Creating Podcumentaries - a final project

Our group project is centered around podcast documentaries. We formed an assignment that requires students to make an intriguing, five minute, audio documentary. These audio clips should resemble that of an iTunes podcast. To learn more about these podcasts we would play examples of them in class, or have students listen to them on their own time.
As a group, we used Audacity to record our “podcumentaries,” but any program that the students want to use is fine.
We decided that a Ning would be perfect for this assignment. With a Ning, students can join and assemble their work on the web from different locations (as our group did). Also, with the Ning, we can post the assignment requirements and instructions in the forum. Finally, and possibly the most important factor, the Ning will be there forever. Students can use it as a resource years after the class is over, and their work will not be deleted or lost.
To conduct the podcasts we first needed a script. The script should be 200-400 words and 5 minutes in audio length. It should have minimal spelling and grammar errors, two interviews, and some music or sound effects. Creating guidelines such as these allows students to be creative, but also requires them to do some work to meet requirements for grading.
I am planning on going onto get my PhD and teaching college classes, so this won’t be too helpful in my near future, but it is definitely something I would like to use in my college classes when I am teaching. It would be very convenient to give my students the ability to post assignments and run my class announcements through the Ning.
All in all, the project, and the class too, have been a great experience. I have learned a lot of useful tools and programs on the web and on the computer that I would have never known about. I am confident that they will help me in my future career as an educator.

Here is the link to our Ning - Documentary Methods

Film Adaptations of Literature

Today teachers like to use film adaptations of Shakespeare, The Great Gatsby, and Jane Austen books. But what about in 10-20 years? What will make the jump from the "fiction" section in Barnes'N'Noble to the "literature" section? The answer: Lord of the Rings. These books are full of literary value and have not yet been appreciated in the classroom. And here's the kicker: the film adaptations are amazing.
When I teach English I am going to break the barriers of the typical boring literature. Sure, I will still show The Scarlett Letter and Huck Finn Videos after we read the books, because it is in the curriculum. BUT, if there is time in the schedule, Lord of the Rings is a piece of literature that I would love to teach.

As an activity I would ask the class to form their own adaptation of a pie ace of literature. I would have them pick a poem, short story, or even a novel, and ask them to do a ten minute skit, reenacting a part or the whole of one of these works.
They would need to do this adaptation with no props. This would make it all the more difficult for them to use their creative minds and think outside the box about the literature that they are reading. Also, this would force them to look deeper into the work they are reading, and think proactively about the material.

Documentary Assignment

I recently watched the new documentary titled The Carter. The Carter is a documentary about rapper/musician Lil Wayne. The film follows the artist known as Lil Wayne and his DJ, Cortez Bryant.

I feel that the primary point of this documentary is to show Lil Wayne's life for what it is: a gluttonous, drug abusing, sexually abused, and sad person that covers his pain with money and fame. Throughout the whole film Lil Wayne is either smoking Marijuana or drinking a prescription drug called Codeine, which is a strong cough medicine. When confronted about his drug addiction he gets angry. When talking about sex, Lil Wayne informs a room full of people that he was raped as an 11-year-old, and that he never pressed charges because he liked it. When asked about why he raps, his answer is because he wants to be rich, and when talking about himself the conversation often revolves around his fame and that fact that even across the world, in Amsterdam, he is recognized everywhere.

Some interesting techniques are used in the interview. First, they utilize Lil Wayne's music throughout the film. They use the lyrics in his songs to explain his life throughout the film as it applies to what is being shown. For example, when Lil Wayne is asked by an interviewer where he grew up, his answer is very unclear (because he is too high to answer). The music of one of his songs then comes on and informs the viewer of his childhood and where he grew up.
Second, the documentary utilized a number of different camera angles and special color effects. Often, during transition from one place to another, the view became black and white.

The Documentary makes it very clear that they are producing it without Lil Wayne's "OK" on the final cut, which furthers the message that they are trying to send: that his life, though blessed with wealth and fame, is also plagued with some disturbing, tragic factors.

Activity:
Have students write the script for their own documentary. This documentary must revolve around something in the school. Encourage them to form an argument or create a thesis so that the documentary is intriguing.
Next, Have them film the documentary. Interview teachers, coaches, and school faculty. This will get students more interested in their school and the members that operate it. It will also teach them how to write a script and to realize the work that goes into making a documentary.

Ol' Blue Eyes

I am a music fanatic. I like to believe that my ears are open and my mind is willing to accept an enjoy any type of music from any genre or artist. Mostly, I listen to rap, hip-hop, and heavy metal rock. But my interest is not limited to those three genre's. I enjoy listening to Raggae, Jazz, Classical, Alternative, 50's swing and jazz.

Lately, I have been really into jazz, specifically, Ol' Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra.

I haven't been to a concert of Sinatra's (probably because he is deceased) but I have heard many recreations of his work by other artists (such as Michael Buble's rendition of "I've Got the World on a String."

I guess this song appeals to me because it reminds me of happy times as a young child. As a child, my mother would play Sinatra's music loudly as she cleaned the house. This brings back feelings of love, family and comfort for me.

I also love the music (being a person who has played a few instruments). I feel that I can appreciate the orchestra type music because I played alto sax for many years (with a concentration on jazz).

Here is Sinatra's version of the song (the original) LINK
Here is Buble's recreation LINK

Analyzing the News

I flipped the television on this afternoon and turned it to Channel 11. Channel 11 has, for many years, given itself the name of KARE 11. Kare 11 gave itself this name to imply that they care about Minnesota and its community. As I watched the afternoon news I completely bought into this concept of care. After all, I saw three stories in a row that warned me of crime in the twin cities. A shooting, a breaking and entering, and a theft from a local pawn shop were all reported on. Each story gave the time and place of the events, and included some [in my opinion] less-than-legitimate “eyewitnesses.”
This was my first time watching the local news in years. While I knew that every story is usually negative, I was so shocked at the severity of this fact. Following the crime reports, the smiling newscaster behind the desk reported of six more deaths in Minnesota due to H1N1.The report was given with little feeling and focused on the facts. This distancing from the emotion of death and illness was very disheartening. It made me feel like KARE doesn’t really CARE at all, and that they are just there to report, not to be sensitive.
After this story, the newscasters focuses on a court trial of a man named Petters. I didn’t really understand what he was being charged for, although I know it is something having to do with fraud and paying investors.
As far as rhetorical appeal goes, it seemed that the newscasters smiled when they spoke of something lightely, and made a very serious face when they spoke of something grave. They seemed to tailor their emotional appearance with the topic of each subject. To me, they seemed very fake. I was not convinced that they CARE.
As far as techniques and editing goes, the camera was steady and focused on the two news anchors. The set was simple and clean. When a new topic would be discussed, a video clip would show the area of the crime, or the issue being reported on while the news anchors voice provided audio. This audio would transition when an eyewitness was questioned, but when they were finished or cut off, the news anchors voice would resume.
I think my average weekly media intake is about average. I typically do now watch local news because of how depressing it is. Instead, I watch ESPN SportsCenter every morning. This keeps me up to date with the sports world. I rarely watch any national news either, as I feel that most are extremely bias (CNN, FoxNews, MSN, etc…) I almost never listen to the radio, and I rarely read the newspaper. My media intake is usually channeled and regulated by myself. I control what I watch and listen to. I frequently download music, movies, and television shows. I do this so that I can watch/listen to this media without being plagued by commercials and advertisements.

Sex Sells, and So Does Axe

This advertisement is for Axe Body Spray for Men. It is a magazine ad which covers the whole page. The focal point of the ad is a woman in very provocative clothing (white tank top and pink underwear) and high heel shoes, washing a car. Also in the picture is the car, and a man standing behind the car, also washing the vehicle. The picture is very colorful everywhere. But the focal point is on the woman’s pink underwear. In the top right corner there is a small image of the product, and a slogan that reads “Save on your Axe, save on car washing.” This slogan implies that by purchasing a new, lower priced Axe Body Spray, it will cause beautiful women to wash your car in their underwear and a white t-shirt. This plays on the stereotype that every male has a fantasy of seeing a beautiful woman wash their car in this attire.
The setting of the ad is in the driveway of a very boxy, modern looking home. Not much of the home is shown but we can conclude that it may be that of a upper-middle class home in a warm, dry climate (because of its flat roof and stucco siding). This sets the viewer up in a place of comfort. It shows the man who uses axe as comfortable and self reliant. He not only is a car owner, but a home owner too.
The attended audience is men, specifically (but not limited to) young, adult, heterosexual men.
While many agree that these acts are foolish and immature, they do in fact prove effective. In my opinion, the Axe Body Spray is a terrible product. Its scents are not only overwhelming, but also repelling. Yet, despite this dislike in the product, I have purchased it on numerous accounts. Why? The same reason any person buys it, because the advertisements are appealing and clever, and of course, because sex sells.
Below is my fake Axe ad. In contrast to the Axe ad, it plays on typical stereotypical female fantasies of what they would want in a man.

Bromance: The Ultimate Film Genre

The following PowerPoint presentation is Peter and my analysis of the Post-Modern Romantic Comedy, AKA "Bromance."

http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dgg8sng7_30f88qpghp