Portfolio Reflection

Throughout the course of this semester, our class has come a long way in order to meet the goals of English 239. Also, the content of Eng 239 is much different than the majority of English courses offered here at ISU. I feel that given nature of this class, the most important goal was actually the last to be listed on the course website’s section titled, “course goals.” It reads, “to have fun and learn by wowing ourselves and each other.”

One of the first assignments was for each person in the class to take some time to surf the internet and find something that simply made them say “wow.” I felt that this was a perfect space to spring the class forward into examining multi-modal pieces. From there, we were all given the opportunity to see that multi-modal creations are largely more “free” than the type of work that is typically examined in academia. Also, this freedom allows for a multitude of creative techniques which had a much more artistic feel than I had ever been exposed to.

On a personal level, I this portion of the class taught me the distinction between something online with entertainment value and scholarly media. That distinction, however, is difficult to define. I feel that, the most important aspect of any piece of “scholarly media” is level of quality and professionalism. That being said, I must clarify a bit by admitting that something as seemingly “unscholarly” as a music video can easily be accepted into the realm of scholarly media.

The main reason that I was able to come to these conclusions came as a result of our class having to study the criteria for online publication across different journals. The journals offered acceptance to all different kinds of media and also, in almost every single case, encouraged people to submit abstract ideas and concepts. In short, in this field, there is a constant pursuit of something new.

The course goals state that some of the primary goals of the course are to: to experience multimodal composition as a process that includes analysis, invention, drafting, and revision across modes, media, and genres of texts; to reflect on your processes as readers and writers as you read, write about, and discuss the texts of the course: published work, peers’ writing, and your own; to become more practiced at using multimodal composition as a means of investigation, scholarship, and play; to understand that multimodal composition is both rhetorical and creative, and thus can be useful in many disciplines.

I feel that though these goals are presented separately, the final project was the activity that served to drive them all home. The final project began with a class-wide brainstorm of ideas and then division into groups to pursue the ideas that the class had felt were the best. Here, the class was able to see the ideas of their peers. Afterward, each group was encouraged to incorporate every member of their group’s ideas or contributions into the project. Likewise, it was pointed out that, (as college students) we have a set of scholarly abilities (rhetorically strong writing, et cetera) that we must not forget to use in our creation of our own work. This gave everyone in the class a chance to make an effort to be a “team player” and really use each individual’s unique skill set to their advantage. Not only is this a main goal of the course, but is also something that I felt was quite a valuable experience. In the real world, the help of other people can lead to greater success; two heads are better than one, especially when attempting to be innovative.

 

final project – Distracted Book Review

Here is a link to our group’s final project.

Distracted Project Progress Report

So far, our group has met several times in order discuss and begin production on the video. We’ve recorded some video files on Flip video camera which was barrowed to us and also we’ve filmed some screen captures on Jason’s Computer in his apartment. These two groups of video files will make up the bulk of the visual aspect of our project. the next step is to string together our clips and add background music. After that is done, we’ll have to record some vocal backup tracks so that the audience isn’t required to read what’s on the screen constantly.

As for myself, the hard part of this assigment is kicking in now–I am in charge of the editing because I have the most experience with video editing programs. That being the case, I’ve got a few technological problems to figure out first so that i can use final cut express on the Stevenson computers.

Roles for the project

For this project, there are several layers that need to be completed before the final product can be edited and peer reviewed. To accomplish all of the portions of the project, each group member will have to take on a specific role for maximum efficiency. It is important to note that specific technological roles within the group are difficult to define without a set schedule, but there are many other aspects that can be defined such as different areas of knowledge and expertise brought to the project. There will be an addendum to these roles by no later than Wednesday, October 27, after the project schedule is set, and specific people will be put in charge of acting, filming, and editing on different days.

 

The composition format for this project is a book review of Maggie Jackson’s book, Distracted, in video format. The goal, as stated in the project proposal, is to make a film that demonstrates how multiple technologies, including social networking sites, can foster knowledge and scholarship. To do this, the video needs both people who can serve as experts on the book and people who can research.

 

The group has four members, each with experience in a different kind of composition. Both Jason and Mike have read the majority of the book, so they will serve as the experts in the project video because they can make informed opinions regarding what Jackson’s argument actually entails. Shane and Katie, on the other hand, serve a more general role. They must research the topic after it is presented in the film and show how her argument can be discussed using outside sources.

 

Regarding the composition of the project, there are different roles that need to be filled in order to complete the filming and editing stages of the project. There will need to be one person who films each actor as he or she goes through his or her portion of the storyboard. There also needs to be one person who delegates what needs to be done in terms of editing, and then others who fulfill those needs. Within the group, each person has a different area of expertise that will help in realizing these needs.

 

Jason and Mike are the most technologically savvy, so they can best direct the rest of the group on how to proceed within the filming and editing processes. Mike is the most experienced with film editing as well, so he can help the group troubleshoot any editorial roadblocks throughout the revising process. Shane is very good at collecting information and asking important and prudent questions within the group, so he will be able to collect and question any outside research that he finds, and narrow down what the most effective pieces of research are for this project. He can also be directed in what to do to help edit. Katie is very experienced in organization and written composition. She can create a dialogue that will be used in the video, and she can organize ideas into a storyboard in terms of what should go where. She can also be directed in the editing process.

 

How I came up with my proposal

My proposal idea is called Stange Faces, and I decided that it’d be a good idea to explore for several reasons. First, I wanted to pick something that everyone would be able to enjoy because the content is meant to be funny. I didn’t want to single out anyone; the strange faces idea supports all sorts of personal interest. Last, i thought combining together different platforms of media such as still images, videos, audio, written word and music would be a good way of incorporating different stradegies into one piece of work.

In order to propose my idea, I thought my first step should be to make the audience laugh, and I attempted to do so with a picture of John Mayer playing guitar and making weird face.

Also, i tried to tell about the way i had visioned this project coming together–as a video, with different visual stimuli constantly changing and background music driving that experience home.

two things i could have done better are (1) Do better research on what sort of publisher would be interested in seeing a form of media that is this light-hearted. and (2) i could have expressed more clearly how much this idea depends on other people in my group’s interests. It requires their participation and insight because without that, the video would probably only consist of guitar players making strange faces.

The publishing companies are all generally looking for the same sort of pieces. I say “sort” of pieces because all make an effort to explain to submission hopefuls that they’re not looking for any specific genre. Also, they make it clear that they aren’t looking for piece that only consist of text, as in, like an essay.

The first publisher, Kairos, states that they are looking for work that uses the opportunities that the internet creates. They accept submissions that are hypertextual or use multimedia. So, they encourage anything from audiovisual creations to web designs.

The Computers and Composition says that they are looking for artful usage of visuals along with multi-modal content. Also, says “Rhizomatic structures that disrupt traditional linear forms are welcome,” which encourages very abstract ideas for submission. They say specifically that web designs made from the program Dreamweaver and any other form of multimedia like digital video and audio are all perfectly acceptable.

Last, the Jump’s submissions guidelines page says that they accept everything ‘from websites to digital videos to the Sophie “books.”’ And assume that people who visit their site will have a decent understanding of what sort of pieces they accept. In other words, it’s implied that multimedia is what they’re looking for.

Literacy narrative

For my literacy narrative, I chose to explain how I realized that i wasn’t using my iPod to its full potential. Basically, i wanted to tell about the iPod’s seemingly useless rating system for each song; It’s great for marking songs while shuffling through your entire library. In class I wrote a bit about this discovery and recorded myself telling about it. However, i’m really glad that i’m going to get a chance to revise my words and plan out exactly what i’m going to say when the red record light is on. I think in my second attempt i’ll try to me more thorough in explaining why this is such an important discovery for me. I’ll talk about things like feeling that you’re constantly listening to the same couple hundred songs can be irritating especially when your library has 12 thousand songs.

three things.

Minus The Bear’s music video for their song “My Time.”

ESAO Andrews’ personal website.

The Steeldrivers’ performance of their song “Where Rainbows Never Die.”

Minus The Bear is a band that I’ve taken a liking to in the past couple years. I was amazed by their latest album OMNI, but I didn’t expect to see this sort of artistic work in their music videos. The video has some really interesting visuals which, in my opinion, suit the musical content nicely. (dominant electronic keyboard sound and bright colors) In short, i felt that this video’s visual aspects connect well with the energy and emotion that the audio creates on its own.

ESAO Andrews is an artist that is somewhat popular today. He has done album art work for a few bands, one of them being Circa Survive. Andrews’ style is very distinct; he has the ability to draw a dramatic scene from a dream world and not come off as a Salvador Dali impersonator. (which i think is what most people would expect from the description I just gave. It’s too difficult to pick a single image of one of his paintings or drawings so I just put the link to his entire site. Browse through his work, a lot of it is melancholy and some completely abstract but definitely worth seeing.

Last week I hung out with my older sister, brother in law and some of her friends for a night. One of her friends named Gabe (our friend) who was also visiting plays guitar and we had planned to play together on acoustic guitars, sing along and just have fun with it. Now, It’s definitley worth mentioning that my sister’s husband and the majority of his friends are from southern Illinois. Musically, being from a rural area means you will be exposed to different music than if you were brought up in the Northwest Suburbs like me. Even so, I like to think that my taste in music isn’t all that biased and I give most new music its chance to effect me. Anyway, everyone else was begging Gabe to play the song “where rainbows never die” which i had never heard before so i didn’t know what to expect. When he did, I found out exactly why. I don’t have a video of Gabe playing near the camp fire but this video of the Steeldrivers does the song itself plenty of justice. The lyrics seem to be self explanatory. It’s about a man’s life dwindling to its end and his struggle to accept that. one thing that I really like about this studio version of the song is that there is a female harmony on the chorus lyric, “I will make my way across the fields of cotton and wade through muddy waters one last time.” The chords, lyrics, and vocals draw out such an expansive energy that I can’t get enough of.

Over and Out.

My very first wordpress blog

Hello, my name’s Mike Mara. This will be my first blog entry on wordpress and my first blog since being a young teen cool enough for a live journal. Anyway, I’m  now 23, attend Illinois State University as an English Studies major. I’m starting this blog for my multi-modal composition class. I chose this theme because I’ve always liked the way white text shows up on a dark background. Similar to the way chalk does on a chalkboard. It’s nice and easy on the eyes. I’m goin to keep this short and sweet for now.

Peace