Last Class/Self Evaluation

I asked everyone in class to post a self-evaluation to reflect on her/his work this semester. It was totally enjoyable to read them, mostly because they were all upbeat, so that boosted my li'l ego. But then I thought I could probably do the same...Evaluate myself and what I'd like to do better next time.

What worked:

1. Group exercises
2. In-class writing assignments
3. Blogs focused on creativity (i.e. the painting + story piece)
4. Snacks
5. Listening to Homecoming and being able to discuss

What needs improvement:

1. Need more shared language or ideas. I feel like I should spend more time in class talking about creative writing specifically, and possibly asking students to read more. We talk a lot about technology and I showed a few videos, but we didn't read any fiction, or poetry, and only one essay, "The Fourth State of Matter."

2. Need more hands-on time with technology. This is difficult, because people are working on different platforms, and I felt like, in the class before this last one, half the students were using the time to focus on the project, but not all were--either because they didn't have what they needed or weren't quite prepared.  I am a control freak, so if someone is even sort of not paying attention, I want to snap them back. Perhaps I can figure out a way to do short projects in class that require technology.

3. I need to practice two things (a). allowing for silence. (b). slowing down and going through assignments. If I even feel like students are restless, I want to shift gears, but that means we don't cover things that may be slightly more "boring." It's hard for both me and for the students to maintain 100 watt energy in a class of this length, so I need to stop trying to be entertaining, and allow for some more absorption of information.

4. I never did watch that dumb movie, even though I said I would try. 

Most memorable moments:

1. Any of the times I got to see class projects. I loved the variation of approaches and the creativity--the use of color or no color, music or silence.  Most especially, I loved Jhimmly's incorporating Sarah McLaughlin into one of his blog videos. 

2. Kalyn bringing in a surprise baby snake in a Dunkin Donuts box.

3. The collaboration between podcast partners--they got into it, and then some of the partners started sitting next to each other. (Note: this is something else I have to remember for next time, to get students working on projects in pairs or teams so they get to know each other faster).

4. "What happened to your face?"

5. Telling the story about how we don't show heart-break by describing someone sobbing, but by hearing the other person go, "Oh, I think of you fondly," and knowing from that moment that the relationship is over.

6. Brielle saying, "You always tell us what not to do."

7. Meeting students one-on-one for conferences and getting to understand project ideas more clearly.

Storyboard Workshop

Questions to answer:

Does the story offer a hook? Are you immediately interested?

Is the focus of the video clear from the beginning?

Are there points where it gets muddy or confusing?

Has the artists consider the visual elements clearly enough and do the visual elements align with the story? In other words, are they of the same style?

Given what you’ve seen from the first 16 panels, what are your expectations about what will come next?

What are you most interested in finding out?

How has the artist considered the interests of the audience? 

Rate the storyboard on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the highest. 

Here is a video we may discuss in class called "Internetting with Amanda Hess: The White Internet's Love of Digital Blackface."

The Ken Burns Effect

Here is a good tutorial about how to use the iMovie Ken Burns effect.


Take a look at this video that captures Ken Burns' effects in one of his documentaries: And hear what Ken Burns has to say about story, particularly about how all stories are manipulation:

Fourth State of Matter video feedback

In reviewing the short videos that you all created from JoAnn Beard's essay, I noticed a few common missteps. When you are contemplating your own final video project, consider the following as you create your images, footage, narration, colors, and style:

1. Are all of the elements working together? In other words, do you have a certain style in your video that remains consistent? Do you have a color palette or a visual style that you are adhering to? Are you interrupting the flow of the experience by adding dissonant or inconsistent images that take the viewer out of the piece?

2. Are you utilizing all of the available tools to enhance the viewing experience? In the podcast, you explored how to use sound effects and music to immerse the listener in the story. Now, you have those elements, as well as visual enhancements such as pictures, written words, and color, and the narrative aspects of the piece. If you are using only one or two of these things, your video will be flat.

3. Are you using the title of your piece to give the viewer extra information about the focus of the video essay? Your title is another way to tell your story; to give the viewer and idea of not just what the content will be, but what your intention is. Think of the video we watched about the girl with life-threatening diabetes. That was called "Midnight Three and Six" not "Diabetes." The creator of that video used the title to reinforce the structure of the piece (remember how the alarm went off at those times), and to illustrate how difficult it is to manage the illness. Use your title as another way to tell your story.

4.  Does your video have a clear beginning, middle, and end, and is your message or central idea clear? You are now using visual elements to tell a story, but you are still telling a story. You should be weaving in all of the things we've discussed about writing and story-telling: specificity, vivid imagery, showing rather than telling, and digger deeper for insights, moving below the surface.

Video Grading Rubric

Final Multimedia project rubric

Name:

Total score: 25 points

Subject

• is interesting/entertaining

• is organized

• is relevant to audience

• provides insight/reflection

Concept Score ______ out of 8

Technical Aspects

• Sound is clear and understandable

• Video is edited effectively, flows well

• Titles/words are chosen carefully

• Transitions work with the subject and pacing

• Sound effects/music enhance the experience

Technical Score ______ out of 8

Content

• Presents interesting information

• Language is vivid and specific

• Images and/ or graphics relate well to content

• Style is consistent with subject

• Tone is consistent throughout

Content Score ______ out of 9

Final total = ____________

Visual poetry in movies

The use of color in Schindler's List, "The Girl in Red."





The bag floating in American Beauty.



The use of the color blue and of close-ups in Moonlight.



Explaining character in Amelie.

 

Storytelling

"This is Water," by David Foster Wallace's commencement speech

 

 Ira Glass on Storytelling, Part I