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.

Dove Campaign for Real Beauty

In Advertising and Imagery class, we discussed the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. The goal of the campaign is to make women comfortable and confident in the way they look. It' sthe idea that you can just be who you are, look the way you do, and not have to feel bad about it. This campaign boosts women's self-esteem and lets them know that they don't need to be the skinny, young conditioned super model to be beautiful. The campaign features print ads, television commercials, and public relations meetings which stress the confidence that women should feel about their own unique beauty.

This is an excellent campaign because it concentrates on the positives of self-esteem and recognizes real, everyday women. The image shown is from Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty. One signifier is the young woman's confident facial expression. Her expression signifies that she feels happy, confident, and proud of the way she looks. She confidently shows off her freckles, unafraid of what people have to say. She truly feels beautiful :).

lifestreamer

Semiotics: The Signifier and Signified

Semiotics is defined as the systematic study of signs, or, more precisely, of the production of meanings from sign systems, linguistics, and non-linguistics. There are two parts of a sign. One part is the signifier, the form which the sign takes. The other part is the signifier, which is the concept it represents. Signification is the relationship between the signifier and signified. In class, we were asked to chosse an ad and explain one sign and what is signified from it. We then had to come up with the additional signs and find signifieds of our own.

My partner and I chose an ad for a German Doc Morris Pharmacy condom. We chose the facial hair (hair and mustache) as our first sign. The facial hair, which resembles that of Adolf Hitler, signifies that the next Hitler could possibly be conceived in the act of unprotected sex. It signifies this by warning people that having unprotected sex, that they might be blamed for the next Hitler. The sperm itself signifies the one possible cell that is going to become the next historical villian. The millions of other sperm cells surrounding the main one (Hitler) signify the other potential cells to be conceived. The blue shades, which color the ad signify the relaxed effect of the safety you will feel if you do have protected sex. The condom itself represents the product available for the actual proctice of safe sex. It signifies the safety of using it. The blank white background signifies the sexual purity, or in a way, cleanliness (I know it sounds funny) of having protected sex and implies that it will be okay if you use the condom.

adweek

Comm 203: Media Literacy:Take 1

Intertextuality can be defined as "the shaping of texts' meanings by other texts." A text is basically like a set of symbols used to transmit some kind of a message to inform others." We are discussing media objects as texts and not messages because sometimes there can be certain biases towards what the message actually could be. The answer to this is that all of us are correct in the way we perceive certain objects/texts/messages. All of our perceptions are correct depending on what background culture/knowledge we have or don't have. Texts can be either opened or closed. The difference between them is that an open text can be read in various ways, but a closed text has a direct meaning. In the end, all texts are polysemic when read. They can have signals that have various different effects on the viewer. Texts can and always are interpreted in different ways. This depends on the culture or background of the audience it is being presented to. If you take a look at the photo presented in this assignment, some may say it appears to be very "sexy" or "attractive." Others may read it as being a "gang rape" and become offended by the message it is sending off. It is not at all clear exactly what the person who created this ad was thinking. The way we read text is always different depending on the audience it is given to. It all depends on how we perceive the world as a whole. The beauty of the ideas behind text and intertextuality is that we are able to communicate in ways never thought of before. It is good to become more open-minded about these ideas and different perceptions because there clearly is not only one particular view of the world. There are various views and I think that reading text through the eyes of others is an important step in seeing the world in different lights and communicating this way.

litnotes

Gotcha! What worked?What didn't work?

In advertising class, we completed a tween phone campaign titled "Gotcha!" After reviewing our ads in class, we discovered some things that worked and other things that didn't work. Our weakest ad was the one we did for National Geographic Kids. This ad features a giraffe and a fish underwater separated by a yellow strip of text. The text states "on land or underwater, we gotcha covered." In class we discussed how this ad can be very misleading. If you take a close look at the ad, it could imply that the phone could actually be used while underwater. The phone is not waterproof, but this ad tends to imply that it is. The message that we were really trying to send off is that no matter where your children are, you will still be able to reach them. Better photos of the giraffe and fish also could have been used in this ad. I think that maybe if we worked on improving the slogan and improved our images, it would have turned out a lot better. I do think that our other ads worked out pretty well.

The ad that we used for the Girl's magazine probably could have been better if we had tinted the black and white photo of the shoe. Other than that I think that it still brought about the clear message that at that age girls are thinking about love.The bright pinks helped the phone show through. A lot of grown women can even remember drawing on their shoes. So I think that we did a good job of connecting with the audience on that one.

Our best ad was the one we did for the Game magazine. It features a cute colorful robot representing the fact that this is a phone you will be able to have fun with. The bright blue background brought out the colorful little robot really well. The slogan "the phone you can play all day with" really brought out the meaning of the ad and what the phone can actually do.

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.