had an impact on things as simple as movie watching. I definitely analyzing the movie the entire time with the four tool sets that I have been studying in Electronic Media Writing.



The first, and most obvious observation, is that this movie is an epistemological shift. It was was a book made into a movie, word to image.

There is also a personal shift aspect to the movie industry. Before the movie even came out, I could go to the official Facebook page, find out information on IMDb, and look at the movie's website. There can be an interactive discussion about the movie on the Facebook page, read the message board on IMDb, and register for updates on the official website.

For the seven basic principles, I noticed a few of them used in the movie. One that especially stuck out was emotional transfer. This movie was definitely focused on the limbic brain, throwing the viewers emotions on a roller coaster.

Another principle that was used in the movie was value messages. The movie was based off of a love affair that started when a boy saved a girl's purse out of the water after it fell off the pier. They immediately clicked, and it was love at first sight. Now, isn't that an ideal situation.



Then, my favorite of all the tool sets, persuasive techniques. I'm sure the movie used all 29 techniques, but I'll spare you, and only talk about a few.

Simple solutions comes to mind first. John and Savannah decided to continue their relationship through letters. They only knew each other two weeks, and completely trusted each other to be faithful and tell each other everything. I think that the thought that a letter could keep them fully connected is a bit of a simple solution.

Beautiful people is another persuasive tool that dominated this movie. The intended audience for this movie is the female population, and they were not disappointed. Channing Tatum had a good amount of scenes without his shirt on. The movie didn't leave out some eye candy for the men who were dragged along to see this movie. Amanda Seyfried is a beautiful woman.

Nicholas Sparks could be used as a testimonial for this movie. Not only is he a best selling author, but he was also the author to The Notebook, which was also made into a classic love story movie in 2004.


As opposed to the testimonial, the movie also used plain folks. The characters in the film were very common people. One was a solider, who was just trying to make his autistic dad proud. Savannah was a college student who was on spring break participating in Habitat for Humanity. The character's lives were very average. They were very down to earth.

I also mentioned earlier a part of the brain. I said that the movie was very limbic, but one could contest it involves all three parts of the brain.

It was very reptilian because it was easy to get mad at, and instincts would tell you to get mad and want to fight. There were also emotional parts of the movie, where characters believed that it was easier to "flight" instead of addressing the problem head on.

Lastly, the neocortex was engaged, especially now because I am analyzing the movie. It was also used during the movie, because I could hear my friend talking out loud at the screen. We were thinking about the movie, and how the messages in it could apply to everyday life.

Oooohhh Weee! GoDaddy.com!

The following commercial for GoDaddy.com was banned from the 2010 Super Bowl. I decided to post the script for it using the one column/mash-up method.



SCENE #1 ESTABLISHING SHOT- OUTSIDE LOLA'S MANSION-DANICA, LOLA, AND CAR.
Cheesy keyboard music.
Danica: Meet Lola.
Lola: Mmm. Hmm.

SCENE #2 GODADDY.COM LOGO APPEAR BOTTOM LEFT CORNER, CLOSE UP-LOLA'S PORTRAIT
Crowd cheering, cheesy keyboard music continues.
Danica: The day he retired from football...

SCENE #3 CLOSE UP DANICA WITH LOLA'S PORTRAIT TO THE RIGHT
Cheesy keyboard music continues.
Danica: Lola started chasing his biggest dream...

SCENE #4 ENTER LIVING ROOM SHOT WITH THREE GIRLS, TWO GUYS, AND LOLA. DANICA WALKS IN
Cheesy keyboard music continues.
Danica: A business of his own.
Lola: Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mwah.
Danica: Lola's first step, he built his...

SCENE #5 CLOSE UP OF LOLA
Cheesy keyboard music continues.
Danica: website with GoDaddy.com.

SCENE #6 SHOT IN OFFICE. LOLA SITTING AT COMPUTER ON THE LEFT, DANICA STANDING CENTER SCREEN
Cheesy keyboard music continues.
Danica: And with GoDaddy's easy to use e-commerce tools, Lola...

SCENE #7 COMPUTER SCREEN SHOT. LOLA'S HEAD TO THE LEFT.
Cheesy keyboard music continues.
Danica: Was soon selling selling his own line to the world.

SCENE #8 CLOSE UP OF LOLA
Cheesy keyboard music continues.
Lola: Ooooooh Weee!

SCENE #9 OUTSIDE MANSION. PARTY PEOPLE IN THE BACKGROUND, DANICA IN THE FRONT RIGHT WHILE LOLA FLOATS IN THE POOL TO THE LEFT
Cheesy keyboard music continues.
Danica: Lola dreams big.
Lola: Uhh huh.
Danica: And who's to argue?

SCENE #10 BLACK SCREEN WITH WORDS APPEARING CENTER SCREEN
GoDaddy theme song
Danica: See more now at GoDaddy.com.

Obama Is A Persuasive Guy

During Electronic Media Writing class, we watched the first 20 minutes of the 2010 State of the Union Address.



While watching it on the official White House YouTube page, I wrote down observations based on our four tool sets. Here's what I thought:

Triune Brain:

An example of how the reptilian brain was engaged in the video is people clapping. Most people don't think about clapping, it's a natural reaction when humans like something.

The limbic brain was also engaged because I was watching the video and processing the images I was seeing.

The most advanced part of the brain, my neocortex, was actively involved while watching the video. I was thinking about what he was saying and how it applies to my life.


Eight Trends:

A shift that definitely stood out is a technological shift. Watching the State of the Union on YouTube is a unique technological shift. It is a great way to allow the audience to watch the video, if they missed it the first time, or to rewatch it.


Seven Principles:

I definitely noticed a lot of production techniques. The video started with a close up shot of President Obama speaking. Then through out the video, the camera angles change, and the audience can be seen.

Pacing was also demonstrated in this video. One camera shot didn't stay for too long. There was a rhythmic pace to the camera angles.

Individual meaning was largely connected to this speech. People can listen to what the President is saying, but each person is going to have a different take and opinion on what is being said.


Techniques of Persuasion:

I have to admit, I think that Obama almost used all 29 techniques of persuasion. One that I noticed right away was symbols. The president is wearing a flag pin on his jacket. He is also standing in front of the American Flag.

Testimonials were also used during the speech. He used stories about people who wrote letters to him. This also ties into plain folks because he shares stories about average Americans who are struggling.

Of course group dynamics were used as well. He starts his speech with "fellow Americans" and continuously uses "we".

Humor was also used. He makes a joke that the bank bailout was "as popular as a root canal."


Thesis: President Obama speaks to America about restoring our economic system, and making life better, especially for middle class families.


Facts:
95% working families tax cuts
Income tax hasn't raised a single dime for a single person
1 and a half million jobs will be created in the next year
The change has been slow, but it's definitely happening.

[ME]DIA

I'm Heather Barrett from Brattleboro, Vermont. I'm a sophomore and a mass communication major.

Over break I decided to re-read the book The Lovely Bones, because I saw commercials for it to become a movie. It's been a while since I read the book, so after seeing the commercials, I put the movie faces to the characters. I hope that associating the movie with the book will help it not be such a let down, because I always find the books to be better than the movie.


One thing I like about our media culture is the amount of information we are able to access. It makes doing projects and papers easier than only having library books as resources. One thing I don't like about our media culture is that I think we're too dependent on technology. People would be completely lost with out GPS, wouldn't know how to communicate with out cell phones, and would be bored without Internet.


I'm still pretty lost about what I want to do for the future, that's why I've picked such a broad major. However, I'd like to do something in the area of advertising or design layout. I'm obsessed with Jean Kilbourne's work, and thinking about advertising and media from a different perspective.