Comm 203: Wrapping Up Communication and New Media

It is now time to close this blog for my Communication and New Media class. The class gave me a really good incite on how the media works. It was a great way to learn the basics of media literacy and how media technologies affect society today. The course helped me learn exactly how media technologies have impacted culture all over the world. I had a fantastic time learning the basics of digital media production and media literacy. Through blogging, movie editing, presentation, graphic story-telling, and sound design, we accumulated knowledge that I never thought possible. The possibilities are endless in the field of Communications and I truly enjoyed everything the semester had to offer me. Next semester, I will continue to blog for my future classes in Communications. I look forward to what the next semesters have to bring.

In case anyone was interested, this was the selected winner from the Tori Amos video contest that took place a few years ago. I am a huge Tori Amos fan and remember when this contest actually went on. I wish I had had the time and skills at the time the contest took place. It's fun to see exactly what can be done with this type of project.



Zepronepsid

Comm 203: Vals Survey

The Vals survey considers my first type as a striver and my second type as an experiencer. First of all, strivers are fun-loving and motivated by how much they achieve in life. They also seem to be concerned about the approval and opinions of others. For strivers, money defines success and dont have enough to get what they really want. Strivers look up to individuals with money and measure success by it. It also says that they favor stylish products that often wealthier people tend to have. Strivers are basically people who strive to become the most successful by having the nicest products which value "greater material wealth." They are consumers and shopping is considered a social activity as well as an opportunity to demonstrate their wealth (even though they may not be that wealthy).They are also often impulse buyers. A lack of skills and sense prevents them from moving ahead. To be honest, I don't think that I really fit into the opinions of others category because I am just me and never really cared what other people thought about me. However, I do agree that I do like to be fashionable and I would like to have nice things even though I do not own anything like them right now. I don't think that money measures success but I do enjoy a few of the finer things in life in general. I am not much of a shopper in real life at the moment so I don't know how this could be very accurate in that sense. But I it is true that I don't have much money, yet I would love to have a few of the finer things in life. Overall I do agree that I am somewhat a striver, but my second type as an experiencer sounds like me as well. My second type is an Experiencer. Experiencers are motivated by self-expression and easily enthused by new possibilities. They seek excitement, variety, and like to enjoy the "risky, new, offbeat" types of things. They are very socially active and spend a lot of money on fashion and entertainment. Experiencers like to have the "cool" things in life and like to experience what's cool. I think that this sounds a good bit more like me than striver. I am very much an experiencer in life and like to have the coolest new gadgets that I can find. I do in fact spend a lot of my money on clothing, cd's, movies, and games. I believe that my second type, the Experiencer is correct in evaluating my Vals type. Perhaps I am a mixture of Striver/Experiencer because a lot of the traits seem to merge together.

Comm 203: The Maxx

The article focuses on the understanding of the "original and adapted media" shown in "The Maxx." The article talks about how the movie was adapted from the first 11 comics. "It can help us see more precisely what comics can easily do that television has traditionally had difficulty doing, and vice versa."(Smith)In the movie, the same size frame is used on television just like it was used within the comics. Surprisingly, the expressivity used while keeping all the frames gave off a similar effect to that of the actual comic (even though the standard television frame had to be used). The difficulty comparing the comic to the televison series is that the comic was able to use different sets of frames. In order to express these frames, "The Maxx" movie/television series had a camera set up at certain lengths such as vertical camera movements substituting for tall or think frames used within the actual comic. Here, the expressive device used would be giving off nearly the same effect as the visual medium used within the actual comic. It is also shown when the wide frames in the comic are transferred in to horizontal camera lengths in the movie. To communicate these frames within the movie, it was simply all about the camera movement and how to get the viewer to follow the movie in the same way they would view the frames. So in a way, comics communicate in a very cinematic way because of the moving frames and pictures used within them. "Once "The Maxx"'s animators understood the value of using frames-within-the-frame, they then recognized that one need not present frames one at a time as television tends to do. They realized that they can present multiple frames on the same screen, treating that screen more like a comics page. They could arrange frames on that page-screen to lend their animation some of the expressive capability of comics." (Smith)Here, he is basically saying that the multiple frames being used within the same screen makes the television screen much like that of the actual comic page used in "The Maxx."

Comm 203: The Web at 20

The most salient point in this article is that the Web "as we know" it is being threatened in a lot of ways and we need to preserve it with our human rights. It is basically saying that we, as humans with rights to use the web, should care because it has become an important resource in our world. We need to make the web more valuable by using it correctly. The threats to the web's universality are the most recent. Social networking sites like Facebook, Linked-In, etc. are valuable because they store so many bits of important information such as who is who in a picture, birthdays, likes, and email addresses. But it is only within these sites that you can access this data. You cannot use this data because the site blocks off other websites from accessing the same data because it is "walling them off." "You can access a Web page about a list of people you have created in one site, but you cannot send that list, or items from it, to another site." It is saying that social networking sites become central platforms for locking you into that website once you've entered bits of information. This, therefore, makes the internet vulnerable to becoming fragmented. The drive to preserve the principles of the web is basically what this article is telling us to do. We also need to have legal standards to preserve our privacy within the web since linked data confronts problems in that sense. We as web users need to preserve the web as it is so that our future generations will be able to use it and create even better things with it.

Comm 203:Most interesting thing in class to date.

The one thing I have found most interesting in this class was when we went over the five key concepts and questions to media literacy.As a class, we have learned that being media literate gives us a framework to "access,analyze,evaluate, and create messages in a variety of forms." It also helps us to build and understanding of the actual roles that media plays in society.When we learned to analyze advertisements and as well as other forms of media such as videos,pictures, and songs we used five key concepts and questions to gain a better understanding. I found this method very creative and easy to use in analyzing media. I think that it helps our minds develop and open up to newer and different ideas that we may have not even thought about before. There is nothing better than building a mind more open to ideas that are different from your own perspectives about the world and how to read things.

Five Core Concepts
1.All media messages are constructed
2.Media messages are constructed using a creative language with its own rules.
3.Different people experience the same message differently
4.Media have embedded values and points of view
5.Most media messages are organized to gain profit and/or power.

Five Key Questions
1.Who created this message?
2.What techniques are used to attract my attention?
3.How might different people understand this message differently from me?
4.What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?
5.Why was this message sent?

We learned that using these core concepts and questions can help us in analyzing ads and gain better understanding of the various messages being sent. We did a project using this method in order to analyze advertisements as well as other media. My project focused on how to analyze an advertisement. In the project, I went through each step and thought carefully about each concept and question for every possible answer i could find in what the message was saying. I just think that this was the most interesting thing in class to date because it taught me how to open up and think in different ways in order to read messages in media.I am very much enjoying this class to date and look forward to each class. I enjoy the lectures because they are so open and allow us to discuss our thoughts freely.

Graphic Novels: Jason Shigna's "Meanwhile"

I decided to review a unique comic called "Meanwhile" by Jason Shigna. The comic directs the reader with tabs at each side of every page. This allows readers to choose the next step in their adventure/adventures reading it. The comic allows readers to go through it not only once, but various times. This may seem time consuming, but it is a very fun and unique experience. Though it will take time to go through each and every different path while attempting to avoid destroying mankind, it could become quite addicting. Your story starts out with the main character/hero Jimmy who is deciding whether to buy a chocolate or a vanilla ice cream cone. From here on, your story begins with this type of everyday choice. The comic allows you to choose your own adventure which is very similar to books from childhood. Further into the story when Jimmy(you) meets Professor K, you are given chances to play with one of three inventions:a memory transfer helmet, a time machine, and a Killtron 2000 (destroys the planet). Once you get familiar with the types of choices you make, the choices begin to get more difficult such as deciding to kill everyone on the planet or deciding to travel through time. Overall, the comic is based on the decisions you make much like role playing video games such as Fable II for Xbox 360. The branching story definitely communicates in many ways through words, pictures, and frames. The way it is framed through branches communicates that you are able to decide your story and control what is going to happen. It gives the reader the benefit of going through the story various times. Like in all comics, each picture communicates what Jimmy (you) are going to be doing. The pictures mostly describe an action or an option of what you will be choosing between. Words are shown in the puzzle-like storytelling comic to describe the action in situations you get into throughout the storyline. The comic uses simplistic language which makes it easy for the reader to find out exactly what they will be getting theirselves into. The colors of the pictures give into each feeling and a sense of where you are. For example in the lab with Professor K, blues and oranges are used to give it a more scienfific feel. The beautiful thing about this comic is that as the reader, you have the right to choose which paths you will take and which story the graphic novel will tell. The whole thing is very mathematical and the various options you have available as a reader is just mind blowing. The unique non-linear fashion is a very creative idea given you are reading through pipes which move you onto the next panel.

Comm 203: Where the Jobs Are!

In Chapter 2 of the Media Career Guide, I was able to look at the many possible jobs that are available to me as a Communications major. The chapter discusses the six common media job types which are management, sales, creative, technical, finance, and legal positions. It also runs through the eight common media business areas. Obviously, the business areas are where we will make the money. Looking at all of these makes me really excited to get into what I'm doing with my degree. Researching, I found that if I worked in advertising, I could make a really good amount of money. As an Advertising Production Manager, you are responsible for the "production staff, collaborating with art directors, fulfilling client needs and expectations, approving layouts, conducting press checks, and approving materials to submit to publications" It's basically coordinating and scheduling the activities with the outside world that your agency is in contact with. You really have to understand all the phases of advertising production in order to fit this position. I thought it was really interesting looking and there is a good amount of money in advertising (especially if you're a manager of some sort).

In Institutional Communications and Training, you are working for corporate, government, non profit companies. One could also say that working for the government is another excellent way to earn money. One of the positions I found interesting in this section was the Desktop Publishing Specialist. As the specialist, you would "prepare reports, brochures, books, cards, and other documents for printing. They create computer files of text, graphics, and page layout. They work with files others have created, or they compose original text and graphics for clients." You can make up to $52,000 a year which is still a decent profit to live on and it's a cool job.

http://pagerankstudio.com/Blog/2010/08/desktop-publishing-specialist-job-description-education-and-training-requirementscareer-salary-employment-definition-and-nature-work/

I can honestly see myself in any position of communications but the one that striked me the most was the television industry. I think it would be awesome to start out as a Production Assistant for a television station. With this job, you can easily move your way up fast. Even though the tasks aren't the greatest, it is still a job that you can make about $100 a day with. It looks like it wouldn't be too bad of a position to start with. Researching, I found that you do the basic everyday tasks like picking up/delivering tapes, setting up the snack table for the director/talents, cleaning up after the set. It may not seem interesting at first, but it's a good position to start out with and if you're lucky you might get in good with the director which will give you an opportunity to move up a position.
"And while most of the work can be annoying, it's also an incredible opportunity to learn how a TV show gets made. That's why so many people start out this way. When you're a PA, you'll learn about the whole process, from beginning to end. And if you're good, you might get to do things like sit in on production meetings and observe the director or editor working."

http://www.ehow.com/how-to_4845386_become-tv-production-assistant.html

It was just amazing to me to find out just how many jobs and opportunities I actually have as a Communications major. This section really broke it down well into categories I could understand and made it easier to see which directions I like the most. I can still see myself in any position dealing with communications. Any of the positions listed within the text would definitely suit me well.

Comm 203: Comm. & New Media Intro Blog

I expect to learn a lot from this introductory class to communications. I am very interested to learn more about the media and its impact on culture and society. The study of media itself is fascinating because it deals with how we perceive things and how we express them. What we have learned about mediation so far is that it is the "force" of communication.I am a "Star Wars" nerd so I love that we use the word "force" to define it. Mediation and communication are the two institutions of media.

Today we find ourselves learning to communicate through blogging, sound design,graphic stories, and presentation, etc. Social networking sites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter have helped the world of communication become what it is today. Learning more about the world of communications will help us all to become more literate to the world itself. Many businesses and ad campaigns have realized that using social networking sites like the ones mentioned before can help them look better. The more interactive a business is with their customer, the more the customer will appreciate them and buy their product. In this sense, by keeping up with the technologies available to you; you may find yourself to be more successful because you have communicated so well.

In the world we live in today, technology keeps advancing to benefit us and make means of communication faster, stronger and better.