Video I: The Final Exam

1. What are the three parts of the production process? The three parts of the production process are pre-production, production, and post-production.

2. What are the two new parts of the production process that we use in this class that can be found in marketing class under 2 of the 4 P's? Which part of the production process was your favorite and why? Which part of the production process was the most challenging and why? The four P's are product, price, placement, and promotion. The two that we use in class are placement and promotion. These are the methods that we use to get our messages out into the world. An example of placement is putting your media on Youtube for people to see, because if no one sees it, an amazing video is completely useless. We use social media to promote our media to others by spreading the URL and promoting our video and ourselves. My favorite part of the production process was either production or post-production, because I really enjoy using all of the equipment and software to create a medium to spread a message around. The most challenging part of the production process was probably pre-production, because it was a very long process and it was very difficult to think about and organize something that we really wanted to say.

3. What is the most important part of the production process and why? The most important part of the production process is pre-production. Through pre-production, you organize your thoughts and your message in order to set up for production and post-production. It is a very long process that ensures that the other steps go smoothly. Without pre-production, the entire production process couldn't happen.

4. What is the best part of your experience in this class and why? My favorite experience in this class was actually sitting down and learning how to use video editing software. This part of the class made me realize that I really want to be involved in media production as a career when I graduate college. I also enjoyed the interview day. It was a real pleasure to have Crystal Bass on our show, and it went really well. It made me feel like our pre-production really paid off.

5. Explain how you like working in groups in this class, and how has your team grown. Evaluate your team. To be fair being put on trial is tough; however, it literally happens every day at TV stations, ad agencies, film studios, government studios and PR agencies; do you understand why folks were put on trail rather than giving a failing grade for making mistakes and why the trials were public? Explain. Do you think that being put on trial made you more accountable to your group, this class, yourself and your professor? Our team was really great. We work together really well in all aspects of the production process. We all brought something different to the table and it helped us work together to produce what will turn out to be some really good shows. I am grateful for being put on trial rather than receiving failing grades! Not only does it help our GPAs, but it's more realistic, I think. I understand why it was public and why they exist; as it states in the question, I think being put on trial makes you more accountable to your group/class/self/professor. It points out your mistakes but also aims to fix them.

6. How have you grown in this course thus? Has it helped you think critically and have you applied what you have learned in other courses yet? Explain. The first part of this class focused a lot on the pre-production process (script writing, storyboarding, brainstorming, production planning etc and an introduction to editing) and the second part of this class as promised during your midterm exam focused more on editing, production, and post-production. Do you understand and can you please explain the connection between all the pre-production planning work and the actual production and post-production of videos? I think I now have a greater overview of the entire production process. I've learned a better sense of organization and planning as a result of this class. It has helped me think critically, and I've applied critical thinking techniques in all of my classes, as thinking critically is very important in all aspects of life. I understand the connection between all of the pre-production planning work and the actual production and post-production of videos. As I've said before, the pre-production, as indicated by its definition, lends completely to the production process, for without it, production and post-production would be moot. (Other questions under this number are duplicates and have been answered previously.)

7. Evaluate Dr. Chris. Did he do an effective job coaching you and preparing you for the production process? Do you like the fact that social media, guest lectures, interviews with real life authors, guest lectures with Professor Jay, intern hours instead of using primarily textbooks, notebooks, and handouts? Explain why or why not. Would you recommend this class with Dr. Chris to a friend or classmate? Why or why not? Do you think that other professors should utilize these methods? Did you feel like you received individual attention and support from Dr. Chris when you ran into a problem in the course? What grade would you give this class? What would you like Dr. Chris to have done more of in this class? Did you feel confident with the production process now after having taken this class? Knowing what you know about this class would you take it again with Dr. Chris and why? Dr. Chris did an effective job coaching us and preparing us for the production process. The semester threw us a couple of curveballs, but Dr. Chris helped us adjust to the changes and keep the process moving along smoothly. I do like the fact that all of the above mentioned aspects are included in this class. Social media helped us all keep up with class even if we weren't having it during the week. I especially liked guest lectures with Professor Jay, which really helped me get a firm grasp on editing software. I liked not having textbooks, notebooks, and handouts. I think that sort of method is a bit dated and doesn't really lend well to a video production class. I would recommend this class to a classmate, but only if they could handle Dr. Chris' methods! I think they were effective methods and other professors should utilize them as well. I think Dr. Chris was absolutely available for individual consultation, and Facebook was one of the main perpetuators of that. Dr. Chris was often available for chats online to get us on track, which I really appreciated. With its flexibility considered, I'd give this class an A. I think that we could have done just a bit more with Final Cut to really get us up to speed on the post-production process, but I still feel confident with the production process after having taken this class. I'd take this class again with Dr. Chris (maybe with different subject matter? This is a hard question to answer just having completed the class!). Overall, I think I learned all that Dr. Chris had intended for me to learn in this class.

Reflection 4/28: Crystal Bass Interview/Sight, Sound, Motion

Yesterday was pretty action packed. Our first task of the day was to conduct our interview with author Crystal L. Bass, which Fran was all too excited for (and we think he made a lasting impression). The shoot itself went really well. We had a great background set up and some great angles. Doc Chris directed the shoot really well, telling me when to switch properly and even leaving it to me to judge sometimes. Crystal was great on camera and she even signed books for all of us after class, which was a really nice gesture from her! I'm looking forward to reading it.

After class, we trekked it up to the quad to participate in the Sight, Sound, Motion final for Doc Chris' other class. They had to essentially create sights, sounds, and motions for their final. What actually happened can hardly be described in words, so I took a few pictures and have uploaded them below.

I'd say that the red team did the best with this challenge. The blue team didn't even dress in blue, for the most part...

The Family has been granted an extension for their final project after an interesting edition of Judge Doctor Chris' Court. We will have everything edited by the final, now that we have all of our footage.

Reflection: Greycomm Film Festival

So, yesterday I attended the Greycomm Film Festival in order to accumulate a few more intern hours, but I ended up becoming pretty interested in the films shown. I knew a few of the people who had submitted entries, and it was obvious that some films were better than others, though I admire all of the participants for entering! I really liked Eric Weinstein's "long shot" music video for "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. It was really well choreographed and put together. I also was pretty intrigued by Tim Teeling's short documentary. The acting and story line could obviously use some work (sorry, Tim! :) ) but what really drew me in was the production value. Of all of the short films, music videos, and commercials that were shown, Tim's was definitely aesthetically closest to something you would see on television already. You could tell that he really put a lot of work into it. Some of them were kind of there for a laugh, like the Poker Face video, which I didn't find too inspiring, but the guy saying "p-p-p-poker face" was pretty hilarious. I found it kind of odd that [the lead from A Cool Stick whose name I can't remember] had an entry in the contest, since he graduated about three years ago. Regardless, his entry was really well shot and was really original. Finally, I really enjoyed Stephen Celano's entries. His documentary-type film about being a filmmaker was really well put together. I liked the transitions he used, with one shot often running into or becoming another. And his experiments with special effects and graphics are obviously working to his favor. Overall, I thought it was a pretty good show.

Reflection 4/14/11: The Whole Class On Trial

You read that correctly. All but one of us was on trial today for not doing our intern hours. Granted, I believe that some of us had some decent excuses, but we all know excuses don't fly in Judge Dr. Chris' Court. So, many of us were sentenced to "community service" to redeem ourselves. Doc Chris, this better be good enough. Below I am posting 5 videos of interviews with your Sight, Sound, Motion class, including one I did with you. They're probably pretty poor quality, but they were completed.

You've got some characters in your class, Doc Chris. That's all I have to say about that.

Additionally, here is a video of the speaker whose lecture we attended before those interviews were taken. I tend to be super bored at these types of lectures, but this guy was fantastic. Really engaging and interesting. He knew his stuff and was really current as well.

In addition to that, we filmed an interview today with the author [Iforgethisfirstname] Goodman about his new book, Tracks, which is a series of stories about a group of people on a train from Baltimore. I got to work the camera cutting board (I'm sure that has a more official name, but I don't know what it is) for the second take, which was pretty cool. And this guy's book sounds really interesting, too. I might actually pick it up and give it a read when it comes out.

Oh, and we shot for our commercial today. We got a lot of really good/hilarious footage! Can't wait to put it all together.

How's that for a blog post, Doc Chris? I AM SO NOT A SLACKER.

Reflection 4/7/11: Shooting...

So, for this class, we spent the first half of our time shooting our commercial. It went really well; we had a lot of really great footage, as well as an idea for our commercial. And it was beautiful outside.

But then our camera died. So, we decided to walk back to class with the footage we had to begin working on editing.

When we hooked the camera up to the computer, though, nothing would upload. We had several "professionals" try to help us at our station, but they couldn't figure it out. We thought it might be because the camera was dead, but... oh, we couldn't get into the closet to retrieve the power cord, so... ultimate fail all around. Instead, I worked on some Final Cut lessons until the end of class. I finished lesson 5 and sent it to Doc Chris; lesson 6 is coming soon.

That was about it for this week's class; I didn't see Doc Chris much because we were working independently. I enjoyed filming and editing, though.

Reflection 3/31: My Favorites

I must say, this class was very fun. We went straight into the studio with Dr. Jay, who taught us a bunch of useful lighting techniques that I had a small background of already. What I didn't know was how free-form lighting can be. I thought it had to be one distinct type of structure. Dr. Jay also showed us how to frame a shot as well. Needless to say, I was extremely intrigued. The technical side of multimedia production is always my favorite. Even within the lecture-type setting, I felt like I was getting a hands-on type of experience.

Next, we went back into the lab and started working more on Final Cut Pro, a program that I am quickly learning to love. What can I say? Editing is my other favorite. We learned how to use slow motion effects and other visual effects to alter video. It inspired me to go out and shoot my own (however crappy) videos to edit and play around with on Final Cut once I get my new Flip camera in the mail. I am so excited. Dr. Jay told us at the end of class that we will be producing a music video soon too, which is a project that I had heard about in his class and always wanted to try, since music is my other favorite. (Below is a music video that I would have loved to produce!)

 

Dr. Jay was a really great instructor. He moved at a pace so that we were all able to work together and complete our work thoroughly and in a timely manner. He said that we were going to devote a lot more time in class to Final Cut, which I am really looking forward to. Onward to video! (See you this week, Doc Chris!)

Reflection 3/24/11 - Day Missed

Why wasn't I in class today?

Because I felt like the above picture. Take note that the picture is not actually of me, but of one of my musical idols when she was sick. Thought I'd work in some "pop" culture there.

I did follow along on Facebook, though. I found that we had Judge Doctor Chris Court, and I heard that J Smooth was really creative in his defense. I can't believe I missed it!

I'm also intrigued by the fact that Charlie Sheen is still coming up in class (and I'm really glad I missed any discussion about Rebecca Black's "Friday," because I'm so sick of that song, and we discussed it at length on my radio show last Monday, but, really, that was enough). I'm not entirely sure what the context was in this case, but I don't like the idea of rewarding celebrities for their endless stupidity with exactly what they want - attention. Charlie Sheen needs help, sure, and so he should get help. He should get help in private and actually try to fix himself up. What he's doing is fishing for attention; I think better PR would be for him to disappear now and reappear later after a decent amount of therapy. I'm not sure if this contributed at all to discussion, but that's just what I'm thinking about it right now!

As for the Family, we've contacted a few of our places and have yet to hear back. Fingers crossed!

St. Patrick's Day Storyboarding!

I meant to put this together earlier, but here's a picture representation of my St. Patrick's Day, rated PG!

We got gelato for class last Thursday!

This is french vanilla with Oreos. I'd never had gelato before, and it made me sad as an Italian to be able to say that, but no more! Thanks Doc Chris!

Then we filmed our reflections/dissed all of the no-shows.

Then, later on, we celebrated. I found these glasses.

I'm posting these unattractive photos just for you, Doc Chris.

It was a fun night! But never let me wear a tie again... it's something to play with and I get far too fixated on it.

Midterm Exam

1. What are the three parts of the production process? Pre-production, production, and post-production are the three parts of the production process.
2. What are the two new parts of the production class that we use in this class that can be found in marketing class under 2 of the 4 P's? Product, price, placement, and promotion are the 4 P's. The two that we use in class are placement and promotion. This is how things that we produce are going to get out into the world. An example of placement is putting your video on Youtube for people to see (because the best video in the world is nothing if nobody sees it!). Then, we use social media to promote our videos to other people via spreading the URL and promoting our video and ourselves.
3. What is the most important part of the production process and why? The most important part of the production process is pre-production. This is when your team gets everything together and gets organized so that the production and post-production processes move smoothly. Without pre-production, the rest of the production process couldn't happen.
4. What is the best part of your experience in this class and why? I'm sort of a [baby] tech-junkie, so I really enjoyed the class when we went over how to use Final Cut Pro. It's like using ProTools, only it deals a lot more with visual aesthetics. I had been waiting to use Final Cut Pro all semester, and it was really satisfying to actually start with it. Now I really want to start fooling around with it. Although I know that pre-production is most important, I feel like production and post-production are the most fun!
5. Explain how you like working in groups in this class, and how has your team grown. Evaluate your team. I usually like to work solo, but working in a group has really worked for me in this class. Everyone in my group is reliable and brings a different talent to the table, and we all have fun ideas. It's interesting to get together every week and exchange ideas and see what's going on in everybody's head. But, while we don't have all of the same ideas, our aims are all the same. We want to produce a reputable video and distribute it to the public via placement and promotion. We're currently coming up with shooting ideas and we all have a good vision for our show, our PSA, and our promotional spot. The Family's on the right track.
6. How have you grown in this course thus? Has it helped you critically think and have you applied what you have learned in other courses? Explain. What do you expect to learn in the second part of this course? I have learned a lot about pre-production so far. I think pre-production deals a lot with critical thinking and application, because it deals so much with other people and their motivations, so I would definitely say that I've begun critically thinking even more than usual. Naturally, I have applied these principles in my other courses, because I'm taking 3 CM courses right now - Radio, Video, and Sight, Sound, Motion. The current events/staying connected with the world/current events sort of thing applies in all types of Communication. I expect to learn a lot more about direct production and post-production later on in this class. I think we're going to start a lot more shooting and editing.
7. Evaluate Doc Chris. Is he doing an effective job coaching you and preparing you for the production and post-production process? Do you like the fact that social media is being used instead of textbooks? Explain why. I think, for what we've done so far, we have been prepared well by Doc Chris. I think this comes a lot from Doc Chris' copious real world experience. The only thing I wish we had a little more of was the technological side, which I hope will come later on in the course. That's the only thing that I feel like I'm going to be just a little confused about, unless we learn by doing, which I'm totally fine with too. I like using social media instead of textbooks, though. I don't have the longest attention span in the world, so learning the way we do is preferred for me. It's very hard for me to sit in front of a book for a long period of time, no matter how interesting the topic!

Reflection 3/3/11: Interviewing

Interviewing

First rule of interviewing: Check your ego and agenda out at the door.
Second rule of interviewing: Don't be confrontational.
Third rule of interviewing: Do your research!
Fourth rule of interviewing: Be gracious.
Fifth rule of interviewing: Finish. Always give the person an out.

Want a good example of a good interviewer? Watch Frost/Nixon, both the original interview and the movie. Watch the movie for the whole process of researching. This guy was unbelievable. Nixon had a huge ego, and Frost had none, and he really accomplished what he set out to do.

Like a lot of things we learn in this class, I think it's good to know these rules on a basic level (as in, not word-for-word). We should know them as principles so that they're in the back of our minds, so that when we go out and interview and produce things, we'll have these principles innately inside of us.  It'll be more natural than if we're constantly trying to recall exact definitions. These rules seem kind of obvious, but, based on watching certain interviews, sometimes breaking them just comes naturally.

Doc Chris showed us a bunch of different examples of interviewers and interviewees that demonstrated both good and bad interviewing techniques. These were really helpful. Good: Frost/Nixon. Bad: Allen Iverson. They helped communicate the principles of the class that we discussed today. They also helped move along the end of our pre-production process. I feel like we're more prepared now.

Reflection 2/24/11 - Some "ladies" do not like Bieber... or Gaga...

Doc Chris, if we were to play this on WLOY Radio, we would be fired on the spot.

On a separate note, we were asked to respond to the conflict in the Middle East and how it pertains to media. I've been tracking a lot of the tweets that people in the countries have been sending, and they've served to raise awareness all over the world. I know very few people who have no idea what's going on there. I also saw a video of a peaceful protest in Bahrain that went bad. It was pretty horrifying. A bunch of people were walking down the street, shaking their shoes at the military as a sign of disrespect for them. The military opened fire on the protesters, and the cameraman hid behind a tree and continued to film the military. When he turned the camera around, there were several bodies laying in the street. The remaining protesters picked up the bodies and started to carry them to the ambulances, and as they were retreating, the military was marching on them and shooting still. I think media like this helps to raise awareness and band citizens together. It also helped spread the revolution from its roots in Tunisia, to Egypt, and now to the rest of the Middle East and some of Africa.

We censor video content in America for a variety of reasons, whether it's to protect the interest of a certain individual or group, to avoid insulting an individual or group, to avoid inciting certain unwanted emotions in the audience, or a number of other reasons. It's very different overseas, even just in print. I've been assigned this news viewing assignment before in high school for a foreign languages class, and it's very, very different. Foreign news seems far more honest.

These two topics contributed to the idea of critical thinking that we covered today. Using the current events that we used as examples was a good way to analyze and stay current. We didn't lecture as long as we usually do, which I think is good. It was more about response today. I like learning in a more "hands-on" type of way, so this worked for me a lot. In other news, we came up with more concrete concepts for our show and the commercials for that show. It seems that we all have the same vision for it.

Doc Chris, here's your evaluation:

You articulated your messages very well to the class today. I think it may have even been better than usual. I liked the analysis that we did. The only thing you lose points on for me is the playlist. I can't help being a hater! But I give you props for your patience and tolerance for such an individual.

Reflection 2/17/10

We're doing our show in this format: 7 minutes of show, one 30 second commercial, 7 minutes of show, one 15 second commercial, and 7 more minutes of show. We're going to actually be selling these shows to people... but what if they're not buying? Do we have to come up with a new concept? Do we do it for free for the sake of the project? The line between class and a legitimate internship is becoming very blurred!!

Regardless, I can see roughly what our interview show is going to look like. I can see it being like something that would take place on the Food Network, like one of those shows that goes around to locally famous restaurants and gives them airtime. We'd get some footage of the place, of ourselves entering the place, sampling, interacting with employees, etc. It would start with that, probably with some sort of voiceover about the place giving some backstory. Then, we would also film several interviews to insert into our show in between the "action." I could see it looking really great! It's going to be so much fun to edit.

While talking prices, I can't help but be pessimistic about the $2500 mark ($500 per 15 second commercial, etc.). As soon as I got to Loyola, I got a job at WLOY and I worked in the Business Department (I have since moved to Production). But I was in charge of contacting local businesses (pretty much all over Baltimore) to sell advertising spots. We had several different options, but the ones that involved commercials were very particular. The Grey Package is $250, includes a limited amount of 15 second mentions, a spot on our website, and participation in our Loyal Listener Card, among other things. The Green Package is $500, which is the same as the Grey Package but everything is just about doubled. I had a VERY tough time getting any money out of businesses around here even with all of these perks, and that's from the position of an established, up-and-running organization that they're all familiar with. Based on my experience in ad sales, I really don't see these places purchasing advertising from a group of four barely trained college students who aren't affiliated with any organization and who can't guarantee any legitimate television airtime. I don't know... I'd be surprised if they went for that, and I'd be happy if they went for that, but I'm not optimistic. Sorry, Doc Chris! I'll believe it when I see it ;).

Then we learned the basics of Final Cut Pro. I was really excited to learn this program, and it's not much different from the audio editing programs with which I am very familiar. In fact, everything basically works the same way, just with the addition of the video. I love editing programs, so this was really fun for me. I'm excited to actually begin using it for our own videos. Dr. Dunmore was very effective in his lesson. I picked up everything quickly, and I know it's going to stick.

The Family

Here's a copy of our slideshow for our pitch. The font is really important.

Reflection 2/10/11

Since the initial miniature reflection, we have done a bit more. We came up with a treatment and script for a PSA for domestic violence. Everyone got involved in the writing process, be it with ideas or with grammar tips. I'm guessing we're actually going to film and produce this too. I liked seeing something like that develop so quickly and easily, then seeing people bring it back and edit it. Everyone was part of the creative process. Doc Chris was really effective in drawing the ideas out of us, which was fun. I'm more excited to learn about the editing process that Doc Chris is talking up so much. I love audio editing, and I'm excited to branch out into video editing.

We also got a little preview for the interview process. There is a formula for interview shows: intro, show opening, show close, outtro. That's something we really need to discuss in more detail for The Family, because I'm guessing that's the one show that we're not as familiar with. We've all seen plenty of commercials and PSAs (I've even produced some), but interview shows are more obscure.

I'm hoping that, in the next few minutes, we'll be able to narrow down our proposal options and focus our ideas so we have a better vision for what we'll be doing this semester.

Miniature Reflection 2/10/11

So far, we've discussed the production process. As we've stated on Facebook, there are three parts to the production process: pre-production, production, and post-production. Right now, we are in the pre-production process, making out pitches and coming up with ideas for our shows. We will be pitching shortly; The Family has a very appropriate slide show put together and is dressed in all black for the occasion. Don't mess with us.

Doc Chris, you are lacking no enthusiasm for feeling under the weather. I'm digging the idea of getting paid in this course, and I'm really excited to just start these projects! A lot of work goes into this, it seems.

Reflection 2/3/11

1. Everything we did in the first assignment was about learning how to get practical experience as a producer from the pre-production perspective. Pre-production is the key to success!
2. History lesson on what happens in Hollywood entertainment and what it means to us.
3. It's about creating a hook to get people to buy your product or video.
4. Be aware of free sources to distribute your content (i.e. Youtube).

Fran, one of the members of the Family, has some ideas for our video project, which is nice to have already. I've been thinking about PSAs as well, as that's my job at WLOY. We've been keeping up with each other over our Facebook group and are planning on meeting sometime soon to really get into our project. My camera is broken but I think we'll have access to another until mine is back in business.

Again, Doc Chris made his presence known upon walking in. There was no lack of enthusiasm. Some of the material was a bit difficult to follow (mostly the history) because, once he thought of something, he'd think of something else that was relevant and talk about that. Eventually, I was able to keep up and gather all of the information. My favorite part of the class was Doctor Chris' Court. It was hilarious. You don't want to be on it, but you do, because it's really amusing.

Snow Week?

It's the third week of the second semester, and I still have yet to have a full week of school (my only class was canceled on Tuesday). I wanted to take advantage of the snow days, but my boots, coat, hat, and scarf are all piled up neatly next to my front door... back home in New Jersey.

Therefore, I took some pictures through my window of the day it was snowing.

You can't really see that it's in the process of snowing, but it is. Oh, and did I mention that I live on the ground floor of a residence hall? Yep, this is what it's like to live in a dungeon - complete with bars on the windows.

The snow level was higher than our window.

Reflection 1/27/11

The fact that we had class on Facebook today went totally over my head, so I wasn't present online during the actual class, but I did read the thread! It was a short class and I liked the format. It's really crazy that we can still have class without actually being in class and have it be productive! I figure I'll participate in class discussion here: I do have my book and I am more than excited to start thinking about PSAs. I work at WLOY Radio as the Production Manager, so I am in charge of making PSAs there and have just a little bit of experience at least from the audio perspective. I love my job there; editing and producing audio projects to be played on air is one of my favorite things to do, so I'm really excited to start doing them through a different medium.

Doc Chris, we've only had two[ish] classes together but facilitating discussion continuously over Facebook - specifically today - is a really great way to have the subject matter permeate our everyday lives. I enjoyed the enthusiasm through an impersonal medium too! It's a hard thing to do when we only have class once a week.

Winston tastes good...

As per the assignment, I asked 3 adults - my mom (49), my dad (48), and my step-mom (50) to answer this question. My mom, unsurprisingly, did not remember the ending to this commercial. When advertisements come on the television, her eyes glaze over and it's nearly impossible for her to remember what just happened. The only advertisement she's ever remembered is Oscar Meyer. To my surprise, my dad, who remembers every obscure (or not-so-obscure) pop-culture reference from his childhood but can't remember that he has food in the oven, responded with utter confusion. He had no idea what I was talking about at all. I was about to give up hope when my step-mom came through. She responded excitedly "... like a cigarette should!" Maybe she was the only one of the three who could afford a television when she was a kid. Who knows?


So, I asked her the follow-up questions after she answered correctly. Instead of answering quickly over the phone, she elected to send me a detailed response over e-mail. Thank God for step-moms, right?

"I remembered the ad because it was on the radio/tv a lot when I was little, I also tend to remember things like that. We didn't have anything close to the advertising that is out there now...very few ads ran so we heard (or read) them over and over.  Cigarette advertising was big in the 60's/70's!!

I would definitely say yes to the power of advertising, just ask any adult to sing the Oscar Meyer jingle, that's a no brainer (at least for me).  The Super Bowl comes to mind... don't people talk more about the commercials than the actual game?

Hmmm... favorite commercial... well, I guess if we're talking about the present I would say the "Mayhem guy" for Allstate insurance.  Very clever and original, it's not like every other commercial that uses young, hot people to sell their product.  If we're talking about commercials from the past, I would say the "Slinky" commercial.  It had a jingle and the kids playing with the slinky always looked like they were having a great time (they were never THAT much fun to play with)."

My step-mom, Amy, is the clear winner in this situation, even though I know it wasn't a competition. But they don't know that!


EDIT: I've asked my parents to once again comment on the advertisement now that they know what it is. The issue was my dad had never heard of it and my mom had forgotten about it, so I sent them the link. The problem with that became this: my dad is traveling in Europe for business and doesn't have a ton of time to respond, so I got a short, succinct "Very funny" over e-mail. My mom has a whole slew of new problems as well; she's having the basement at home finished and the computer is completely out of service. So, really, neither of them could comment further. Kind of a let-down!

My Digital Devices

I have an Apple laptop, an iPod touch, a cell phone, a digital camera, a PS2, a PSP, and a Flip video camera.

Class Reflection 1/20/11

I have but one adjective to describe this first class: edutaining.

It was a great overview of video production; we got a briefing of the different jobs that one can hold in video production (and even chose our jobs without really knowing what they entail). I was really pleased to hear of all of the opportunities that this class can produce for us, as I'm really interested in digital media production. I work in audio editing now, but who knows? Maybe I'll like video editing better.

Picking our groups was sort of a free-for-all. Students who had been producers for all of three minutes interviewed us, the prospective editors, writers, and cameramen/women. It was like speed dating. I don't think anyone really got a feel for who will be effective workers at all, but it was an interesting interview exercise. I happen to be on the "Family" team.

Doc Chris... I wonder just how much coffee this man drinks daily. Or hourly. I've heard tall tales, but I hadn't really expected this level of excitement. His energy wasn't nearly overbearing as it was engaging, which is something a lot of college professors lack. I'm looking forward to seeing what class will be like once we delve into the course material.

First Day of Video Class

This class is going to be crazy. I'm pumped.