Reflecting back on this semester, I’ve learned a lot about myself, storytelling, and sharing my “gift”.
We started with our self-portraits. It gave me instant insight into my classmates and it gave me something to remember them by. I thought it was a really cool way to start the semester, and I’d suggest you did it in other classes.
We then moved into audio stories. I, admittedly, was not excited about these and was wondering what class I had gotten myself into. I wanted to film and get the ‘money shots’ we had talked constantly about all last semester. Even after listening to a bunch of pod casts I was still not very excited. It wasn’t until after I interviewed my parents and edited them together in “A Love Story” when I understood what the assignment was all about. I was excited and proud to give my classmates my gift, my family history. It relefected my parents point of view, and that’s part of what makes a good story.
We also did a media diet during that time. Mine was a little inaccurate because it fell on a week when I was super busy and my Internet was out. I watch more TV and check my email way more then it says. If I had a smart phone, I’m sure it would be out of control! But, it was interesting to see because it made me conscious of all the media I was constantly around and seeking out on a daily basis.
Next we went to digital storytelling. Kind of like the audio story but with some pictures or visual enhancement. I was a more ready to jump into this one, but I didn’t have a story.. we spent a long time working on getting a picture, describing it, sharing it, storyboarding, and of course our story circle. While some people liked it more than others, I think the storyboard is very beneficial. It gives you the chance to bounce ideas off each other in a safe environment.
` We also talked about what makes a good story. This includes Lamberts 7 elements and some we added on our own. The seven elements we talked about all semester were: point (of view), dramatic question, emotional content, the gift of your voice, the power of the soundtrack, economy and pacing. I think the most important are pacing, emotional content, your voice, and your point of view. It is impossible to tell a story that people want to listen to and can relate to if it doesn’t have you in it. It is lacking a layer when the author has stepped back from the story.
We then talked and watched a lot of mashups. We learned about copyright criminals and talked about the grey area. It is hard to find the balance of moving forward and using the past to create something new and keeping copyright. I created a mashup called “easier than <3” which is still not up on my blog since I cannot get it to export right. It is on vimeo however, if you care to rewatch it. I was very frustrated doing this project at first. I couldn’t find what I wanted to do, couldn’t get it work right when I did, and I was frustrated that I had to sample and rip stuff that I already owned! But in the end, I chose to take some artistic and educational liberties and allow myself to learn from the past.
Lastly came the final project. I was really excited when Jordan and I decided to work together. I wanted to do something different, something I hadn’t done before. I also wanted to work with someone since we hadn’t at all this semester. Jordan and I got the opportunity to try a stopmotion film. It was very tedious, but I am so proud of us. We probably put about 20 hours of work into this small 2-minute video, but I feel that it is more than worth it. It is something I’ll keep forever and that I know I can use in my portfolio.
Overall, I had a great semester. I learned a lot and hope to continue learning and developing my storytelling skills! I hope you all have had as good of time as I have!
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